Marcus DeBack Playground

 

Marcus DeBack Playground

Uptown Neighborhood, Milwaukee

2461 N 55th Street, Milwaukee

Marcus DeBack Playground is another of the playgrounds revitalized by the MKE Plays initiative (along with Arlington Heights Park, Foundation Park, Trowbridge Square, and eight others). The playground is named for the nine year old child who was killed while protecting another child on the playground in 1995.

The park is located on Wright street stretching from 55th to 56th St, just a block south of Lisbon. It offers a nice basketball court that’s almost always in use, grassy space with sidewalks around and through the middle, and a playground area. Street parking is available along both 56th Street and Wright.

Equipment on the playground includes the longest, highest zip line in the Milwaukee area - two people will need to work together to use the full length - which is fun even for much older kids (or adults!), and several different spinning apparatus which can be used individually or by a group of children. There’s also a row of swings including a web swing, two flat-bottomed swings, an infant swing and an accessible swing, along with a climbing structure with slides and a giant spiderweb climber. Tucked in and under both the spiderweb and the play equipment are more swinging options, along with a rope bridge. The spiderweb climber is way more than just a web - it has lots of nooks and perches, varying thicknesses and arrangments of ropes, and stretches quite high.

This playground has something for everyone, from the youngest climbers to older kids. The terrain is wood chips. There are plenty of trees to sit under, plus several picnic tables, and benches. No bathrooms or drinking fountain are available.

Rogers Park

 

Rogers Park

West Allis

2023 S 75th Street, West Allis

Rogers Park in West Allis (not to be confused with Rogers Park at 35th and Rogers in Milwaukee) is a fun neighborhood park located a few blocks south of the West Allis library. Three paths converge at a circle in the center of the park where the large play structure is nestled, filled with a wood chip terrain.

The playground features an inverted cone netting, double handed zip line, obstacle course-style equipment, slides, tunnels, monkey bars, a hanging spinner, rock walls, ladders and more.

Just outside the circle is a set of swings (two standard, one infant, one accessible), and an area with spring rockers. There are plenty of benches and picnic tables, lots of giant trees which are great for shade (and climbing!) and portable restrooms.

At the west end of the park is a memorial and butterfly bench dedicated to the memory a local child.

Trowbridge Square

 

TROWBRIDGE SQUARE

BURNHAM PARK NEIGHBORHOOD, MILWAUKEE

1530 S 38th Street

Trowbridge Square Children’s Play Area is located in a residential neighborhood in the northwest corner of Burnham Park, south of Silver City and east of West Milwaukee, not far from American Family Field and the shopping area on Brewers Boulevard. You’ll find the park on the corner of 38th Street and Branting Lane, where there’s plenty of street parking on either side of the road.

This playground, which is named after Nancy Elizabeth Trowbridge, was revitalized as part of the MKE Plays initiative and has a distinctive, naturescape styling to it. The fence surrounding the park has beautiful tile detailing decorating it, and the surface of the play area is primarily rubberized playground flooring, with grass around the edges and mulch surrounding the large trees at the center of the park. A sidewalk curves through the park from the 38th Street entrance to the entrance on Branting with decorative arches between tree posts serving as gateways.

Hills, valleys and slopes feature into the design of the green, blue and teal flooring, with rock stairways, stumps, logs, wooden bridges, and a huge slide built into the ground. Natural wood logs and trees are used as materials in most of the equipment, including a few wooden tables, chairs and benches. There’s a spinning seat and a rope climbing area on one side of the park, and a set of swings featuring two standard, flat-bottomed swings, a round web swing, an infant swing and an accessible swing.

The park is very well shaded by large trees at both the center of the park and around the edges. There’s a bike rack, a few benches, and trash cans near the gates, but no bathroom facilities or drinking fountains.

If you’re looking to park-hop, just a few blocks away you’ll find at playground at the corner of 36th & Rogers (which has one of my favorite random park features in the area - a listing of all 50 states in order of addition to the union with dates!) as well as the much larger Burnham Playfield on Burnham between 32nd and 35th which was in the process of being reconstructed in summer 2021 and should be open for play soon - with its new splash pad!

Liberty Heights Park

 

Liberty Heights Park

West Allis

1540 S 62nd Street, West Allis

Liberty Heights park is located in West Allis just three blocks east of the West Allis farmer’s market and about a mile from the West Allis library. Located on 6.5 acres, the park offers a baseball field, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts and a skateboarding zone.

Street parking is available all around, but 62nd is the best street if you want to be near the playground area. Head down the steps into the park and grab a spot on one of the shaded benches next to the updated playground structure. The orange and yellow playground equipment includes lots of rope features and obstacle-course style climbers along with traditional slides, rock walls and ladders. While the stairs have safe bars that keep young children from falling, there is a high bridge with only rope barriers at the edges that could be hazardous for younger toddlers - my 18 month old navigated it carefully but some might not be comfortable with that.

