Bob McFarland Park

This park is perhaps the most heavily treed in Arlington, so on a hot day, it would be perfect.  The shade covers most every part of the playground areas.

Tons of shade!

There are three playground structures.  All are old, but not run down.  And they held the attention of my kids for over an hour with no other children there.  The first one seems to be for smaller kids (lower climbing areas, small slides, safety stairs), but it also has a large area of monkey bars and climbing apparatuses attached to one side.

The second play structure area is larger, with more tunnels, bridges, slides, platforms, and hiding spots. It has a little store front, a high double slide, a tunnel slide, and climbing access from every angle.

A third play area looked at first to be an exercise area.  It is mostly for older children - too many spinning platforms, high climbing areas, and risky jumps for kids under 6.  It's super modern look made my small kids want to be on it, so I ended up hoisting and hand holding a lot.

There is a small maze in between all of the different structures.  It is easy to navigate and has several entries/exits.

There are plenty of little extras all along the playground, too.  Sprinkled in are a free standing climbing wall, a two person airplane bouncer, a very long moving balance beam, and a springboard bouncer.

This park boasts lots of swings (2 baby swings and 7 regular ones).

And the best bonus?  An old-school four square court.  Bring a ball and teach your kids the fine art of four square!

The park has a basketball court, a small pavilion, wooded trails, and three playground structure areas.  It is a beautiful old park with plenty of shady places to sit.  It is directly behind Williams Elementary, so I suspect they may use it as a second playground for recess.

Bob McFarland Park is located on Embercrest just off Matlock (between Bardin and Green Oaks) at the street's dead end.
410 E. Embercrest Drive
Arlington, Texas 76018

Deaver Park

Deaver Park is an older park.  The playground is split into two areas.

The smaller play area (for kids 5 and under) is perfect for small toddlers.  It has low climbing opportunities, a double slide for slide races, a small spiral slide, a musical wall, covered treehouse, and pretend storefront.

The larger structure (for kids 5-12) has two bridges, matching parapets, three slides, and some climbing areas.  This play area would likely not hold bigger kids' attentions for long, but for the kindergarten set, it was pretty good.

This park has tons of place to run around and play.  There are soccer fields, basketball courts, practice fields, and a shaded picnic area.  There are plenty of paved trails to bike ride too.

Deaver Park is on Kelly Elliott, between Sublett and Green Oaks.
5800 Kelly Elliot Road
Arlington, Texas 76017

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

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.

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

Woodland West Park

This is such a beautiful, shaded park, sharing a parking lot with the Dottie Lynn Rec Center.  This park has the feeling of a neighborhood park, but has a basketball court, a swimming pool (open during the summers), tennis courts, and a picnic area shaded by huge oak trees.  The best part is the awesome playground (with areas for big and little kids).

The play area for the bigger kids has a climbing wall attached to a rope wall, plenty of climbing bars, slides, a spinning chair, bridges, and a little store front.  There is also a free standing spinner, which I couldn't keep my kids off of.

The play area for the under-five set is smaller, but it has two slides, a bridge, and some bells to bang on.  There are also two baby swings and two regular ones.  The ground covering is wood chips.  There are lots of shaded benches all around the playground, and the tennis courts, pool, and rec center are all within walking distance.  

Woodland West is located on Norwood Drive near Park Row.  It is directly behind Duff Elementary.
Woodland West Park
3200 Norwood Drive
Arlington, Texas 76013