This is my favorite Seattle neighborhood park. It's a pleasant and quiet park in between Meridian…read moreand Wallingford nestled in a residential neighborhood behind the Meridian School, next to the Demonstration Garden. There's a big lawn perfect for frisbee and picnics, a playground with swings and play structures, and a path underneath a cool rock archway, all circumscribed by a path shaded by big trees. A peaceful retreat with ample shade and open space.

This is a good playground, a bit of a hike, like a 2 mile walk from the University Ave (University…read moreof Washington campus area) area. It is behind, in the back of the property, and has lots of playground equipment, but it's a bit secluded and harder to access by walking to it. It's not better than other family friendly park & rec's in California, but maybe for Seattle it's considered above average. It's the best I've experienced in Seattle, which isn't saying much 'tho. I'd still recommend this for toddlers 'tho.

This was a sacred place to the indigenous peoples who lived here originally. There was a small bowl…read morethat the spring was coming up into. The Creeks run through in between the houses in the overpacked neighborhood around the sacred area. The spring has now been piped so deep underground that there's no water in the bowl. There is and was a nice creek that had been rehabilitated and animals reintroduced native to the area as far as frogs and other things like salamanders and bird habitats Etc. Then the homeless started moving in and lots of drug use. I'm told you can't even go there now that you're literally walking through somebody's campsite if you go on to the trails. This park has a huge place in my heart but can no longer go to it because of the fact that you're walking through some of these living room instead of a park. There was a lot of fecal fecal matter / human. Needles and the expected unhygienic things of community not being cared for. It was sad enough for the spring dried up. Well it didn't really dry up it was piped because of the houses in the area. It makes me sick that we would go and take a beautiful piece of land that was so sacred the original European families like the Denny's the borans and others used to Camp there. It was literally wild for them. Now it's the wrong kind of wild. It's bad enough we took this land away from people now we're letting it be a garbage dump and that water goes into Lake Washington and then our ocean so it needs to be cared for I'd rather have people on this side of the freeway than in the Parks polluting the water. So sad. I wanted to take a friend there and then I thought what am I thinking this is a dumb.

A nice discovery of a park and playground, easily accessible with plenty of street parking around…read morethe entire block it sits within. Play spaces available for smaller and bigger kids. Structures to climb, slide and explore. Swings for older and younger kids, as well as a paved trail/path for small bicycles and scooters. Be aware, however, there are a few uneven paved spots.

Cowen Park is the small non wooded area that is to the west end of Ravenna Park. I'm not quite sure…read morewhy there's a delineation of the two parks as they're contiguous, but whatever. There's a grassy open field and a playground located here. The playground has the usual swings, climbing bars, slide, etc. There's also picnic tables and barbecues for a nice lunch or dinner outdoors. For washroom facilities, there are portable toilets. When it's nice, you can just set a blanket out in the grass and lie down. If you want to do some light hiking, check out the trails at Ravenna Park. There are a lot of birds and other wildlife, attracted to the nearby creek. I did see some tents set up today, not sure how temporary they are, but none of the parkgoers seemed to bother each other.

Cowen Park is located in a quiet neighborhood in the Ravenna area close to the University of…read moreWashington and Green Lake. It's the left portion of the park that is attached to Ravenna Park and the ravine that goes through it. It's smaller than Ravenna Park (only 8.4 acres compared to 50 acres) but there's still plenty of space for all your activities. There are lots of grassy areas for outdoor leisure and a kids playground. There's a path that goes the length of the park that many people use for strolls, jogging, and biking. It's a nice and peaceful park for relaxation and sunbathing.

A bite sized neighborhood park. Mainly just two benches, some trees and grass. Even though it's…read moresmall, it's cute to have some extra green space in a big traffic circle. Not necessarily worth a trip out of the way, but it's a nice stop if you're passing by and want to check out some views. The park is maintained by Seattle Parks and Recreation.

A cute neighborhood park, I love to sit on the bench and enjoy the city views. It's small, but a…read morenice green space and not too busy.

After a blueberry muffin at Wildflour Bakery and Cafe this morning, Sunday 28 May 2023, I decided…read moreto get a little on-foot exploring in and adventure to Salmon Bay Park. When I arrived around 8:37 a.m., there were a few dog walkers out. There is a large playground area and paved trails through grassy areas with trees. I noticed some normal swings as well as what looked like a zipline swing. I walked over to check it out and sure enough it was a zipline swing. Figuring out how to use it, I opted for a sitting approach since I have sustained a head trauma in the past that I did not want to replicate. It was fun to use, and I was relieved it did not get going too fast. Dismounting once the swing started slowing down was without incident as well. While in the playground area, I heard a Northern flicker (a type of woodpecker) calling and looked up to see if I could find it. What I saw was a Cooper's hawk up high in a tree. In our backyard the Cooper's hawks like to chase after the flickers. I exclaimed out loud "a Cooper's hawk" and an American crow on the ground not too far from me cawed and looked at me. The hawks also chase them in our backyard. The hawk flew off before too long and the handsome crow when back to foraging in the grass. A restroom building in the trailed area of the park has running water and soap. I made sure to wash my hands after using the swing on the playground. The building and grounds of the park were well-maintained.