There are several different style spinners, and a very well done toddler play area with smaller versions of climbers and slides along with a tunnel and musical themed equipment. Rubber flooring is used under the main playground area, and a sidewalk encircles this zone. Adjacent is a pyramid-shaped web climber with wood chips beneath, and a stretch of swings including three standard, two infant and one accessible swing (with rubber flooring under the swings).

A short ways away there’s another set of swings with four infant swings and a rocking ride-on horse and motorcycle - this area has wood chips underneath. Another zone nearby features a carnival-reminiscent springing ride with seats for three surrounded by sand with a bench.

The park is partially fenced, and offers plenty of trees, benches and pincic tables. There is a covered picnic area and paved paths throughout. At the center of the park is a fenced wading pool with a center water sprayer. Portable restrooms were available. If you are visiting during school hours, this playground is used by the students at nearby Horace Mann Elementary school for recess times, so you might be joined by an enthusiastic pack of kids for 20 minute stretches midday.

Harbor View Plaza

 

HARBOR VIEW PLAZA

HARBOR DISTRICT, MILWAUKEE

600 E Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee

Harbor View Plaza, located at the end of Greenfield Avenue at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences is a nontraditional park in an exciting location. The park not only overlooks the Kinnickinnic River, but features a dock for launching boats, so bring yours along if you like. My kids love hanging out on the dock and watching boats as well as the industrial work often going on across the water.

To get to the park, drive all the way east down Greenfield Ave and you’ll find parking on the street in both directions - there’s a circle to turn around just at the park entrance. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the giant orange tower with red curly slide. This structure is the main “playground” feature of the park. At the bottom of the tower you’ll see maps comparing the Milwaukee Harbor in 1852 and 2019. Around the corner, head up the small stairs and there’s a tiny slide perfect for babies and toddlers up just three steps. Keep climbing (or use the larger stair entrance on the other side) and you’ll reach a series of platforms with benches, ship’s wheels, portholes and lookouts. The tower goes pretty high, so be prepared if you’re wary of heights. There are strong bars and walls all the way up, so don’t worry about kids falling. On the middle tier is the entrance to the curly slide, which takes several turns before spitting you out on the river side of the park.

The slide and tower are fun, but our favorite part of the park is the water feature. Amid the concrete paths of the park is a section of stone blocks and basins of differing heights, intermixed with wooden cubes and troughs filled with small rocks. At the top of this area there are two water pumps. Pump the handles and water spits out - it’s easy enough for elementary age kids to do, but younger kids might need some help. Water spills out of the pumps and into the troughs, trickling downward through angled troughs that encourage downward water flow. Depending on time of year, weather and other factors, this area is sometimes filled with water all around, and other times mostly dry unless you start pumping, but either way it’s exciting, and offers kids the opportunity to play and splash while also experimenting with and learning about how water flows. There’s even a little bridge that runs over the water’s path, separating the upper section with the pumps from the lower section with the rocks and basins.

Between the tower, the water feature and the river traffic, our kids can play at this park for hours. It’s something so unique and different from other playgrounds, while still appealing to kids’ interests so perfectly.

Other features of the park: the fabulous entrance gates with cut out fish and boat detailing; green space and trees for shade; water fountain with bottle filler; trash and recycling bins; plenty of benches and picnic tables throughout with different vantage points. The terrain around the tower is rubberized flooring, otherwise there are grassy areas and concrete paths. The park is fenced on three sides, but the gate opening to the boat launch dock is easy for kids to get through, so be sure to keep an eye on kids around that area, since the dock is fully open to the water. There are no bathrooms available.

The park hosts frequent art installations, as well as events throughout the year including Harbor Fest and Summer en la Plaza - free, family friendly public events like concerts, art exhibitions, nature shows and dramatic performances. Head to the Harbor District website for more information.

Mitchell Boulevard Park

 

Mitchell Boulevard Park

Story Hill Neighborhood, Milwaukee

5115 W Bluemound Road, Milwaukee

Mitchell Boulevard Park is located in the Story Hill neighborhood in Milwaukee, just northwest of American Family Field. The park is a long rectangle of grassy field dotted with excellent climbing trees and plenty of space to set up lawn games or a picnic, fly kites, or just run free.

The playground, located at the north end of the park along Bluemound Road, offers bathroom facilities and a drinking fountain, though they’re not always open and working. There’s also an attached covered picnic area.

The terrain of the playground is solid rubber, with paved areas surrounding. There’s plenty of room for kids to ride bikes, scooters, roller skates or other vehicles around, and hopscotch boards and four square games are painted on the pavement. There are several benches along the edge of the playground, though they offer no shade (head to the covered pavilion to get out of the sun). Dog walkers, bikers and pedestrians pass through regularly.

