We are park hoppers, I'll go ahead and admit it, you won't find us at the same park each week; guaranteed. Why? Well...what child wants to go to the same park over and over, play on the same old equipment and not grow tiresome? Definitely not my children, so when we arrived at an appointment in the area a tad early, we decided to stop by Shipe Park. Now let me start by saying this place ROCKS! This place is one of the few Austin-area parks that have a shaded playground and as all Texan's know it's hotter than hell during the summer, shade is a huge-huge-huge bonus for the kiddos. We'll be visiting again, why you might ask? *Amenities- SHADED (by trees) PLAYGROUND, duh; the swimming pool(s) - 1ft pool separated from the larger pool with lifeguards on duty; basketball courts - not overtaken 24/7, you can actually shoot around; tennis courts--what's a park without them; and a huge field for running around free or tossing around a football with the nuggets. *Events- upcoming Movies in the Park and a pool party, major win! [Btw- there might be a summer camp that takes place at this park, there was a few (young) kids running wild on the playground, tossing their (wasted, yes because they had like 4 each) milk cartons all over the playground, screaming so loudly my two year old wanted to ditch playing and go because the kids were as he said, 'crazy,' ha. I did not see an adult within eye-sight so I don't know if they are free to roam?] read more

Shipe Park - Ole Blue - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Shipe sits in the heart of Hyde Park, an older and legendary north-central Austin district with a mix of families, professionals, students, professors, and alternatives. Shipe is a neighborhood, family-friendly park with a playground, a pool, and two small tennis courts. I believe it also has a basketball court. The park has no trails and measures about one square block, but serves a purpose for young families, dog walkers and amateur tennis fans. There is rarely an hour of the day when I drive down 45th to find the tennis courts empty, and the night lights help keep the space popular with UT undergrads and grad students with writer's block. The playground is busy on the weekends and in the afternoons, with a smattering of strollers and dogs wandering about. If you live in the area, it's a nice place to spend a few minutes. If you don't, there would really be no reason to make the effort. Shipe is suffice. read more

Shipe Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Shipe is one of the gems of Austin. I live nearby, so I'm a bit biased. But I have friends who used to live in the area and have moved to West Austin, and they still travel here with their kids because the playground is so good. The shade is good. The soft gravel surface is good. The swimming pool is excellent! The basketball and tennis courts are terrific! Shipe is a great park to enjoy with your family. Very convenient street parking. Lots of shade. I only wish the City of Austin would provide the budget to keep the pool open for a longer swim season. read more

Shipe Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The pool season is both short and unpredictably staffed (it is sometimes closed at times when it is advertised as open) and the tennis courts have an unbearable wait time, but Shipe Park is still a very nice resource in the heart of Hyde Park. So, organization: Shipe is basically divided into four quadrants, featuring an open grassy area for sports/frisbee/whatever plus swingsets, the adult pool area with an adjacent kiddie pool and playground, a basketball court and a two tennis courts. It creates an interesting dynamic in which you'll have black dudes playing basketball and listening to gangsta rap with exceptionally white Hyde Park hippie parents playing with their kids and twentysomething hipsters playing fetch with their dogs 100 feet away. It's cosmopolitan in the best sense of things. Bonus: occasional SCA kids practicing Medieval combat. Like Hyde Park itself, the park is generally safe and a nice place for late night walks. Everyone in the city seems to know about the tennis courts, so you might be better off with the UT intramural fields if you have a pass. Ball courts are, however, well-maintained and lit fairly late. Shipe isn't really big enough to make it a long-distance destination, but if you live anywhere reasonably close on the north side of town, it offers a variety of pleasant diversions. Miscellany: no parking lot, so you may be circling the neighborhood a while if looking to visit during peak hours of pool season. read more

I'm one of the "homeless" folks that "sleeps" on the benches of Shipe Park. I put those words in quotes for the obvious reason that I DO have a home. It's called the Great Outdoors. And I'm NOT sleeping. I'm just huddled up, conserving energy and waiting for the next pass of Hale-Bopp. And I don't feel too good about being called a "downside". Fact is, I, too, was once a two-year-old toddling around the playscape and it was a blast! A small slide, a big bumpy slide and a twisty slide! And all the gravel you can eat! And I also had parents, like you do or did, that took me there, suffering over every move I made. They really cared. And I could tell, they loved to chat it up with the parents of the other kiddies. If I were to tell you that Shipe Park STILL has cool little kiddies and their hip parents or caregivers showing up throughout the week to socialize and play, it will only go towards solidifying your position that yours truly is some sort of family-watching creep. But, hey...what does that make you?!?!?! Look, I couldn't care less.... Enjoy your your morning at the park with your lattes from Quacks and pay me and my new android device no mind. And covet not my seat. Find your own damn comet. read more

