Playground Report: Sunset Terrace

Tabitha has a report on a University Place park that’s family friendly and has a playground great for toddlers to big kids! Plus, it’s close to Fircrest and East Tacoma. What more could you want? Read on for all the scoop!

This University Place park is very close to Fircrest and East Tacoma on 19th St W, not far from Highway 16 and is a perfect spot to play with kids of all ages. 

The playground is spread out so kids aren’t crammed together, and it’s a great park if you have multiple children.

A couple structures focus on ages 2-5. They’re not as tall, have small slides, a cute, small bench, and a small climbing wall that the little kids also use as a slide. The playground also has a bigger section for ages 5-12. It’s taller and has stuff to climb on and hang from. There are also swings for all ages and a tire swing to spin on. The playground isn’t fully fenced in, but it does have a fence adjacent to the main street.

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If you’re one of our readers near Parkland/Spanaway or the greater area, you’ll be glad to know there is a new place to take the kids. 

Yep, the best thing about this new playground is its location in an area that definitely needs more fun spots for families. My pal, Barb, checked it out with her kids and sent in this review (note the important caution about the creek). 

Mayfair Playfield is a 4-acre neighborhood playfield that features a play structure added in September of 2016. The play structure has 2 slides, climbing spaces, monkey bars, and a spinning pole. There is also a freestanding large web swing.

The park has at least 12 picnic tables with most located close to the play structure and a few placed further out under some trees for a shady, more private option. There was also a large pile of sand that, while not contained in a sandbox, was more than enough to spark creative play and digging for my kiddo.

The field itself is large enough to host a friendly game of football or soccer without bothering play at the play structure.

North Fork Clover Creek runs along the northern border of the park. While this is a lovely feature, there is no fence along that side of the park so this would not be a good place to bring any kiddos that might like to wander. At the time of our visit the water was running quite quickly and was too deep to wade in.

Pets are allowed but must be leashed and picked up after. Parking was very limited with only 3 spaces, one of which was a handicap space. You may be able to find parking in the neighborhood surrounding the park.

A neighborhood group, Mayfair Dream Project  helped make the playground a reality and posts regular park updates. They have an Easter egg hunt coming up! You can get the park address and directions at the Pierce County website.

We’ll be curious to see if the creek becomes suitable for wading or play in the summer. Right now, Barb said it was up to her waist/hips and running fast, so definitely don’t take kids here unless you can closely supervise them. I suspect it’s unusually high with all the rain. If you’ve checked this one out, let us know!  Been to a playground we haven’t featured yet? Send me an email or leave a comment. We’d love to feature your review. 

Hey, Puyallup, there’s a new playground in town! It’s on South Hill, at the Meridian Habitat Center, which is that kind of funky building and open space just past the Walgreens. You might have heard it called the Puyallup Amphitheatre.

It’s a Pierce County Parks property, and it’s a great new addition to an area that could really use some more play places!

The centerpiece is this big climbing structure. It’s similar to the one in the Kids’ Zone at the zoo, only bigger and better.  [Read more…]

Hey, Tacoma, need a great park for kids of all ages? Contributing writer, Tabitha, says she’s found one! Need another reason to try it out? We’re headed for 80 degrees, and it’s got a sprayground!

Franklin Park is a newly renovated, 20 acre park,  located on 12th and South Puget Sound Ave. in Tacoma. It features something for all ages; play equipment, a sprayground, trails, and sports fields.

The playground has fairly new equipment. It’s colorful, and the toys are spread out so everyone’s not so cramped. The park has two big toys. One side is geared towards 2-5 year olds. It’s very colorful and lower to the ground. The other side’s big toy is geared towards 5-12 year olds. It’s taller and has more climbing features. If you have multiple children, especially in different age groups, this park makes it easy to keep an eye on all of them. The park isn’t fenced in, but you can easily view the whole playground from one spot. There is some shade available at the playground.

The park also features walking trails, baseball and football fields and a basketball court. There is a picnic shelter and picnic tables and benches throughout the park. Restrooms are available year round.

Franklin Park’s sprayground is open daily(10AM-8PM) during the summer, and it’s a favorite for all ages. Kids run around and play while keeping cool, and parents can sit back and watch. There is plenty of seating around the water, and you can even use the small concrete wall to sit in a pinch. Admission is free!

Btw, if you’re like me and you’ve been curious about the water quality or usage amounts, you’ll be glad to know I found out that it’s recycled and then sanitized through filtration and UV lights.

If you go: The park is located at 1201 S. Puget Sound Ave. Tacoma, WA 98405 Limited parking spots are available alongside the park.

Sprayground photo is used with permission and courtesy of Metro Parks Tacoma. The other lovely pics and post are from our contributing writer
Tabitha Black- local mom, lifestyle, travel and family blogger at Love, Tabitha  Be sure to check her out! 

Speaking of spraygrounds and playgrounds, don’t forget we’re hosting a reader play date at Les Gove in Auburn Tuesday morning! It’s got a fantastic playground with a sprayground next door, and we’ll have free chocolate milk while supplies last courtesy of Smith Brothers,  and, oh, yeah-the, “Tower princess,” will be there for a FREE meet and greet and the cutest photo ops ever!

I promise it will be worth the trip to make a summer memory your kids will be talking about forever! You can read more here. You can get free tickets here. We’ll be at the picnic shelter behind the playground-look for our banner. We can’t wait to meet you! Bring a friend (or two)!