The playground itself has a long line of swings (one accessible, three infant, four standard) and a few separate climbing ladders and manipulative boards but is dominated by one large play structure with stairs, slides of different heights, a bridge, and a variety of climbing options. The bridge has wide gaps that small children can easily fall through.

My kids also love the gentle hill, just sloped enough for a good roll down. There is a parking lane along the west edge of the park (not available during ball games), and limited street parking in the neighborhood. While you’re here, definitely stop by the Story Hill BKC, located just across the street - amazing food and wonderful service! There are lots of other eating options nearby as well.

If you’re looking to park-hop, just blocks away is Doyne Park, as well as the playgrounds at the Woodlands School on Bluemound and the Hawley Environmental school on Wisconsin, and the playground outside the ballpark, which are all fun ones!

Swings

Space to bike

Swings

Perfect hill to roll down

Hopscotch

Curved Climber

Ladders

In the snow

Bridge

Curly Slide

Gears

Kite Flying

Johnsons Park

 

Johnsons Park

Lindsay Heights neighborhood, Milwaukee

1919 W Fond du Lac Ave, Milwaukee

Johnsons Park is located along Fond du Lac in the triangle area of the Lindsay Heights neighborhood in Milwaukee. Most of the park is a flat, open green space with paths running through. Park along Brown Street and the play area is right there, along with a restroom building and a covered picnic area. Like many playgrounds, this one features a large main playground and a smaller toddler play structure. The large structure has several tall, fast slides, rock climbing, a variety of ladders and climbing features, monkey bars and a spinner. Bars and rails reach all the way to the floor to keep small kids on the stairs and platforms without fall risk.

The smaller structure is a miniature of the large with multiple slide options. Terrain is a combination of rubber flooring and wood chips. There are plenty of benches surrounded by trees that probably provide decent shade when their leaves are plentiful. A swing area offers two infant swings and two regular swings accompanied by a pair of teeter-totters.

The park has a baseball field amongst the green space. Jump on a Bublr bike at the corner of Brown and 17th, or hop on the bus - there’s a stop right at the park. If you’re looking for more parks nearby, there’s a playground at Brown Street Academy a block west at Brown & 20th, or head south on 17th to Phillips Park, just south of Vine. Alice’s Garden, a community garden area abuts the northwest corner of the park.

Foundation Park

 

Foundation Park

Martin Drive Neighborhood, Milwaukee

3700 W McKinley Ave, Milwaukee

Foundation park in the Martin Drive neighborhood of Milwaukee is truly a hidden gem. Revitalized in 2019, this park is unique in the city in its equipment style. While it’s nestled in a single corner lot with no grassy space, the playground itself packs a punch!

The ground surface is rubber (designed in traditional Hmong patterns to reflect the neighborhood’s community) and there are shade trees and benches, but no bathrooms or drinking fountains. Parking is available on the neighborhood streets.

The playground is designed as one large course with a network of rope and metal obstacles that I hope become more popular at playgrounds! The kids were wide-eyed seeing it and had no trouble keeping busy for a long stretch of time. It’s not just things to climb up and slides to go down, this set is filled with places to test your balance, hanging and maneuvering skills.

The swingset is small, but has my favorite, the round web swing, which is perfect for groups of kids to swing on together.

While you’re in the neighborhood, stop by Pete’s Pops on Vliet for a gourmet popsicle, or Triciclo Peru for delicious empanadas! Nearby parks include Washington Park, Highland Park and Wick Field.

Pete's Pops

Triciclo Peru in the background

Pete's Pops order window

Sherman Park

 

Sherman Park

Sherman Park neighborhood, Milwaukee

3000 N Sherman Blvd, Milwaukee

Sherman Park, named after the neighborhood in which it resides, is located on Sherman Boulevard between Burleigh and Locust. While there is ample street parking along 41st Street to the east, there’s also a parking lot. The entrance is off Burleigh, and there’s also a circle drive perfect for drop offs and pickups (designed for those coming in and out of the Boys & Girls Club branch at the center of the park). The parking lot is nestled between the baseball field and basketball and tennis courts. A wading pool and small community garden are also located near the entrance.

The playground is full of exciting features: wide archways, triangular web climbers, balance obstacles, mini zip line, suspended tunnels, spinners, rock walls and tall slides. Next to the main structure is a smaller playground geared toward the younger kids.

Four regular swings and two infant swings are available, as well as three benches. The terrain is rubber flooring. Portable restrooms are available.

The south half of the park is green space with paths running through, as well as an exercise area with equipment.

Doyne Park

Doyne Park

Story Hill Neighborhood, Milwaukee

5300 W Wells Street

 

Doyne park is tucked between the Menomonee River and the Oak Leaf trail just north of Story Hill in Milwaukee. The park features a golf course and soccer golf course along with basketball hoops, its own parking lot, and a bathroom building.

With the Oak Leaf trail running through there are often bikers, pedestrians and plenty of dogs passing through. Lots of room to ride bikes around the paths or the paved space.

