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Kobayashi Park

4.0 (25 reviews)

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A stream in Kobayashi Park.
Alden C.

Really a great park! Kobayashi Park is so tranquil and peaceful! The park is down into a gulch where there is a decent sized parking lot. There is a structure there where you can enjoy with a picnic as well as restrooms which is always great to utilize! Lol! There is a creek that runs through most of the park which really adds to the peacefulness. There are a number of trails you can scout out all over the place. I'm not sure if some of those trails link up to Chambers Creek Park or not. We tried to go in from the Chambers Creek Park side but could not locate a trail that did go to Kobayashi. If there is a trail that connects through then I guess we picked the wrong one in both parks. From what another person we visited with on the trails they said that there is no connecting trail there yet but we always like to verify and investigate ourselves as well to confirm. Around the parking area at Kobayashi Park there is small waterfalls that go into the creek which gives this part of the park a Japanese garden kind of look. Kobayashi Park is a great park to wander and get lost in and a great place to come to to get out of the heat on a hot summer day.

Entrance Signage
Julie S.

Cute little park by Fred Meyers ! With picnic tables and benches. And doggie bags :) From wikipedia: "Kobayashi Park, also known as Kobayashi Preserve, is a park located in University Place, Washington, where Leach Creek and Chambers Creek meet. Kobayashi Park is 5.5 acres." Hm... I have yet to explore the 5.5 acres. I've only stuck with the more groomed trails without crossing over to the opposite side of the creek yet.... I love that it's shady with trees with chamber creek along the side. There's not a lot of parking and the trails are not well groomed. But it's a hidden gem for now and I suppose that's part of the charm. I've always walk here so the only "down" side is that you have to go down a hill to get there... meaning you have to walk up the hill. It's not a monster of a hill though. P.S. I haven't built up the courage yet to walk over the tree trunk to explore the trails on the opposite side of the river. If you want to try this, bring sturdy shoes :)

Bridgeport Place Assisted Living residents & staff enjoyed a picnic at this park. Love the shelters & restrooms; beautiful & accessible!
Maringi L.

So close by but it seems so peaceful! Just beautiful! I wish I was as brave & adventurous as all the kids playing in the water (they were having a blast!). Clean and super accessible. Parking isn't great :(

Sheree S.

Not the best place to swim. First off there is no sunlight to many trees so water is freezing... soon as we got there barely a parking space available only 9 spots to park down the hill. The other option is upward or downward PARKING along the hill which is a tight fit. When you get to the spot to swim was a strong oder of marijuana which if you dont bring ur kids not a big deal. The trails were nice but nothing to write or blog about.

Creek
Tabitha B.

Nice quaint little park. Love the little creeks here. Kids & dogs had a blast playing in the water. Would be nicer if somebody would regularly empty garbage, as its overflowing all over. Also beware some shady characters have been spotted here!

Nice view of the creek
Nathan K.

Very peaceful walking path. Space is limited but makes for a good evening stroll with the dog. The park is not huge, but due to it's location it's pretty quiet. I'd recommend a picnic on a sunny day, there's a picnic table and some great views to lay a blanket down and relax on the grass.

This is was our adventure!

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20 days ago

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9 months ago

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20 days ago

Super nice! Wish there was more parking, although the trails are nice. Super cool down there on hot days

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5 months ago

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7 months ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Nice natural feel. Clean and kept. Pretty quiet. creek is refreshing. Small parking lot.

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

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13 years ago

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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12 years ago

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13 years ago

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11 years ago

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

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7 years ago

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11 years ago

This place is beautiful !!! Plan to wear good shoes there is some trails but really nice for a quick work out or even to relax !.

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Review Highlights - Kobayashi Park

But it's a hidden gem for now and I suppose that's part of the charm.

