Park Profile: Fasken Park

Fasken Park is located just off of Garfield between Neely and Golf Course Roads.  It is one block in from Garfield, so you won't just see it driving along the main roads.  Typically I take Neely and then go south on Lanham and you kind of run into it around Humble.  I should probably take the time to give you exact directions but this way you have an excuse to meander around this nice little neighborhood with its happy ranch style homes.

Fasken Park has a large open field with a couple pine(?) trees, and the jungle gym is smaller and designed for younger kids.  The play equipment is housed on sand, and it has a few smaller slides, a tire swing, merry-go-round, climbing caterpillar, and regular swings.  Be careful on the slides with much smaller children because the sand has kind of been eaten away at the base and the slides go fast so we had a few hard landings at first with the bigger drop-offs.

This is another safe neighborhood, close to Grafa Park, so when I am in the area in the afternoons I frequent this one since the big kids prefer the bigger play equipment at Grafa.  This one seems to have more young families within walking distance, a plus if you are looking for a neighborhood to buy a home.

Park Profile: Grafa Park

Grafa Park is located along Midkiff between Neely and Golf Course Roads.  It has a great jungle gym and there is a large open field with lovely weeping willows and lots of space to play.  My daughter is not yet two, so I like to come here in the mornings before all the big kids get out of school.  Since it is a 3-level play structure it is definitely geared toward the bigger kids who can climb up all the ladders and go down the taller slides, but my daughter likes to climb the stairs and sometimes go down the second-tallest slide, thus, we shoot for morning visits so the big kids don't have to slow down when the come across my little monkey.  As yet there are no swings (a bonus for some parents) but at my last visit they appeared to be getting ready to put some in.  The play area surface is a mix of wood chips and that spongy solid surface that is really fun and soft.  The swings will go in a sand pit.  I like this park because it is close to HEB so we can burn some energy before grocery shopping and it is in a safe neighborhood.  Although it abuts Midkiff, that side of the park has a fence so I don't worry about kids making a mad dash for the road.  There is also a nice sidewalk all the way around the park premises, so it is a nice place to push a stroller (or have kids race a few times).  There are a few picnic tables and benches, and there is also a neat little musical corner that the really little ones enjoy because they can stay on the ground and make lots of noise.

Here are a few pics, I will take better ones of the actual park next time I am there.

Wide open spaces and willow trees

Playing on the xylophone

Starting the climb