The playground is surrounded by shady trees, though the placement of the two benches is not ideal. The terrain under the playground is sand, which provides another entertaining piece, but can get hot in the summer.

There is a row of swings to one side, and a large playground structure with various slides and climbing options, including monkey bars and tunnels. While it has some neat spots for the youngest climbers, the bridge across the middle has high bars that offer minimal side support and can be hazardous for inexperienced children.

The playground equipment isn’t especially remarkable, but this park has a fabulous hiking path that takes you through the woods right along the Menomonee River, with several neat lookout spots and bridges. We love doing the full loop from the Oak Leaf trail around the hiking path and back to the park - and sometimes we’re lucky to glimpse a train going by or kayakers on the water. You can jump on the path from the Oak Leaf trail to the west, or head to the east end of the park and enter the trail through the wooded area just a short way off the path. Continue along the Oak Leaf trail and you’ll be at Jacobus Park. Two blocks south of Doyne park are some great restaurant options on Bluemound - Story Hill BKC, Caliente, and several sports bars.

Doyne park is also a great place to fly kites, or bring your sleds for some fun in the winter. The sledding hill is a nice size - not too high for the younger kids to climb but still a good ride down.

Bridge along the river hiking path

Bridge along the river hiking path

Sand

Space to ride around

Sledding hill

Hiking path along the river

Train view

Path along river

Kite flying

Swings

Monkey bars

Arlington Heights Park

 

Arlington Heights Park

Silver City, Milwaukee

3429 W Pierce St, Milwaukee

Arlington Heights Park is located in the Silver City neighborhood in Milwaukee. This park, which was revitalized through the MKE Plays Initiative, has so much to offer! Its location almost underneath the 35th Street Bridge adds extra excitement, and the playground has it all.

The fenced play area includes an obstacle-course style section with climbing wall, spiderweb, tall slide, monkey bars and plenty of climbing bars and places to balance and dangle.

The park also has swings (one infant, one accessible, two standard), a sand area, and a smaller playground with slides as well as an awesome set of low-down monkey bars perfect for early learners. A third play area offers a hanging spinner, and exercise equipment-like structures including a balance beam, rolling log and hanging bars.

The park has trees for shade, along with a boardwalk through a landscaped area with plants and large rocks which my kids love to climb on and explore - don’t miss the balance beam logs running through as well! There are three benches with trash cans nearby along the path, as well as a built in picnic table with benches under a tree near the smaller playground. No bathrooms or drinking fountains are available. The terrain beneath the play structures is loose synthentic rubber “wood” chips. There is sidewalk that runs through to the boardwalk, but not a lot of space for biking or scooting.

Bonus lookout spot and slide!

The park includes a large grassy area for running around, and don’t miss the stairs up to an overlook with a bonus slide down!

This park is located an easy four block walk from the Menomonee Valley Urban Ecology Center, the entrance to the Hank Aaron State trail that leads to Three Bridges park, and the beautiful murals painted there. There are also murals under the 35th street Bridge at both ends of the park. Parking is plentiful under the bridge as well as on Pierce.

Climbing Bars

Spiderweb

Obstacle Course

Nearby Mural at Three Bridges Park Entrance

Silver City neighborhood

Boardwalk

Low Monkey Bars

Grassy field and bonus slide

Balance obstacles

Enderis Playground

 

Enderis Playground

Enderis Park Neighborhood, Milwaukee

2938 N 72nd Street, Milwaukee

Enderis Playground has so much to offer. This is not just a playground on a city block. Bordered by 72nd street to the west, the park stretches from Chambers Ct to Locust St and features a baseball diamond, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, soccer nets, horseshoe courts, paved walking paths, a wading pool, and more.

There is parking on 72nd, but you can also park on Chambers Ct. or in the small parking lot off the court near the baseball field. Across from the baseball field there is a paved lot with my kids’ favorite: a giant painted United States map. They love to travel the country, running from state to state. Four square courts are also painted on, as well as a snail-like spiral hopscotch game. There’s a set of swings here for those who just want to swing without the rest of the playground stuff.

Continue along the path past the building in the center (the park hosts a Farmer’s Market, summer concerts and other events) to the main playground area and you’ll see all the exciting play options. More swings! Natural sandpit area! Huge web swing! Giant spinner! Besides the main playground (which has cool climbing areas tucked underneath the slides and platforms), there are a few pockets with more slides and climbing equipment. Everything is bordered by upended log chunks of varying heights which offer an additional balancing challenge.

Trees surround the play area for plenty of shade, and there are lots of benches. A little free library is near the swing area. The terrain is mostly rubber with wood chips in places. There are logs and large rocks to scale, and grassy areas to run around. Paths are always busy with dog walkers and other pedestrians, and there’s a network of stone archways with built in benches and picnic tables. My kids love to run under them and they’re great for a picnic lunch.