Shipe...It is not a "destination" park, but it does pack a lot of activities in the one block space: pool, swings, playground, basketball, tennis, and a big flattish field that gets used for yoga, martial arts, ultimate, pick-up soccer and more. My major gripe is that they drain the pool around the time school starts. It is still tar-melty hot at this point; they should keep it open. I think this is an Austin-wide policy, but Hyde Park should muster up some of their vaunted eccentric mojo and buck the system. It is used heavily, and would continue to be an asset if it was open. Minor gripe: The layout is crap. There is no flow between the different zones, not enough seating in the common area (44th and F corner), and a hidden bridge of dubious use. It is more like four different parks than a cohesive whole. read more

Just going to comment on the tennis courts mainly. Nice courts for being free. Been playing there pretty frequently this summer and have been lucky enough to get one of the two courts available each time (arriving around six). But it never fails, at around 6:30 or so people are already waiting to play. So get there early and take the court on the west side, it gets shade first. Both have a few cracks but in pretty good condition. Chain link fences on the serving sides of the court only. Sometimes the balls go in the street or creek which can be fun for the adventurous or annoying for those who just want to play. Nets are in good condition and parking is usually not a problem (if it is you probably won't be able to play anyways). They have lights but I have never seen them on. That's about it, if you live in the area I would recommend them and its great to jump in the pool afterward! read more

Shipe park isn't worth a cross-town journey the way that Zilker is, but it is a great asset for the Hydpe Park community. There is plenty of room to play in the grass, a decent swimming pool, super awesome playground equipment, basketball court and tennis courts. Some drawbacks: --too many power lines/lights near the open area, makes it difficult to fly a kite in peace --apparently a popular option for "basketballerz" (as previous reviewer Kat L. put it) --gets pretty muddy when it rains because everything drains across the open area into the creek But still, I love bringing my pug to Shipe and reading out on the grass in the sunshine. Also a nice spot for a mid-week picnic, especially if you live in Hyde Park and don't feel like fighting traffic to go to Pease or Zilker. read more

Love this park. Me and my little guy stop by here after meetings with my boss at Quack's or just when we have some time to kill in the area. He can't get enough of the blue playscape. I love looking at the pretty little dream houses across the street from the playscape. White picket fence and everything. Love the open fields for kicking around a ball. The basketball court and tennis courts are pretty nice as well and seem to get pretty frequent use. We haven't made use of the pools but we hope to visit when they open next summer. Folks are all very friendly and open to chatting while the kiddos ramble about. Hoping to live in the area someday soon to make this our everyday park! read more

This park is the bomb! I live just a skip away and find this park a great place to hang out. Many a time do I bike around it, walk by it, and see families and children playing on the playscape, which is relatively new. Also, Shipe pool is a great hotspot and the local Hyde Park dwellers have worked hard to keep it open and running. Close by is Elizabet Ney's Formosa museum, and on the other side are a few tennis courts that are always occupied at any hour of the day. It's a great locale for some outdoor action, a photo shoot, a kid's afternoon, or a birthday party. One time when we walked by, we saw a cute party with a clown making balloon animals. Adorable! read more

Perfect little neighborhood pocket park with nice big field for throwing a frisbee or football around, elaborate playscape, plenty of swings, popular tennis courts and equally popular basketball court --- all with the lovely Waller Creek running through the middle. PLUS - and the biggest attraction - the awesome Shipe Pool. It's spring fed, so even though it's cholronated it's chillier than any other municipal pool apart from Deep Eddy or Barton Springs. Plus, it's free. Plus, it's just an awesome place. Great family vibe, but plenty of college and high school kids hanging out, too. Just awesome. read more