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Playground by the Sound

Playground by the Sound

4.7(21 reviews)
2.0 mi

Playground by the Sound is the Chambers Bay park playground on the northeast corner of the park…read more Decent size parking lot, though it can be full on super nice days and in the summer (in a pinch I've parked along the road and walked back). The playground is split into an older kids side and a younger kids side, with 1 entry (and a fence surrounding). Visibility isn't perfect but the single entry point is great if you want to stand in the middle to keep an eye on kiddos. Great spot for play dates (come with a coffee!). There are portapotties at the park and a real restroom a small walk down the path. Park is great for kids to use their imaginations and play, which is so much fun. Great spot to bring a ball and play catch or picnic to sit and relax or bikes! Can get hot - wear sunscreen if the weather is nice. Friends said it's also fun to bring bikes or a stroller and hit up the cafe (a bit of distance from the playground) and have some sweet potato fries.

This is definitely one of the nicer playgrounds within the area with amazing views of the sound to…read moreenjoy. My kids love coming here to play, scooter and walk around on the paved trails surrounding the playground. The playground is divided with an area for toddlers (2-5) and older kids. Spacious parking lot and picnic tables as well around. Restrooms are nearby as well - they are well maintained and nice as far as public park restrooms go (heated in the fall/winter time). There is also a little library here too. I enjoy coming here every time!

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Playground by the Sound
Playground by the Sound
Playground by the Sound

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Sunset Terrace Park - Zip line that is currently broken

Sunset Terrace Park

4.0(5 reviews)
3.0 mi

Sunset Terrace is a decent park. Some city parks in Tacoma are a bit more glorious and have…read morespecific features that make the park unique but in this case I feel like this park is more of the basic variety. Now when I say "basic" I don't necessarily mean that it's bad. There are restrooms that are open to the public, playground equipment and a small field where you can play ball. In that aspect this is a great park for the neighborhood to come to. Parking is abundant and on a nice day I'm sure a very pleasant walk if you live nearby. I participate in hiding painted rocks and other trinkets, a popular group here in town and that is what led up to my first visit to this park. I have no complaints other than there is some clutter in some corners of the park like old, discarded clothing and such which brings the quotient down a little. Other than that it's a cute place!

It was finally a sunny day today and we decided to give this park at try. It's right off of South…read more19th and Bridgeport in University Place and easy to spot. It's not a big park, but it is neat. My 6-year-old daughter played on the playground for an hour and a half or so. She absolutely loved the zipline, as well as the merry-go-round, rock wall, swings, tire swing, bars, and jungle gyms/slides. There is also a field there, which we didn't have an opportunity to explore, but we will definitely swing back by on a sunny day or even better, for a picnic!

Photos
Sunset Terrace Park - Climbing wall

Climbing wall

Sunset Terrace Park
Sunset Terrace Park - Playground

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Playground

Tacoma Nature Center - Can you spot the two turtles?

Tacoma Nature Center

4.5(26 reviews)
3.4 mi

What an awesome place to stop by!…read more If you have kiddos this place is extra great - the playground is so delightful I just had to go down the slide! There's a building that has some really cute turtles and frogs and there are animal costumes for the kiddies. As for the adults? There's a walking trail that goes around the lake. It's pretty short, but if you go around a few times you can get a nice walk in. It's very shaded and I will definitely be coming here more when Summer comes.

The Tacoma Nature Center is such a local gem that I've passed hundreds of times and really had no…read moreidea. I actually saw a local mom influencer post about it on Instagram and decided to visit with my kids! The Discovery Pond playground is super cute and was a hit with my kids (5 and 3). It's all nature themed, of course, with fun slides and climbing structures, as well as a small playground off to the side of the main playground. In addition, there's fun trails for the kids to explore surrounding the playgrounds that I felt comfortable enough letting them check out on their own since the whole area is pretty condensed and it's easy to hear/see them. There looked to be some pond areas that were all dried up. From past photos I think there are normally some frogs and bugs and other things that sometimes fill up these ponds, but it being the start of the hot season they are pretty baren. Would be cool to come back and check out in the fall! I also appreciate the amount of benches and picnic tables around the playground, as we were able to snag a shaded one that the kids could have their lunch at and take a break from running around. After we played and had lunch at the playground, we went on the little half mile ish trail behind the info center. It was mostly flat and very easy for the kids. The hit was definitely the bridge that goes over a large pond where we were able to spot several turtles, tadpoles, ducks, etc. We didn't pay attention to the time and missed out on going inside of the info center (it closes at 2) so that will be on the list for next time as well. Overall such a cute little spot that we'll I'm sure we'll hit up several times this summer!