A network of signs along the walking path offers fun activities and suggestions, with corresponding painted sidewalk decorations.

In the summer, cool off in the wading pool. The pool is fenced and has a giant mushroom raining water down at the center. No changing clothes or diapers in the pool area - use the nearby bathroom building. The pool is staffed but does not provide lifeguards.

Take a walk to the south end of the park to check out the Magic Grove - a steel sculpture installed in 2004 that has become iconic of the park and neighborhood. The park (and the neighborhood) are named for Dorothy Enderis, an MPS teacher who championed recreation and education programs. You can learn more about the park and its events and offerings from the Enderis Park Neighborhood Association.

If you’re walking nearby, Triangle Park at 67th & Emory and Squirrel park at 72nd and Hadley are lovely green areas to walk through in the Enderis Park neighborhood.

Sand area

Community Park

Northwestern Mutual Community Park

 

Historic Third ward, Milwaukee

Henry W. Meier Festival Park 200 Harbor Drive

Located on the Summerfest grounds (Henry W. Meier Festival Park), Northwestern Mutual Community Park made its debut in June 2021. This playground was designed with not only kids but families in mind. It is packed with a fabulous array of playground equipment for kids from baby on up, and checks all the boxes parents love to see: fenced perimeter, bathrooms, water fountains, and plenty of shady seating!

The biggest downside of this playground is that it’s only open and accessible on specific days and times, primarily during festivals like Summerfest. But if you happen to be on the festival grounds, it’s just the place you’ll want to take a break, grab a seat and let the kids play freely for a while.

The Mid Gate is the entrance nearest to the playground. Just inside this gate there’s also a splash pad area which is often turned on during festivals on warm days. Community park is fully fenced with one main entrance gate. Around the interior edge of the fence near the gate are angled roofs that provide shade. Picnic tables, each separated by a trash can line the fence on both sides of the gate, offering a perfect spot to have lunch, recharge, or just sit and watch the kids.

There’s a double sided water fountain with additional water bottle filling station just outside the entrance, and another in front of the fully equipped, air conditioned Family Services building. Head through the handicap accessible doors (great for strollers too!) and choose from one of the four available family restrooms. Each one has two toilets - a standard and a child-sized, along with changing tables (including an accessible changing table for larger children or adults). There’s also a room dedicated to those who may want a private, cool space to feed their babies or pump milk, and three individual quiet sensory room for those who may need a break from the stimulation.

The playground itself is a rainbow colored, music-themed design (my kids call it the Rainbow Park). The terrain is rubberized playground flooring in a rainbow of colors divided by sections to match the equipment, and decorated with geometric shapes in accent colors. There are musical features throughout such as a piano bridge, xylophones, drums and chimes. There’s some trees outside the fence and at the edges inside of it that provide a bit of shade, but they’ve thoughtfully included lots of roof and cover features above the play equipment in the center to keep the direct sun off.

Around the back perimeter of the park there are mulched areas with decorative rocks (natural climbing features!), landscaping and additional benches. Scattered around this area are smaller climbing features for the youngest set - low tunnels, climbing stumps, teeter-totters, a bright yellow caterpillar.

There’s a flush to the ground merry-go-round near the entrance that I love. It’s much more accessible with its open edges than the similar one at Malone Park, and spings much faster and easier, so children can push each other easily.

Pictures will speak the loudest here since the park is so large and full of equipment, but there’s something for everyone: tons of slides of all heights, straight and curly, open and covered; a variety of climbing ladders, arches, ropes, cargo nets, ramps, bridges and tunnels; monkey bars of all sorts, including a low set perfect for new learners; a feature that looks like a bus stop; a rocking boat-style feature; a rolling conveyer belt. Many of the sections have high perches that older kids will enjoy climbing to and hanging out on.

You can also enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Michigan, the Lakeshore State Park inlet and the rocky beach along the shore. While you’re in the area, don’t forget to check out the fun features near the north entrance to the park - there are metal bicycles and giant musical instruments to try out. There’s tons of fun things to do nearby, like a walk or bike around Lakeshore State park, a trip to Discovery World, or a meal at one of the many wonderful restaurants in the Third Ward (some of our favorites: DanDan, Benelux, Onesto, Freshfin Poké).

Parking depends a lot on the event - there are official Summerfest parking lots nearby, and street parking along Harbor Drive and Clybourn Street. You can also walk in, take public transit, or an event shuttle if available.

Swing Park

 

Swing Park

Lower East Side, Milwaukee

1737 N Water St, Milwaukee

There’s an unfortunate lack of quality playgrounds in downtown Milwaukee, but Swing park is a nontraditional play area that expertly utilizes the space underneath the Holton Street bridge by adding sand and a variety of swinging apparatus to the industrial climbing pieces offered by the bridge beams.

