San Gabriel Park – Creative Playscape

Wow this place is amazing! We used to come here when it was wooden and we were so sad when They tore it down. While we do miss the old structure the new structure is also awesome!
They have lots of slides and different areas for different ages. There’s lots of places for parents to sit including a cool rock wall. The bathrooms nearby feel a little bit like camping restroom so just keep that in mind… just glad they are close.

Closed since December 2013 for reconstruction it finally reopened in June 2014. Another great park in almost full sun. Not a ton of shade which is freaking miserable when it’s 95 degrees out.
They did great incorporating small and large playscape ideas. Lots of straight slides, curvy slides, swings, climbing structures, built in musical instruments and a telescope.
Nice little day out. Glad it reopened.

It’s gone! So sad… my kids are sad too. We just hope that the new one is as great as the last.

Great Park! There were about 70 children on this beautiful day off of school. My baby enjoyed the baby swing. Plenty of shade is available and my children had a great time.

well id like to write more about the park itself, the playscape is great but the park is like a home away from home for me, its beautiful with yards of green grasses and huge trees everywhere… great area for fishing, walking the river bed and just meditating.
The trail is a great way to walk, bike or run. everyday there is a variety of diverse people enjoying their day or engaged in their exercise plan. The people are friendly and i always feel safe at any time. The area is clean, trash is picked up regulary, picnic tables are available, bathrooms are even cleaned by city workers!
I adore the squarrels, they tend to hing-​out and fear-​not i guess they have good experiences in the area too:)
the area is nice to shoot pictures which i often do, everyday is a new shot, the sky, the landscape, the waters… im amazed each time i capture the moment of natures bliss.
theres plenty of parking no matter what area of the park you want to be in, and if you need a break theres benches, water fountains and doggy bags for helping to keep the park clean from poo-​poo.
they have electrical out-​lets if you need to plug stuff in and a gazebo if you want to do something special in or picnic under.
they have big areas of tables clustered together under shade for wonderful birthday parties ect.
you will not be disappointed by this scenic view or the peaceful feel !!

I love this playscape, and so does my 3 year old daughter! Lots of things to do, and lots of room for imagination.
I prefer to be there when it’s pretty quiet, only for the fact that my daughter is young and some of the older kiddos can get carried away and knock her down, etc. Also, there are so many cool nooks and crannies that it is difficult to keep young ones in sight at all times.

My kids love playing here. Yes, it is getting old and some of the wood is decaying but it is a great place to bring the kids and let them run around and expend some energy. Lots of climbing, and swings. I even get up there sometimes (it does get stuffy climbing around when it’s hot though.) My kids love playing on the little cable glide thing. One of the best pictures we have of our son when he was younger is him sitting in the little swing, his hair all wild.
Plenty of seating for parents, picnic tables, some shade under the bigger pecan trees. There is a lot of open ground to throw down a blanket if you don’t want a table (or if any aren’t available.) Restrooms are right there, and are clean but not well lighted. There is also some water fountains.
Parking is practically non-​existant. You have to park in the rec center parking lot, or further in the park, which means walking to the playscape.
There is a running path right there too, and you can sit and watch a baseball game if one is going on. when it’s nice, people even go out and fly kites.

Our 8 year old adores playing here. He runs around, hides, climbs under and over stuff, and generally just has something to do all day. Shade isn’t a problem either as there are pavilions to sit under and, right in the middle, an ancient oak tree.

We just moved to Liberty Hill, from south Austin area. My sons were great fans of the park at Southpark Meadows. Since finding this playground, we’re in heaven. They boys love it! Even I, a 35 yr old «little boy» think this playground is super cool! My boy (4 yrs) calls it the «Big Wooden Playground» and asks if we can go every day since our first trip. There is a great shaded sitting area in the middle of this wooden fort where mom and the newborn can sit and watch us kids run about (me chasing the 2 and 4 yr olds. — Shaded, fenced, and loads of fun. It’s worth the drive from Austin, Round Rock, or surrounding areas. I guarentee your kidos will love it!

This kids’ playscape was voted one of the best in Texas by Texas Monthly, so we decided to pack the boys (4 and 5) into the car and make the drive up from Austin to check it out.
This playscape lives up to the hype! It’s a huge wooden complex — multilevel, with ramps and corridors everywhere. There are swings, musical chimes, slides, monkey bars, and all manner of climbing things too numerous to mention. The whole playscape is built around a massive tree, so much of the area is covered by nice cool tree shade. All in all, we spent more than 3 very active hours there, and the boys had a fab time.
We went on a beautiful cool November afternoon, so it was probably as busy as it gets during our visit, and while there were kids and parents everywhere, it never felt crowded.
There are water fountains close by, as well as some decently clean bathrooms (on par with standard public park restrooms) — extra points for not being out of TP, paper towels and soap.
Note that the playscape is actually located on North Austin Ave on the edge of San Gabriel Park, but it isn’t accessible from the park itself. The parking lot for the playscape is located right off North Austin Ave — don’t take the park road into San Gabriel Park.
A great full afternoon activity for the kids — totally worth the drive from Austin!