My son is obsessed with this park!! We visited it every day of our vacation in Seattle, and even…read morethough we've long since returned home, he asks all the time if we can go back to the park with the diggers. That's right, there's a tremendous sand pit with "community" diggers available for everyone's use. This says a lot about the general public's use and value of this park. It was really sweet to see the local kids descend on this park and run rampant for 10 minutes until the school bus came. The whole feel of this park takes me back to when I was what is now called a "free range kid." My husband and I also really enjoyed the zip line (who says it's just for kids?!) and didn't even get half of a side-eye for doing our body weight workouts on the play structure while our son played.

Great little park with a playground area for tots and older kids. Plus a swingset that has 2…read moreregular swings, one bucket seat, and one of the big plastic ones also. There is a bathroom and small indoor area that you can probably rent for parties. There is also a small basketball area, baseball area, and sand play area. All in all a nice clean park to bring your kids to play.

Located just outside of the Seattle Public Library, the Ballard Commons Park feels like less of a…read moretraditional park and more of a casual community gathering space. It serves many roles -- part municipal hub, part skate bowl, part public art venue, and during the summer months, transforms into a splash pad to help folks cool off. It is a true reflection of the Ballard neighborhood, which has something for everyone, good and bad. The good: :: Local skaters are very into the skateboard bowl, which is fully integrated into the public plaza design. :: The hours are from 4:00AM-11:30PM. That's basically a nap short of 24 hours in my book. :: Public art, that is free and showcases a local artist is always a good thing. :: West coast summer are some of the best in the country. The splash pad is a nice addition, even if it doesn't feel that hot. (#1) :: ADA accessible walkways. Inclusive access means there's an ease of movement for everyone. The bad: :: While having an onsite bathroom is a wonderful thing, it's not so good when it's not properly maintained. Foulness is not good, especially when there isn't any toilet paper or much of a working faucet. :: The homeless is a given, but things can get dodgy when there are youngins present. :: While the playground ("The Cove") was recently introduced as of last year with the ship theme, zip line, slides, rope ladders, but it's incredibly small. It is nautical play, but not something great if there's a lot of youngins present. :: It has been said that there is a lot of outdoor seating, but I was only able to find a handful of seats walls, stone benches, and little options in the shade. :: Park ranger or police patrols nearby? Not that I could see. __________ (#1) I live in Texas. That's hot.

Small flowers including daisies, clover, and buttercups were in bloom when I visited Ballard…read moreCommons Park yesterday, Sunday 28 May 2023. I arrived on the morning side of noon and explored a little on foot as well as sat on one of the benches to just take in the sun. Large grassy areas abutted a skate park and water spray area. By the skate park was an active musician, a Seattle Parks and Recreation tent, and a number of colorful sitting tables with chairs. Both porta-pottis and a metal restroom building were available for use next to a water fountain. An orca mural was painted on a small building in the west side of the park and lights lined paved walkways from above.

This is a delightful little neighborhood park upon the Queen Anne hilltop…read more Situated in a corner partially on a hillside supported by a retaining wall and tree border, the center clearing sort of acts like a neat centerpiece. Along the perimeter are some exposed picnic tables, some tree shade, some kids play areas and walking path loop (which connects the upper street with the street down some steep stairs). Peaceful, pleasant and tranquil. I came here to enjoy some food from Koku Cafe + Market and Bounty Kitchen. Nice spot! Will look nicer when the season changes and the grass is green. Plenty of parking on the west side of park along the east side of the tree-lined street hill.

This park is teeny tiny and you probably have to know it's there to be able to go there. Lucky for…read moreme it's right across the street from my house. This is a GREAT park to take your little kids. There is a small jungle gym with some fun looking slides. There are lots of trees around that muffle noise and keep it from getting too hot. The lawn is always nicely manicured and really the whole place seems ridiculously well maintained. There is a steep wooden stairway that leads from the park down to where I live, and it was all overgrown with tree branches, but the city peeps came down and hacked them all away, thus preventing me from whacking my head on a branch. I recommend this place for people who want a small park to take kids, teenagers who need a good make out spot, and people who just want a really pretty place to sit and read a book or chill.