If you’re driving, parking is available next to the park on Water Street, or you can park across the river on Commerce and walk across the pedestrian bridge to get the the play area. It’s also a great park to walk to if you’re already downtown. Nearby attractions include Lakefront Brewery just across the bridge, the Milwaukee Riverwalk, and tons of restaurants along Water and Brady streets.

The entire surface of the park is sand, which provides an extra element of fun. Industrial concrete benches are scattered throughout for seating, but they can be sandy and definitely aren’t comfy. A variety of swings are hung from the bridge supports, including tire swings both vertical and horizontal, and standard swings. Since they’re hung so high they’re especially exciting for kids who like to soar in the air. There’s also a freestanding accessible style swing available.

The support beams under the bridge offer a place for kids who want to do some climbing along with their swinging. There’s a beautiful mural along the back wall of the bridge, and a wooded green area nearby. It’s a busy spot with people walking, biking, scooting and driving through regularly. There are no bathrooms, water fountains or picnic tables available.

If you want to make it a park-hop, head across the bridge and pick up the Oak Leaf trail which will take you into Kadish Park, which offers a beautiful walk through a large green space with awesome views of the city. Kadish Park connects to Kilbourn Reservoir Park if you want to keep walking, or hit another playground!

Gardner Park

 

Gardner Park

North Side, Milwaukee

6632 W Hustis St, Milwaukee

Gardner Park, also known as 67th & Spokane Neighborhood Play Area, offers two complete and thrilling obstacle-course style equipment sections: one designed for older, larger children and one perfectly sized for smaller, younger kids. It’s the only local playground I’m aware of that offers a smaller size course of this type.

The park is in a residential neighborhood, bounded by 67th Street on the west, Hustis Street on the east and Spokane Street to the south, with a wooded area to the north. The playground sits at the corner of Hustis and Spokane, and you can park along either of these streets. A sidewalk along the perimeter and continuing into the park makes this play area a neighborhood destination, and allows easy access for strollers, wagons, bikes and other manner of wheeled conveyance. The playground terrain is wood chips throughout.

The south side of the playground is dedicated to the younger set. There is a row of swings (four standard, two infant) and a separate disc swing, along with a few seated spinners. The obstacle course begins with a low rock wall, transitions into a rope climber with zig zag then features a variety of geometric bars to traverse. Next comes a set of ropes with disc platforms, a series of curved horizontal bars, and several “end” options - a solid arched climber with holes, an arch with rope webbing, and a rope spinner with a disc platform. Nearby, a traditional climbing structure sized for toddlers and preschoolers offers a set of stairs up to a slide, and a rectangular sandbox is adjacent as well.

A sidewalk divides this section from the more complex and advanced older kid’s area. Two benches face each other at the center with trash cans nearby, but they are in direct sun on bright days, so you might want to bring a blanket a perch in the shade which is plentiful in the grassy area north and west of the playground.

Across the sidewalk is a similar obstacle course with upgraded features for older kids. A sheer rock wall leads into a set of suspended plastic triangle climbers, then mimics the geometric bar feature only in double the height. There are several high rope grids, multiple different styles of monkey bars, including the round kind that allows several children to cross simultaneously, more free-swinging ropes with disc platforms, spinners, rope bridges, arched climbers with foot and handholes, and a giant spiderweb climber. A second set of stairs leads to a much higher, curving slide nearby. Though this section is great for older, taller kids, it has some great features that allow precocious smaller kids to enjoy it as well, including footholds, ladders and handholds to allow kids to get up to the higher obstacles. The web climber has landing spots to perch on at different heights.

The park also offers a large grassy space filled with beautiful trees, and an exercise equipment section along the sidewalk path that’s an extra feature of interest for kids as well as useful for adults wanting to get a workout in. There are no bathrooms, water fountains or picnic tables available at this park.

Phillips Park

 

Phillips Park

Triangle North Neighborhood, Milwaukee

1800 N 17th Street, Milwaukee

Another on the MKE Plays Initiative list of recently renovated playgrounds, Phillips park is filled with play equipment you won’t find anywhere else in the city.

The park is a long, skinny strip of land along 17th Street between Walnut and Vine. There’s no real green space at this playground (though there are beautiful trees and bits of grass in between play areas). A sidewalk wraps around the perimeter from the two half-court basketball blacktops at the north end behind Cross church to the exercise equipment zone just south of Shalom High School on the other side. A fence separates the park from 17th Street traffic, and the alleyway on the east border. The terrain is partly concrete and partly rubber flooring. The color scheme is blue, teal, and dark pink. Street parking is available right along 17th as well as on 16th if you prefer a quieter parking spot around the block.

