River Legacy Park

River Legacy is the largest park in Arlington.  It has every park feature you could possibly imagine, but since we focus on playgrounds, that is the only thing I am writing about.  And, the playground alone is worth the trip!

There is a children's wonderland treehouse fort for bigger kids.  There isn't much missing - slides, climbing, tunnels and bridges, hiding places, and imagination booster galore!

Tree fort

Tree fort tunnels and bridges

Inside the trees, there are fun things to look at and do.  There are tables, store front windows, animals carved into the walls, and even an interactive animal sounds tracker (kids press a button and it tells all about the animals as well as it's sound).

There is a smaller tree for the younger kids.  It has a fun cave inside, several ways to climb up into it, a spyglass to view the surroundings, and a double slide.

This one's for the little kids

There is also a free standing hollowed out log, a dinosaur skeleton to crawl inside and on top of, spider-shaped climbing web, a small bee to climb on, and plenty of swings - two regular, two baby swings, and two special needs swings with harnesses (one small and one large).

paleontology climbing fun

Spider and bee

Swings for everyone!

One big bonus to the bigger parks is access to a (clean!) restroom.  It is a little walk, so warn your little ones not to wait until too late.

See the building back there?   The restrooms are there... just a little walk

There is also a large, shaded picnic area and pavilion right next to the playground (along with bike and hiking trails).

River Legacy is located on NW Green Oaks (where Cooper dead ends into Green Oaks).  You have to pass up the Nature school entrance and take the big gated entrance to the west.  Once in the gates, you can follow the signs to the playground (it will be off to the left) - there is plenty of parking right on the playground.
703 NW Green Oaks Blvd
Arlington, Texas 76006

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

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

Cliff Nelson Park

This is without a doubt, one of our favorite parks!  It has a massive shaded playground, clean bathrooms (inside Cliff Nelson Rec Center), and an irresistable walking trail.

The playground is all connected, and while there is a small structure for little children, they aren't really separated.  This play structure has tons of climbing activities, bridges, tunnels, more slides than you can count, monkey bars, a pretend store front, lots of spinning apparatus, and four swings (two infant, two regular).

Larger structure

Smaller structure 

Spinning! 

Awesome playground!

A wooded path off of the playground leads you to a pond with fish and turtles.  It makes for a nice shaded walk.

Pond and fountain

Since we generally are only going to a park to play, I won't review all of the 'extras' at this park, but the rec center is just feet away from the playground and has restrooms.  One of our best friends held a birthday there last year, and it is a nice facility.

Cliff Nelson Center

Cliff Nelson Park is located on West Bardin, between Green Oaks and Kelly Elliot.
4600 West Bardin Rd
Arlington, Texas 76017

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

Vandergriff Park

This has to be one of the largest parks in Arlington, because it is massive!

playground

The playground at Vandergriff is great.  The brightly colored 'little kid' part of the playground has low to the ground climbing spots, slides, and a little pretend storefront counter.  The big kid playground is gigantic and fun for any kid who likes to climb.  There is even a cute (raised, shaded) observation deck for any parents whose kids are old enough to play solo.

This one's for big kids

And for the littles!

There are several fun free standing pieces of equipment also - a wobbly balance beam, a three-seater bouncy rocket ride, a low-to-the-ground spinning chair, and two standing spinners.  There are two baby swings and two regular ones.  The ground covering is wood chips.

We love Vandergriff Park!  It is a little overwhelming because it is so huge.  In fact, the first time we went there, it took us 10 minutes just to find the playground once we got to the park.  Once you figure it all out, it's worth it... besides a spectacular playground, Vandergriff has baseball fields, a HUGE covered pavilion, miles of fields and walking trails (not heavily treed), bathrooms, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, and probably more that we haven't explored.  It is also the site of the Bob Duncan Center.

Vandergriff is located on between Center Street and Matlock.  The best way to get to the playground is by entering at Bob Duncan and turning left towards the pools.  The Marrow Bone Springs entrance will take you to the pavilion, tennis courts, and horseshoes (but you can't access the playground from that lot).
2800 South Center Street
Arlington, Texas 76014

FJ 'Red' Kane Park

Kane Park is an older park with beautiful views of a fountain and pond.  It, like most Arlington parks, has separate structures for big kids and little ones. 

The 'big kid' playground is pretty awesome.  It has a three story climbing structure (as tall as a 3-story building) with three huge slides.  The top level (accessed only by a rung-ladder) is really high up.  I took my kids to this park when they were still toddlers, and it was too scary to let them play on.  But for 4 and up, it is great.  It also features two rock climbing structures and two big kid swings.

This one is for big kids!

The 'baby' playground is fairly small, and may not hold the attentions of an older toddler for long.  There are two baby swings.  

The little kid friendly side

This park boasts a pond with fountain feature, basket ball court, paved walking trail (around the pond), a  flock of friendly geese and ducks, and bathrooms.   There are several picnic tables (in the shade of large trees) to have lunch or do crafts, and plenty of benches for parents of older children to sit and watch.

Basketball court

Pond, dock, and geese

Picnic area

Kane park is located on Southbound Cooper Street, just past Hardisty Dr.  

6500 S. Cooper St

Arlington, Texas 76001