Congratulations! You live in a beautiful town full of fun parks and places for kids. Whether you have just moved to Norman or you have lived there a while and have just come into the park market… i.e. you have kids now 😉 I’ve got the tips you need. No-one can claim a park to be “hands down” THE best park in any given town, it truly depends upon your children and you. Here is a rundown of what to expect at the most popular parks in Norman.
Big hot spots:
Reaves Park
Reaves park is definitely one of the primer places to take your children, no matter the age. Located just south of the University of Oklahoma on Jenkins this park is made entirely of wood. The play structures have many stairs, cubby holes, instruments, bridges, monkey bars, slides and things to climb. Other features include, benches for parents, tire swing and sand area. Just a few steps away there is a park designed for toddlers including a huge pirate ship equipped with hammock and binoculars, as well as with a fire engine perfect for pretending to drive. This area also has a large open field inviting you to play soccer or football with your little ones or host a birthday party using one of the many stone picnic tables. A mid-adult height fence with only two openings encloses both play areas. This really is the park with everything.
Sounds perfect but no park comes without complaints. Reaves can get very overcrowded especially during nice weather. The massive size of the play area can make keeping track of more than one small child quite difficult. The toddler area is really geared for children over 2 and is not covered with much shade.
Andrews Park
Another popular park is situated just north of the library on Gray Street. This park is home to the ever popular and fairly new “Splash Pad”, guaranteed to be a hit with children of all ages. This is a sectioned off concrete area made into a water park. There are dumping buckets, spraying water guns, rainbows of sprinkling water and fountains emerging from the ground, available all summer long, free of charge. Splash pad borders two covered picnic areas making it a popular birthday gathering. East of splash pad is the true Andrews park area. The play area is pretty typical; colorful plastic slides and stairs. A bit north of the play area is a fenced in area for smaller children. This area has 2 “baby” swings, a digger, and a sand box area with one small climbing structure with a slide.
The biggest downfall to this park is the large and deep ditch only steps away from the play areas. I think the play structure is decent but gets crowded very quickly, especially in the summer months. The toddler area is lacking, never held much interest for any toddlers I was with.
Off the beaten path:
Lions Park
A little less known is Lions Park off of Boyd on either Flood or Pickard (depending on where you feel like parking!) This park also has two different play areas and a covered picnic area. The “big kid” play area is great, bigger and better than Andrews. The toddler area in this park is the best. It is fenced in and has a climbing structure, two swings, a giant “log cabin” and the best part… a MAZE!
Unfortunately this park does also come equipped with a perilous ditch and the fence surrounding the toddler area is just big enough to let… toddlers through!
Kiwanas Park
Finding this park will prove to be a task, but if you can manage it you will find yourself pleasantly surprised. This park is located in a neighborhood off Alameda on Sherwood (between Classen and 12th) (Park on Creston Way and walk in). This park is good for a change of pace in “park toys”. There is a typical climbing structure but also an elephant slide and one of those four way see saws with animals to ride. This park has lots and lots of area to run before you can find anything “dangerous” (i.e. streets or ditches). I hope this helps you begin your journey of mapping out the best places to tire out… uh I mean take your kids.