There are two benches at the center of the park, perfect for relaxing while you keep an eye on things. There’s also a picnic table with benches at the south end. When you walk up the park’s main entrance, the basketball courts are to the left and an equally kid and adult friendly exercise area is just to the right. Past this zone is a large round bouncing apparatus perfect for multiple kids to enjoy, along with a set of three drums. Next you’ll find an obstacle course style section with two spinners and a series of web climbers with suspended tunnels that leads to a round monkey-bar area. I love the footholds built into this which allow kids of all sizes to access the bars, and the handholds built into the support structure that encourage climbing all over the thing, not just dangling from the interconnecting circles.

There’s a slide next, but it’s another unique piece, with a climbing wall to scale and a curling structure which forms a tunnel at the top - again equipped with hand holds to allow climbing the outside and roof. A basic set of four swings (two standard, two infant) is at the center of the park near the benches, along with a large plastic disc swing. Duck past the shady area beneath the largest tree in the park and you’ll find a towering icosahedron filled with spiderweb ropes for climbing, and a second set of exercise equipment along with extra benches and a picnic table.

One of the neatest bonus features of this park is the fabulous art - the giant mural on the rear side of Cross church, the decorated basketball backboards, and pictures painted at the back of the school.

This park is awesome for kids who love climbing. There isn’t a ton of equipment designed for the toddler set, but my one year old found plenty to do, and the bigger kids were on cloud 9.

Check out lots more pictures of the park, its equipment and features below!

Washington Park

 

Washington Park

Washington Park neighborhood, Milwaukee

1859 N 40th St, Milwaukee

Washington Park is an incredible treasure trove so packed with options that we can never get to them all in one trip. Located in the eponymous Washington Park neighborhood of Milwaukee, Washington Park is home to a branch of the Urban Ecology Center, a bandshell for outdoor concerts, a large lagoon, and an outdoor swimming pool, as well as seven different playground areas, paved walking paths, sports fields and picnic areas.

The park is nearly 135 acres, but it’s easily traversable by children. The paths throughout are paved, so we often bring bikes or scooters, and strollers or wagons for the younger ones can help to cover the distance.

The main large playground is at the intersection of Lisbon and Lloyd, just across from the Washington Park Library branch, though I recommend parking in one of the lots off 40th St and taking the path over. This playground is partially fenced, and features rubber playground terrain (as of 2021 there are several spots where the rubber is worn and crumbling - beneath the swings and around the merry-go-round especially).

The playground is large with lots of options for kids of all ages - all types of slides, rock walls, obstacle course type climbers, and several different ring and monkey bar sets. The center of the playground is designed to look like a tree which has cave-like hideaways tucked below. I love that even the large playground has ramp access, as well as bars that reach the floor along all the sides of the bridges and stairs so young children can’t fall.

There’s an additional smaller climbing structure with lower slides near the row of swings, and there are several spinning apparatus, including an old-school merry-go-round which is always a hit.

There are several benches and a few shade trees, but this play area definitely gets hot with full sun. For a shadier play experience, head to the series of six pocket parks located at the southeast end of the park. I like to park in the lot at 40th and Galena by the pool, and from there take the path in a loop to hit all six. These mini-playgrounds each feature an ecology-themed design along with informational signage exploring the topic.

Trees

Bees

Leaves

Butterflies

Mushrooms

Pond life

At the Trees, Nature’s Air Filter play area, kids can climb tree-shaped ladders, dangle from a web, shimmy up tree trunks and stumps, and duck into a log tunnel. Continue on to the Butterflies, the Magic of Metamorphosis zone where you can squeeze inside a caterpillar, spin around in a cocoon, or dangle from the webbed wings of a butterfly. Bees, Fantastic Farmers is the next landing spot along the loop, where you can perch on a bee, or crawl inside a giant honeycomb. When you check out the Leaves, Nature’s Paintbox area, you will scale a mountain, jump from leaf to leaf in a forest, and take a spin on a revolving leaf seat. My favorite section is the Mushroom, the Kingdom of Fungi one - even older kids and adults will get a good ride on the giant spinning mushroom. The littler ones can hop from mushroom to mushroom or crawl through a log tunnel. The final feature is Pond Life, a Busy Ecosystem. Scale the giant fish, teeter (or totter) on the dragonfly wings, or hop on for a frog ride.

If you’re done with the playgrounds, or just looking for some nature exploration, head to the lagoon area for a scenic nature walk. The park is teeming with wildlife - birds, frogs, bugs and plants of all sorts. There’s even a wide open step area below the bandshell where kids can poke into the water. The UEC has canoes and fishing gear (as well as snowshoes for the winter!) available.

In the summer, the Washington Park pool opens, offering a full size pool as well as a wading pool and splash pad. Head to the Milwaukee County website for more details on their eight outdoor pools and other aquatic options.

There are bathrooms in the Urban Ecology Center and the Pool when they are open, otherwise there are portable restrooms available in some areas. There are no benches near the pocket playgrounds, but there are picnic tables scattered throughout, and the area is well shaded with lots of trees. Parking is available in several lots as well as on the street. There is a city bus stop located right at the park entrance. Sports facilities availabe include baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis and bike polo. This park hosts concerts and other events as well as a variety of UEC programming regularly.