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Tacoma Nature Center
Tacoma Nature Center - Trails around the park

Trails around the park

Tacoma Nature Center - Cute playground

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Cute playground

Jefferson Park - Huge sequoia

Jefferson Park

4.7(14 reviews)
4.4 mi

Jefferson Park is a lovely green space for the neighborhood! There's a nice little playground and…read moresplash park for the kiddos; some good walking areas; tennis, baseball, and basketball courts; and a huge green space area - the only limit is your imagination! I mostly ended up here because I heard that the sequoia tree is the largest outside of Cali (trunk measured from chest height). I don't know if that's actually true, but it's a really lovely tree and I found a Monkeyshine, which makes it even better! This is a great place to stop by to get some fresh air!

Jefferson Park is a nice, large park for this area of Tacoma. It's sort of near the Proctor area…read moreand I can tell that lots of the neighborhood kids come here to play. I've been here a couple times... despite living fairly close to it but I usually prefer the parks on the waterfront more. I participate in the Tacoma Rocks movement which is a group of people in town which paint and decorate parks all year around and hide them in Easter egg fashion for kids and adults to find... and hopefully to rehide but if they love them it's fine to keep. You don't have to stick just to rocks and this past Easter weekend I hid rubber Easter ducks for kids to find in this park as well as painted rocks. I announced in the group on Facebook and could tell that the rocks and ducks were found quickly from the response I got. There are lots of nooks and crannies to hide stuff like this in this park which makes it fun. During monkeyshine season which is around Chinese New Year some people in the community hide handmade glass orbs. I'd love to find one of those... maybe someday in this park?

Photos
Jefferson Park - Playground area

Playground area

Jefferson Park
Jefferson Park

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Cirque Park - Beautiful flowers blooming!

Cirque Park

3.6(10 reviews)
0.9 mi

Cirque Park is a decent city University Place city park... especially if you are coming out of…read moreTacoma and looking for a park that is relatively nice and has at least some amenities to it. There is a nice array of playground equipment should you have children and want to have them go about some exercise while the adults have brief moments of peace. The restrooms are unlocked and usable. I can't say that is very much the case with Tacoma's parks and knowing what that can involve by being open all of the time in that town and being familiar with the reputation that comes with that city should make sense as to why. Also there is recycling options here where yo can take glass to have recycled which is nice as not many parks have this option. I say this because glass pickup no longer happens in Tacoma from the curbside so you have to go to a park or area that has a designated drop off. So that is a nice amenity as well when going to Cirque Park.

Came here to visit the new playground! Came at about 9:30 on Sunday morning and the park was pretty…read morefull with some baseball games (about half the parking lot left) and left at 10:45 with just a few spots remaining. The playground has plenty of area and structures for kids from young walkers to older kids. My daughter also enjoyed the sand at the beach volleyball court. It's pretty easy to keep an eye on kiddos but there is a bit of space so if you bring more than one, it could be a little harder. Kiddo wasn't ready to go after an hour, so plan accordingly.

Photos
Cirque Park - Behind the big play structure and climbing area is a zip line!

Behind the big play structure and climbing area is a zip line!

Cirque Park - Climbing net/cave. A big hit for my older kiddos.

Climbing net/cave. A big hit for my older kiddos.

Cirque Park - (Entrance to the right) - great swings for littles (only one big kid swing far left)

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(Entrance to the right) - great swings for littles (only one big kid swing far left)

Kobayashi Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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