Meridian Playground

Easy access and rain or shine, there is a playground for
the children and a gazebo for gathering Lots of parking
and a covered area and grills for families. Wallingford is
a lovely neighborhood and this park provides open spaces
and lovely gardens.

This is such a nice park, and I’m so lucky to have lived close to it. Even luckier that I was in its vicinity during the 65^th Annual Wallingford Family Parade & Festival, a crowded event that occurred on July 5, 2014. There was something like a fair going on that day with stores, food, and music. I wasn’t there for the whole event, but it seemed like fun from what I gathered of it.
The park on all other days is just a really nice place to hang out, play sports, and exercise. There are paved concrete paths as well as gravel ones. There is a large grassy field for you to just be out in the open. And I even found a boulder by the basketball court with a ledge at the bottom so it could hold my feet down while I did sit ups. I don’t know whether it was intended for that purpose, but it certainly is really cool. Bathrooms are here, as well as waste disposal bins that even differentiate between trash and recycling. Definitely one of the nicer parks in the area.

This place always reminds me of that book, The Secret Garden, because, well, I drove past it for months before discovering this place ever existed. Once you make your way past those high walls, it is quiet, lush, expansive lawn dotted with some gnarly old fruit trees. It is perfect for picnics. It is perfect for badmitton, It is perfect for making out under the trees, and, fast forward 10 years, its has a fantastic playground for kids, with these adorable little metal sculptures that I believe were inspired by storybooks. They seem to hold a lot of festivals and events, though, so it’s worth a drive by to be sure it is clear if you’re looking for some peace and quiet. One of my favorite parks in Seattle.

This was a great place for a wedding. i recently had my wedding here. we used the gazebo for the ceremony and behind the gazebo, below the hill, we used for an reception. it was great. but i wished the picnic shelter was remodeled. and cleaned. other then that it was a great spot for our wedding. oh the men finish dressing in the rest room and the women used the picnic shelter to do finishing touches. we typed sheets up so no one would be able to see. it was great.

Don’t know why I’m telling you this, but there is a spanking new grill by the picnic shelters. It is clean, in great condition and just begging to cook your next alfresco meal.
It’s nestled away in a quiet part of the park, near the Seattle Tilth gardens, on a lawn enclosed by hedges. Very secluded and peaceful.
Remember, there is only one grill.
Bring an extra knife in case you have to fight me for it.

A pretty park with an awesome stone entry way! The play ground looked nice. The lawn was well-​maintained. It’s a fun place to come for a walk and stroll with families. It is also a pesticide free park so you can bring your kids here without worrying what they will put into their mouth… to an extent.

My favorite park in Seattle, perhaps the world.
No pesticides used in the park, so I can lay on the grass during my two minute sun break all I want. Great places to nap include: on the lawn next to the fetch area, in the mini orchard, under the gazebo. It’s a real neighborhood park. Meridian School uses it as their playground and tons of people take their dogs here to play. Facilities include benches and tables, wheel chair friendly entrance, swings, play set, basketball hoop, wildlife, and some bathrooms that I’ve yet to see open.
It’s also home to the fantastic Tilth Garden and P Patch that demonstrate how to do companion planting, composting, minimal impact raised beds, use water saving tricks and more. Good for a nice ramble, a picnic, reading a book, cartwheels and a lung full of green in the midst of an exhaust filled world.

What a great park!
On my first visit to this park this weekend, a friend and I were partaking in a friendly (sometimes hostile) game of bocce ball. We wandered over to the playground area to take advantage of the obstacles, for game playing purposes, and stumbled upon some of the coolest playground features I’ve ever seen. I have never, never, NEVER have been that dizzy before! After coming to a complete stop on one of the park’s obscure spinning things, it took me a few minutes before my eyes and brain adjusted and accepted, that yes, I was in fact standing still. I must have looked insane, as my eyes worked hard to re-​adjust, likely like my crazy eyed uncle!
Aside from the interesting playground features, the park is beautiful. The vegetated walls that surround the park provide a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding busy roadways. There are large grassy lawns, beautiful trees, tables, and the beautiful Good Shepherd Center (where I hear there are free showings of environmental themed and independent films weekly)
I’m looking forward to returning on a sunny day.

I don’t understand what the hype is about this park. Sure, it has a lot of open space… but what park doesn’t? They have some pretty cool playground toys to go on… some for the big kids, and another area for the little ones. Had a little hard time finding this place especially with so much traffic on 50^th. Oh, and PLEASE dog owners… pick up after your pet!!! I stepped in crap… and its hard to see after it rains… everything looks like mud!!!

I’m surprised to find this listed as a playground, although I can see that it’s good for kids of all ages and species. There are picnic tables, plenty of grass, said playground, volleyball and a gazebo near the shelter. A few renegade squirrels even teased my dog. A wall of shrubbery around the park creates a curtain that shields it from the traffic, and the trees provide dappled sun and shade. It’s hard to believe you’re still in the city!
I spent a lovely Memorial Day afternoon at this park with Ms. Valentina, who guided me here. We shared some yummy Trophy cupcakes and a peaceful afternoon chat as we watched the golden light filter through the trees. We felt like the luckiest girls in the world, to share this lovely space on a memorable afternoon.

