Mills Park Natural Playground – Inglewood

Location   map
Community: Inglewood – 9 Avenue and 14 Street S.E.
Parking: limited free street parking

Gordie’s Review (8 years old): “It’s better than it looks at first. I really liked that they have a sandpit and logs.”
Nicky’s Review (5 years old): “I liked the little drums. I liked the logs but they scratched me.”
Robbie’s Review (2.5 years old): “I liked the logs”

Age Range: best for 2-8 years
Ground Cover: wood chips and sand

Shade: good shade in the surrounding park area
Features: Musical and drum features, 3 swings (1 saucer), silo climber with slide, log climbers, small double hill slide, sand area, loose pieces (log cut ends)

Surrounding Park Area: Small park space in the heart of Inglewood. Grassy area with large trees on the West end of the park.

Accessibility: Accessible pathways
Seating: a couple of benches in the central space, garden swing

Overall assessment: This is a great example of a natural playground in a small space. Taking design inspiration from ranch properties, kids can interact with natural materials and get a different experience from traditional playgrounds.

I found the visibility from one side of the playground to the other to be a bit challenging due to the log wall and older kids will probably not find the playground to be challenging enough to keep them engaged for long. On the positive side, I love the central space and garden swing that makes the park more of a community space.

It’s nice to see some loose parts (sand and log ends) beyond the very common pea gravel. The musical features are great and the landscaping really add to the park.

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