I always wonder if I'd feel differently about this park if I was a kid again. This is the park I'd always dreamed of having back then: a neighborhood park I could walk to any time and pay literally nothing and go swimming. Such parks didn't exist where I grew up, they were fantasies just like sidewalks and fire hydrants and single payer health care. The funny thing about fantasies is that the reality never holds up. While the park is nice, and it's certainly very nice for the cost, it's not somewhere I often want to go. I'm past the point of needing a neighborhood pool and there's nicer places if I just get in the car -- which I'll probably do anyway, because while it's walking distance, it's not that close. I just see how dated it is and how crowded it is and how it's not a bad park, but it really needs some love and attention. Still, it's a hidden away neighborhood pool and park, so it's very "local". Go if you live in Hyde Park, otherwise, you'll probably find better places. read more

I grew up here as well as hundred of other kids back when kids could run too the park play games all day knowing good and well your mma would be home yet with 5 sisters we cleaned in 10 minutes so we would spend our days there as a kid we would play box hockey and four square , softball, tennis , tether ball and havs a blast wow such memories at 0346 in the morning. go by there you will fall in love .Sure the pool is closed for the summer but it will reopen. then go over to Elizabeth Ney Museum read more

If you have small children, this is the place to go. The jungle gym is very new and is surrounded by a fence. The only downside to me is the fact that a lot of homeless people hang out and sleep on the benches. Ohter than that, it's very lush and green. read more

This is a totally underrated place. The pool is terrific for lap swimming--but it should be open beyond the third week in August. Austin is hot! People want to swim, and not everyone loves driving to Barton Springs. I'd go to Shipe every day, if I could. Sure, it lacks the glamor of the more popular pools, but it's utterly laid-back and relaxing, precisely because it's not packed with people. Apparently, staffing it is the problem. C'mon, parks department, get it together, find people to staff the pool, and keep it open longer. read more

Shipe Park itself is nice enough but the pool is only open for about 2.5 months of the year (summer break) which is not much use to the neighborhood the other 4 hot months in Austin. I was especially unhappy with the pool and wading pool this year when they were closed during normal open hours one out of every two times I tried to go swim. Here were the stated reasons for closure. The last one is my favorite and inspired me to write this review. - too much chlorine in the pool (twice), closed all day - short one life guard (didn't show up), baby pool closed all afternoon - life guard with the keys didn't show up, sorry, come back in about a half an hour read more

I'm just a fan in general of neighborhood parks. It got four stars because it's a bit neglected. Nevertheless it has a swimming pool, paths to walk your dog, and two tennis courts. Be prepared to play tennis on a very loud court from all of the cars wizzing by on 45th street. read more

Nice neighborhood park with a great public swimming pool. Never seems to be overly crowded and while I don't think it's as big as the Big Stacy pool it's still a very nice asset for the Hyde Park area. read more

I lived in Hyde Park in the 40s and 50s and spent countless hours in the pool. I swam in the Austin community pool competitions and cannot stress how important neighborhood pools were then and should now be to children and youth. The programs offered daytime and evening activities and included so much more than just swimming although that was my favorite. When Austin began to go to larger pools with admission charges, it lessened the participation of many kids in the city. I wish sites such as Shipe, Ramsey, etc., could be created now to help more youth discover the fun and value to time spent in such settings. read more

I love this place. It's a stone's throw from my apartment so when it's a nice but not too hot day and I don't want to make the trip all the way to the campus rec, I jog over and work out here. It's nice, there are always people playing basketball or with their kids on the playground. People sit in the grass with their dogs, it's a safe atmosphere. I sometimes run around the quiet neighborhood then do some stuff under the little log cabin, it's also set out a blanket and done yoga. Great space. I haven't been around when the pool is open so I don't know how that changes things but otherwise if you live nearby it's great. Nothing to make a far trip for though. read more

This is my favorite Austin playground! We just moved out of Hyde Park and while we love our new neighborhood down south, Shipe is one of the amenities I'll miss most about HP. The playground is great for kids of all ages, the pool is fab in summer (although I do wish the wading pool was open longer/more often) and the parents are friendly. I've made at least three friends there over the course of a year! Also there's plenty of shade over the play equipment in the summer. We'll drive across town just to visit occasionally, I'm sure. read more

Was looking for a swimming pool close to home and wondered over to Shipe. First of all, it is free! There are trees around the pool so I didn't have to fry when I was sitting outside the pool--two pluses. I had tried the pool over in the new Mueller development last year, only to be disappointed by the lack of shade--anywhere. However, Shipe hit the spot. I went around 5pm, so many of the younger children were leaving and I was able to actually have peace and quiet and a poolside spot. read more