Parks in Milwaukee (and beyond)

Foundation Park (Martin Drive)

When we moved into Milwaukee in 2017, we were excited to explore all the fun parks, playgrounds, hiking spots and other hidden gems of the family-friendly variety. We did the usual wandering the neighborhood thing, and found the closest parks, which the kids still enjoy visiting multiple times per week, but I was interested in expanding our repertoire. As you do, I turned to Google for the best park recommendations in Milwaukee.

There are plenty of lists and recommendation posts out there, many of them claiming to feature little-known parks: “The 10 BEST Parks & Nature Attractions in Milwaukee”, “Our Favorite Milwaukee Area Parks to Enjoy With Kids”, “8 Under-the-Radar Milwaukee-area Parks You Need to Visit”, “The 8 Secret Parks of Milwaukee You’ve Never Heard of but Need to Visit”. These articles feature lots of great park options — some that we love — but they tend to repeat the same places, and stick to large, newly redone parks in more upscale areas of the county. They covered the best-known downtown parks, then generally jumped out to the suburbs to feature the cool, fancy parks.

Marcus DeBack Playground (Uptown)

My kids love Malone park and Kayla’s Playground as much as any, but they also value variety, diversity, and trying new things. And we kept happening upon awesome parks that never made the lists, that we’d never heard mentioned - parks that we didn’t have to drive twenty minutes to get to, parks nestled in each Milwaukee neighborhood that represented the diversity of our city and offered opportunities to make connections with this city’s roots as well as new friends. What I really wanted was a guide to all the parks in the area - not just the scenic ones, but those truly off-the-beaten path - at least MY beaten path of middle-class white privilege.

As I tend to do when what I want isn’t readily available, I decided to do the legwork myself. I did a lot more searching online, asking around, and zooming for green specks on Google maps. Everywhere we went, I keep an eye out for parks nearby. I have a running list on my phone of all the parks I hear about or see. I combed through websites for the school district, parks and rec department, county and city. I invited friends and playgroups to explore with me. And we just started going places. It’s a slow process, because you can only go to so many parks in a week (there are other things that also need attention, apparently), but we’ve been consistently puttering away at visiting more and more parks each month.

Juneau Playfield (Bluemound Heights)

After visiting dozens of parks, I figured it’s probably a good idea to keep a record to help me keep track of them, and hey, maybe others are looking for something similar, so I’m going to be working on a true, detailed, hopefully at some point comprehensive park guide for our city and the surrounding areas.

I’ll be sharing as much information as I can that feels helpful to our family - things like the availability of bathrooms, shade, and benches, parking options, nearby attractions, and type of equipment. Plus, of course, pictures! I love getting a good picture of a place before visiting!

I’ll attempt to organize posts with tags and categories so they’re easily searchable. Always open to feedback on how I can make things more accessible for readers!

Arlington Heights Park (Silver City)

Milwaukee Park Guide Google Map

Ever try to search for parks on Google when you’re out and about and looking for a nearby place to play? It’s hit or miss. Not all parks and playgrounds are on the maps, and not all are labelled as such. Sometimes the map fails to notify you of parks even when they are listed! And when you do find a park, how can you tell what facilities are available? Does it actually have a playground, or just green space? Are there bathrooms? Is there a place to hike or walk nearby? A wading pool or splash pad? A pond or creek?

Enter the Milwaukee Park Guide Google Map! This map has every park in Milwaukee county, as well as many other cool park-like locations, identified on the map and categorized.

Blue pins let you look at everything on the map uncategorized. Play around and see what’s in your area, or zoom in at nearby options when you’re out and about.

If you’re looking for playgrounds only, zoom in on the yellow swing pins!

Looking for a place to hike? Light green hiker pins will get you there.

Locations with a free, open-access wading pool or splash pad are marked with a teal swimmer.

Places with a pond, creek or other accessible water feature are marked with red waterfalls.

Want a green space to walk, run or just lounge in the sun? Dark green trees indicate green spots without any playground equipment.

Beaches are marked with dark orange umbrellas.

Nature centers you can find by the brown turtles.

Both indoor and outdoor public pay-to-enter pools and aquatic centers are marked with dark blue scuba divers.

And my miscellaneous category for fun non-park, kid-friendly attractions are identifiable with light orange painter’s palettes.

Looking for more detailed information on a park? Check out my Milwaukee Park Guide Reviews for in-depth looks at many of the area parks and attractions. Information included in reviews: bathroom access, parking locations, terrain details, availability of benches, picnic tables, covered pavilions, sports fields, interesting features of the playground or park, fun stuff nearby and more.

My focus is on Milwaukee County, but I am slowly working to expand to the neighboring suburban areas. If there’s a park or space you think I’m missing, or a mistake on the map, contact me to let me know and I will update as soon as I can!