I went here for the first time for the Seattle Tilth’s edible plant sale. The park was bumpin’ with a big group of guys playing frisbee, parents and kids at the swings, and even a group of students doing a film.
It’s nice that it’s right next to the P-​Patch where I did some exploring after the sale, which unfortunately had nothing that I wanted since I got there late and most everything was gone. Oh well, live and learn…
In any case, I was glad to see how well used the public space was, especially since I live down in Des Moines where no one is cool enough to walk around with pink plaid galoshes – except me of course.

Bees, spiders and children, Oh my!
No, I love this place. When I worked at QFC I would go here before work to wind down and relax. It’s nice and cozy. The wall around the outside of the park gives the feel as if you’re in a seperate world outside of Seattle.
It’s beatuiful and green.
If you have a sandwich the bees will try to take some. Just swat them away and you will have foiled their extortion.

On a tip from a other Unilocaler, we gave this park a try. WOW. its great inside. The park is huge. with lots of space to throw a frisbee, take a catnap or have a barbeque.
But the real draw is the stuff for kids to do here. My son loved the slides, and swings here. They have a big play pit with sand, and all the earth toys in it for the kiddies.
Like I said the place is huge. so one can easily enjoy there lunch here, and have peace from the kids if they choose too. The location is great… ample street parking… and whats better than a park in seattle on a sunny day.

This little park is right at the intersection of two busy roads – 50^th St. and Wallingford Ave – yet you don’t even really know it’s there because it’s surrounded by tall dense shrubbery. And once you get inside said shrubbery, it’s all peaceful and quiet and hard to tell that there are two busy streets right outside. It’s like the Twilight Zone!
As I was walking by the playground, I was reminded of my most recent Most Embarrassing Moment, and just had to share.
OK, so this summer I helped out with this daycare program and we’d take the kids here for playtime after lunch some days. Well, the kids were obsessed with being pushed really high on the swings, specifically the «underdog» move. If you’re not familiar (or can’t remember that far back to your own childhood), the Underdog is when the person pushing the swing grabs onto the seat, runs straight forward, pushing the swing high up into the air and continuing to run right on through under the seated person’s feet.
Anyway, one of the guys I was working with was like the Underdog Expert. yet there were 8 kids and only one of him, so they were *begging* me to get fancy and try it myself. Against my better judgment – knowing full well how grace-​less I can be – I agreed.
It started out fine, but I failed to account for the large divots that inevitably appear beneath swings from kids dragging their feet, so I totally stumbled and tumbled my way across the bark. Luckily I didn’t get kicked in the head, but I had to lay there for a minute before I could work up the nerve to face the group of kids who were laughing hysterically at me. Awesome.
So the moral of the story is:
1. Leave Underdogs to trained professionals. Especially while you’re in the Twilight Zone.
2. Kids can be cruel, even when they’re 20 years younger than you.
3. Meridian park has some very soft bark on which to fall, should the need arise.

This is a wonderful park. And I’m not prejudiced.
It is next to the Home of the Good Shepherd. I abuts the Pea Patch adn Seattle Tilth.
Cared for and neat. It has a picnic shelter you can rent out. It has a little gazebo which has hosted many weddings. Many soccer games and free frisbee classes and groups have run over this grass. some tai chi. yoga in the park groups.
I love this place.

Bunnies, a beautiful old building, gardens, playgrounds and plenty of space to wander.
Thanks to MMAD and her great knowledge of hidden places, I got to visit this cute little park. What I like most about this park is the giant old building in the middle of the park. I really have a sweet spot for old buildings.
Although it was the winter, (yeah I tend to visit most parks in the winter for some reason) you could make out how beautiful this park must be in the springtime. The playground is clean and has lots fun things to play on. The gardens are incredible too. They have a variety of interesting plants.
Just a really good place for a walk.

This is a great park. Pesticid free for the kids and pets with a large open field to throw the disc and have some fun. The playground equipment is the bees knees… and apparently I am from the 1920s.
They hold the tilth plant sale here every year and it is always alot of fun… you can see the pee patch and the green roof demostration for some hippy fun.
It is hidden from the streets by shrubs and trees which gives it a special personal secluded feel.

I love this quiet little park. I took my twins here as well on a regular basis, because it’s definitely friendly for the littler ones. Low-​level equipment, lots of shade and NO sketchy weirdos passing through.
It’s what a park should be.
Except for the occasional bastard squirrel who stole my water from the jogger…

My favorite park in all honesty. I love how it is hidden away from the traffic with the high fencing yet disguised with loads of vegetation. Yay shrubbery!
The cute as hell storybook playground is spacious and has some of THE coolest climbing stuff for kids. Seriously it’s like a mini adult obstacle course. The child can have her own Ninja Warrior competition and I can do the commentary!
Joy!

Another cute little city park which is sheltered from most of the traffic of the street.
There are only a couple of exits so if the kids make a break for it, you may be able to flank them before they exit the field of play.
There seems to be a lot of construction happening in this place related to some of the buildings. I have heard stories about what used to happen in the facilities here in the dark ages (when dinosaurs roamed the earth like 50 years ago), which I’m sure are best forgotten lest we be doomed to repeat it over and over again to reinforce weak arguments.