Meadowbrook Park

Meadowbrook Park - this is the FIRST park ever built in Arlington!  We stumbled upon it driving home from somewhere else, and were pleasantly surprised.  The history of the park is noted on a placard at the entrance to the playground, and it was actually quite fascinating.

There are two playgrounds, aged 2-5 and 5-12.  Both play structures are shaded by a large umbrella, but the younger one is truly shaded by trees.  It has two slides, plenty of lower climbing opportunities, and two baby swings.

 The larger structure was enormous, with spiral and bumpy slides, a super tall slide, tons of climbing and levels, a monkey bar roundabout, some spinners, and two regular swings.  There is also a two-seater car that bounces when rocked.

 This park has a recreation center (with clean restrooms inside), basketball courts, shaded pavilions, plenty of benches, and a 9-hole public golf course (apparently Arlington's oldest course) in case dad needs a break from the park.

 And, we were lured into walk in the heat by the promise of a sculpture garden.  While the walk was pretty (and shaded), and the sculptures were lovely, we could only spot two sculptures.  Still, pretty cool, but not sure it makes an entire sculpture garden.

Meadowbrook Park is right off of Abram Street.
1400 Dugan Street
Arlington, Texas 76010

Brantley-Hinshaw Park

Brantley Hinshaw Park is one of the three playgrounds in Arlington with a spray ground/splash pad in addition to a regular area.

The spray ground area is the smallest of the three parks, but the water features do their job... keeping kiddos cool in the Texas heat.  And there is a large covered area attached for picnics or supervising parents.

Splashpad

The playground is split into two play structures.  They are defined as 2-5 and 5-12, but the baby side held the attention of my five year olds for much longer than the older play area, which is rare.  The younger area boasts plenty of climbing, three slides, a little pretend storefront, a tunnel, and a little climb-on car.

The are for older kids has lots of monkey bars, some low-level climbing areas, and a slide.  There are no baby swings, but you could bring a huge group of big kids out and they wouldn't have to fight over swings... there are 7 regular swings.

There is plenty of shade at this park for spectators (both man made and tree created), but the playground itself is mostly unprotected by the sun.  The ground cover is a combination of wood chips and spongy safety surface.

This park has a walking trail.  It has perfect areas for kids to ride their bikes and remain seen by parents.  And there is a practice field as well as basketball courts attached.

Basketball & Soccer fields

This park backs up to Atherton Elementary, so during school hours, there may be elementary kids on a 'field trip' to the park.  Off hours, you can wonder over to the school playground just a few feet away for some added play space.  There is no restroom at this park.

Brantley Hinshaw Park is located just off of Sherry Street, near Mayfield.
2121 Overbrook Drive
Arlington, Texas 76014

Dixon W. Holman Park

Dixon W. Holman Park is gorgeous park located in North Arlington.  While the Arlington Parks Department does list this as having a playground, I think it may be a bit of a stretch.  Luckily, there were lots of fun things to do besides play on a playground.

Holman Park is tucked back in a neighborhood at a dead end.  It is a beautiful combination of manicured flowers and wild, natural environment.  There are winding trails to explore and wildlife, plant life, and insects to find.  The signs along the trail help you identify (or learn) the flora and fauna found in the park.  This park is also a monarch waystation (like the butterfly park at Wimbledon) where butterflies can stop and rest during their migration.  All along the trail, there are shaded nooks to sit and rest.  

Look at all of the things you can see here!  Perfect for a nature hunt!

Beautiful walking trails

The playground does have two baby swings and two regular ones, a large stack of logs with handles to climb up on, and a crescent shaped climbing structure.  The playground alone won't hold children's attention for long, but the park itself is worth a trip.

Playground

While Dixon Holman park doesn't have the most amazing playground in the city, it is a little oasis of natural beauty with plenty of room to run and stretch your legs.

Dixon W. Holman Park
2409 Burney Place
Arlington, Texas, 76011

The closest large streets are 360 and NE Green Oaks.

Bob Cooke Park

We were delighted to find this newly rennovated park in North-Central Arlington.  The playground structures were large and entertaining, there was plenty of shade (both arboreal and man-made), and the park had lots of 'extras'.  It has two baby swings and two regular swings.  The ground covering is soft wood chips, and there are benches everywhere.  There is not a restroom on the playground, but there are (clean) restrooms on the other side of the park.

