53rd Ave Community Park

53rd Ave Community Park 

300 NE 53rd Avenue

Hillsboro, OR 97124

 It's another rainy day here in Oregon so I thought I would stay inside with my coffee and tell you about the 53rd Ave Park.

Pros

Huge! 

New and different toys on playground

Big water feature

Good parking lot's

Astro turf fields 

Sandbox

Good bathrooms

Clean

Basketball courts and tennis courts

Con's

Can get very busy

There are 2 baby swings but the play equipment is recommended for 5 to 12 year olds making it tricky for younger kids. 

  So a friend suggested that we check out the 53rd park because the playgroud toys were "crazy" and a bit different from all the other parks. So the next sunny day the kids and I decided to check out. It was easy to find and I turned into the first signed parking lot. Then I noticed that the playground was across the two AstroTurf fields so I went and found a second signed parking lot that was much closer. I was surprised at the size of the park, it is HUGE! I haven't even been to the other parts to explore all that this place has to offer. I know they have basketball courts, tennis courts, a concession stand, probably a baseball field, and I heard that there is an indoor center. They playground area has a huge water feature, a sand pit, a rock area for kids to climb on and some interesting, fun and different toys. 

  The kids loved climbing the big steps for the water feature and ran on those until they saw the giant saucer swings. Then we noticed nearby was a good sized sand pit for digging fun! I noticed a water fountain that will be great for rinsing kids off after a morning in the sand. Or if a child happens to get sand in their eye (not that kids ever throw sand...) there is running water close to help. 

 water fountains!

 water fountain by sandpit and sandpit

  After checking that area out we headed around a hill with rocks for climbing and saw the playground. My friend was right these toys were crazy cool! The best is a netted cone shaped spinny thing for kids to climb all over. As I mentioned in my first blog, I am not so good with words, so here is a picture. 

I'm not sure why this is sideways, nor do I know how to fix it so sorry. At least you can get an idea of the thing.

  The park is great and we had a great time! The only problem I had was that while my 3 yr old wanted to play in the sandbox, my 5 yr old wanted to be on the playground and it was hard to keep an eye on both of them since there was a hill in between the two areas.  My kids also had a hard time with some of the toys. The slide doesn't have sides to keep the kids from falling off. My 3 yr old has gone down it twice but needs help getting up. My 5 yr old gets to the top then freaks out and climbs back down. He is not a fan of heights.

  Oh and if I didn't mention it before, I am not a total fan of the shredded bark chip ground cover that I have seen at every park so far. It's not a big deal, but it's not my favorite.

  A great part about this park is that they have restrooms by the concession stand. There is also a port-a-potty in case the 3 restrooms are in use.  We have used the restrooms twice and both times the seat had been sprayed with what I am assuming was pee. Could have just been bad luck on my part but I am a little grossed out by that. Luckily it was nothing a few wipes of toilet paper couldn't help. Otherwise the bathrooms were in good repair and clean. 

 Picture taken from near sandpit with one of the two saucer swings and the concessions and restrooms in background. 

Here are some pics of the playground area and the rock hill. Again I apologize for the sideways pictures. I don't understand why some come out right and then others aren't. :/

  I wouldn't suggest this playground for younger kids like between 7 months to 2 1/2 years. There just isn't much for the younger kids to do unless you want them in a swing or eating sand or bark shavings. Maybe when the water comes on that could be fun for the littles, but I personally, would not want to deal with a young child there if I had older kids to watch as well.  But for a picnic, a place to walk around (with or without kids), I think this park is great for every age.

  My kids love this park. We went there 3 times in 2 days. It was a little crowded the 2nd and 3rd time we went. In the evening it was the most crowded. It seems like a great community. There are apartments that are right along the park and a little place at the corner that has a pizza place, and a Coyotes grill. I didn't go into the little food/shopping area so I'm not really sure what all it has. It is a great park to meet up with friends, let the kids ride bikes, run around, dig and explore. I'm excited for the weather to warm up so we can enjoy the water feature too! Overall a great park. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think! :)