Celebration Park (85 Good Days in Tacoma: Celebrate a New Playground)

Rain shmain I say. OK, I tried to say that, but at one point during today's visit to Celebration Park we did have to high-tail it to the car. We still got to spend about 45 minutes enjoying the new tot lot recently installed there, at S 80th and D streets.

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If you've never really explored this part of the South End, it's more or less in the vicinity of the Fern Hill District, which is pretty nice. The new tot lot features great multi-age equipment, a low play structure for the younger crowd, and more adventurous things for older kids. There's a great spinning thing (sort of like an old clothesline) you reach overhead that was too high even for my eldest, but would be a lot of fun for a "tween."

Thanks to the wood chip surface, we got pretty wet but not at all muddy. The tot lot is compact and surrounded by a lot of open space, which is fenced on three sides. It would be great for a running toddler or watching multiple small children.

The only thing to look out for with little ones is that there is a stream bordering the park, along the side of a small trail. It's not particularly deep but on a rainy day like today it does run fast and could make for a wet kid if you don't keep an eye out.

This is a pretty great little stream, though, if you're studying wetlands with your kids. It's just the right size to take them down to the water and show them the effects of invasive species (there's plenty of ivy, holly, and blackberry bramble right now, and some of it is creating a bit of a pond) study critters that might be making their home in the water, identify different species of moss and lichen, etc. Then, before they glaze over, they can go play at the tot lot. Currently, there's a tributary running right through the gravel trail down to the stream. Pretty neat. I recommend a visit on a rainy day.

Celebration Park

S 80th and D Streets

Tacoma, WA