Swings!

Shady spots to sit - under a tree or a pergola

The 'baby' playground (1-5 years) is small, but full of low-risk activities.  There were three little slides (one straight, one spiral, and one bumpy).  There are stairs, a tiny (low-slope) climbing wall, and an activity wall.  The entire thing is shaded.

This playground is for little kids

The 'big kid' playground (5-12 years) was enough to keep my 5 year olds busy for over an hour.  It has endless ways to climb up, including three different climbing walls and several climbing bars and ladders.  It has two really big slides and three levels of climbing platforms.  There were also several spinning platforms for some dizzy fun.

Big kids will love this side!

The park has a small pond (but we didn't see any ducks).  The pond has a bridge spanning it, which little kids would love, and is a part of a nice little walking/biking trail.  There also basketball courts, tennis courts, and a big field you could play soccer on.  On the other side of the park, there is a recreation center with an indoor pool and a senior citizens center.

Bob Cooke Park:
2025 Craig Hanking Drive
Arlington, Texas 76010

The closest large streets are New York and Pioneer Parkway.

Burl L. Wilkes Park **Under Construction!**

Don't make the mistake of going to this park for a few months... we intended on trying it and it is being renovated.  

We can't wait to see the new park!

W.O. & Zeta Workman Park

This park is a hidden gem.  I wish we had found it sooner.

It is a newer park, with smaller trees but plenty of green space.  It has two play areas (one for big kids and another for littles) separated by a great seating area for Mommies to sit and keep an eye on their  charges.  The ground cover for the playground is wood chips, and there are benches all around the park for weary park patrons.

A shady place to sit (directly between the two playspaces)

The larger play area (labeled for children ages 5-12) has three large slides, a tower, and three different climbing apparatuses.
It also boasts a merry-go-round globe, circular rotating monkey bars (that actually seem more the height of an adult) and two swings.

For big kids! 

Extras - a merry go round, spinning monkey bars, and swings

The smaller play area (labeled for children 1-5) has three small slides, stairs to practice climbing on, a little alphabet wall for early learners, and a low, gradual grade toddler climbing ramp.
It also boasts a tiny bouncing elephant sit-on, a sandbox (that needs to be refilled), a spinning chair, and two baby swings.

For little kids

Extras - a bouncy elephant, a spinning chair, sandbox, and baby swings

The park has a large practice field (with football goal posts) with a bike path all the way around (great visibility for letting small bike riders take an independent loop) and a baseball practice field and basketball court farther away.

Fields

W.O. & Zeta Workman Park is located at 6701 Tabor Drive.  If you are looking for a park near the Mansfield city line, this is a great one to visit!  It is tucked in the neighborhood behind Ashworth Elementary at Eden and Silo Rd with easy access to Matlock too.

Cravens Park

Cravens Park is one of our favorites.  It is large, has a restroom, a pond, and an excellent playground.

The play structure for bigger kids (labeled 5-12) is massive.  It has two huge tunnel slides, a double slide, a climbing wall, three levels of play, spinners, monkey bars, and climbing ropes.

Big kids play here!

The play area for little kids (labeled 2-5) is larger than most baby playgrounds, and is probably geared towards older toddlers and preschoolers.  It has two (low) climbing walls, several more difficult climbing areas, three slides, and a cute little pretend car area (with gear shifts and steering wheel)

A playplace for little kids

There are two regular swings, two toddler swings, and a tire swing.  The ground covering is mostly wood chips with small areas of rubber matting.  There are built in sun shades on the playground.

Plenty of stationary extras in this playground.  There is a globe-shaped merry-go-round, a bouncy see-saw, a spinning seat, a bouncy horse, some drums, and a huge sandbox.  It had rained for a few days before our last visit, so the sandbox was a bit of a lake.  Even so, it looked fun, with a couple of backhoe toys and a little sand table.

The baseball fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts are all within easy walking distance of the playground.  Our playgroup has used the baseball fields for some impromptu games.  There is also a large pavilion - great for picnics or parties.  I was struck by the recycling bins - one near every single trash can.  Good job, Arlington!

Cravens Park is located at the juncture of Matlock and Green Oaks, and can be accessed from either road.
400 Cravens Park Dr.
Arlington, Texas 76018