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

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.