Gillis Park

My daughter and I are on a quest to explore all of the playgrounds in South Austin. This one is shady and that’s about all I can say for it. The playscape appeared old and rundown, but I can’t say for sure because I didn’t feel safe enough to stay there. The only other person in the playground was a sketchy man sitting on one of the benches watching us as he drank a beer (he had no children with him). We went to sit in the shady grass over by the volleyball court so we could at least enjoy the weather for a bit before getting back in the car and we were approached by a different person who appeared to be homeless. Basically, I didn’t feel comfortable alone with my daughter here, and I wouldn’t come back to this park.

Old, worn out play scape, questionable characters hanging about & my 22 month old son said it best «Dirty!»

Review is for the pool only.
The park itself seemed pretty nice. It seemed quiet for a Saturday evening, in my opinion. It was my first time. So wasn’t sure what to expect.
The walk to the pool was pretty dirty. Yup. That’s what I said. It was all gravel, dirt, grass… I mention this for two reasons…
1. The pool floor was dirty, I noticed it right away and I can’t help to think the surrounding walking area plays a role in that reason.
2. When you get out and head to your car… You pick up so much dirt, mud, pebbles etc in your flip flops/​water shoes… That was kind of annoying.
I noticed when we first arrived there weren’t that many people there, which I always appreciate. So that was definitely a plus.
Then I noticed the side metal grate for standing, sitting etc as most Austin pools have… was missing. The hooks were exposed, and the tray like area was exposed as well. The lip of the pool was a bit larger than most, but not terribly bad. Made it a little difficult for certain things, like sitting the kids on the edge, trying to get out. Etc.
It was shady when we arrived on half the pool from the trees… which was super nice. My son is able to stand up in the pool as it shallows to 3 ft. Nice. He was tremendously excited about this. It helps him build his confidence to swim.
It is very wide with no lap lanes, which would make for a good water game!
All in all. Not a bad pool. We all like it. But I’m not stopping the search for a great pool.
So far we have been to big Stacey. Little Stacey, canyon vista and this one here. Like them all for different reasons.
No pics. Leave that in the car for the water… sorry.

Psssst… hey man, this is a pretty good park tucked away behind Winebelly and Habenero. Baseball fields, playscape, wide open spaces, and the occasional shady dealings. The whole enchilada.
There’s also a pool there, bro! Life’s rich pageant plays out there every day, but the pool is less crowded than Big Stacy if you’re in the 78 704.

Gillis park is a pleasant hidden gem in the ’04. Tucked behind the shopping center at the corner of Oltorf/S.1^st, you will find a large open field, gravel trail around the exterior, a few benches, a baseball/​softball/​kickball field and a kid’s playground. There’s also a set of restrooms but I haven’t felt the need to explore those…(public park restroom… eww lol).
⁹⁄₁₀ times I visit there are literally only a couple of other people at the park. Sometimes there are people playing soccer or kickball, but usually it’s just other trail/​dog walkers.
The park certainly isn’t the prettiest around, but it’s large, open and pretty clean. It’s a great option when you don’t want to drive downtown and fight for parking at the more well-​known parks just to stretch your legs, get some exercise or walk your dog. I think technically it’s NOT leash free, but whatever… I never keep mine on the leash!
The only drawback for me is in the evenings, it seems as though there are quite a few of the vagrant population that congregate around the restroom area. Being asked for money while I’m out on a walk with my dog is not okay… but that’s a conversation not meant for Unilocal!
While you’re out here, check out Habanero Café if you’ve never been. It’s legit!

Gillis! I love you. I play kickball here. It’s the perfect location in South Austin. Really close to a lot of delicious food places for that oh so good after game party.
They doing some construction on the east part of the park, so it’s not looking all that beautiful these days.
Lookout for the bums in the bathrooms after dark! They’ll getcha! Rawr

Parking is aight, the bathroom is really quite abysmal and the softball field could use some tending to. However, it’s good for kickball and as such, good for me.

Before I mentioned that there isn’t usually a crowd, but the past few times I’ve gone to run there has been a very exciting bunch of kickballers to make my otherwise monotonous runs exciting.

Alot of people don’t even know this place exists but deep in South Austin, near a KFC and Baby Greens, hidden behind the trees, is Gillis Park. I play in a kickball league here (there’s 5 weeks or so left in the season before playoffs, go watch a game!) and it’s always nice to kickback in the dugout of the baseball diamond under the lights with a case of PBRs and cheering on your team. There’s also folks who play soccer and softball here, and there’s always good parking everytime I’ve been. Best of all, it’s a block from a bunch of great places, including G&S Lounge and Polvo’s for that after-​game drink.

I love Gillis Park… My restaurant meets here several times a week so we can practice for our softball games and we love that its always empty… Maybe I shouldnt even post this as people might read it and start flocking to the park… My only complaint is that the field isnt fenced in, so normal foul balls end up way out there and you have to jog a bit to catch up with them… I love you Gillis Park. Your my home away from home.