Universal City Park

Location: 305 North Blvd, Universal City, TX 78148

Amenities:playground, swings, tunnels, pavilion, picnic tables, basketball

Ground cover: Sand

I don't think I have any closer pictures of the play structure, but it has some pretty cool and unique parts.  There is a zipline type sliding thing at one end.  The preschoolers were able to hold on to it really well and we gave them a big push. It was a big hit.  One was able to do it all by herself, but young kids will definitely still need help getting down!  I imagine it is popular among older kids too.  There are also some slides and a bridge that bounces on the play structure.

There are monkey bars (hard to see with that sun! This part is obviously not shaded.)

There are swings; two for older kids and two bucket swings.  I'm tagging it as toddler friendly only because of the bucket swings.  Also there are two cement tunnels.

One of these bouncy things again...

And this climbing arch was a big hit.  It was a pretty fun park, but shade was really limited so I wouldn't want to be there in the heat of summer.

North Converse Park

Location: 8200 Spring Town St, Converse, TX 78109

Amenities: volleyball, basketball, football, soccer, fishing, wildlife (birds), playgrounds, swings, restrooms, bbq, picnic tables, pavilion

Ground cover: sand, wood chips

This place is HUGE.  We got to see a lot of it because we ended up parking by the lake, not knowing that the play structure that is most age appropriate for preschoolers was pretty much on the other side of the park.  It wasn't too bad of a walk, and thankfully the child in question was willing to walk and not be carried.  On the plus side, we got to get up close and personal with some swans.

I wish we had brought something to feed them.  There were also some ducks hanging around looking for handouts :)

 This play structure is closest to the lake.  It seemed like it would be fun for my 3.5 year old as we approached.

 Then I realized half of it was really high up monkey bars.

There is ONE slide on it.  So if you can't reach the monkey bars, you basically can go up stairs or a ladder and go down this one slide.  It would probably be a lot of fun for someone older who could reach those bars. 

She did really enjoy climbing the big rocks that were around that playground.  I think I took this picture to show the pavilion in the background.

There are quite a few volleyball courts.

Here is the playground that is better suited for toddler/preschoolers.  It has a parking lot as well so you don't have to walk across the whole place.  It's actually the first lot on the way in, we just kept going to see what else was around.

There are two sets of swings.  Sixteen swings altogether!  The swings have sand underneath and my 3.5 year old thought it would be a great place to build a sand castle (I should probably take that poor child to an actual beach).  So just know that's there.

And this.  We had one of these growing up and I have not seen one since.  I don't know what it is technically called.

See saws!  This park has it all.

But this was her favorite part.  She had to ride on each one.  Even though some are duplicates.  All in all, this part of the park was really toddler friendly.  There were so many things to play on that it would be great for large groups.

Ashley Park

Location: 534 Ashley Park, Schertz, TX 78154

Amenities: basketball, soccer, playgrounds, swings, restrooms, picnic tables, trail

Ground cover: wood chips

This is a fantastic park with a lot of amenities.  I wouldn't recommend it in the summer because there is NO SHADE whatsoever.  But for all the other seasons, it's a fun place.  There's a paved trail that circles the park, good for walking/jogging while the kids play, or for riding bikes.  The lack of trees makes it a good place to fly kites.

Here's the soccer field with the basketball court in the distance.

There are two playgrounds; one for toddlers and one for older kids.  This is the larger one.  some parts of it are toddler friendly, but it has enough challenges for preschool and school aged children.

 Here are a few more pictures of it.  My three year old was a little intimidated by the bridge in the middle (can I even call it a bridge?  It's kind of like stepping stones but suspended in the air), but there are stairs at either end of the structure so all the slides can be accessed without going across it.

The swings are located near the bigger of the two playgrounds.  A bucket swing was missing when we visited...

Here's the smaller playground.  It's a great size for toddlers and there's really nothing to fall off of (always a plus!).  One of the things I really like about this park is that everything is close enough together that you can easily see your kids on either playground/swings/etc. if they want to play in separate areas. 

Pickrell Park

Location: 703 Oak St, Schertz, TX 78154

Amenitites: baseball, basketball, pavilion, restrooms, playgrounds, concessions, picnic tables, pool

Ground cover: wood chips

This park is enormous, and my three year old could easily spend all day playing here.  In fact, we spent most of our time on the large playground, and really only did a quick walk by of all the rest for pictures.  There is a lot to do for all ages here, although some of the stuff that is best for the very little kids is quite far from what I consider the main playground.  Something to keep in mind if you have a bunch of little ones with you.

Here's the pool with its awesome-looking slide (we haven't actually used this pool so I can't review it.  But my guess would be fun and probably crowded during the summer.  Feel free to check it out and get back to me.)

Large pavilion with basketball hoops and concession stands.

There are three separate structures at the "main" playground.  This is the most toddler friendly of the three.  You can access all the slides from the stairs and it's not super high up.

Here's another structure. Obviously taller, but the slides can also all be accessed by stairs, so toddlers and preschoolers can manage well.

There i also a really impressive rock climbing wall.  Which makes up for this one...

Maybe they should just take that down??

 This is the third structure.  Lots of fun things going on here, and it extends past the picture with some monkey bars too.  The first time we came to this park my daughter was 18 months or so, and she couldn't access most of these slides because you can't get to all of them without some climbing (that she kind of still can't do two years later...but other preschoolers can totally manage it).

To get to all but one of the slides on this structure you have to climb up these things.

 There' another, smaller, playground a the south end of the park.  It's a great size and just the right level of challenge for younger kids and toddlers. Probably not challenging enough for school age children.

Whee!

 Then if you head north and west (across the drainage ditch, which is generally empty and easy to cross as long as it isn't storming like crazy) you will find the swings.  They are far enough away that you can't really see them from the big playground, so your kids will actually run around inside of just sitting on a swing begging to be pushed (unless of course you walk alllll the way over there like we did).  There's also a parking lot on this side, in case you really are just there for the swings.

 There's even an extra set of bucket swings. 

 There's another little toddler-friendly playground over here, right by the swings.

 It also has a few more challenging things to climb on for preschoolers.

 And another pavilion.  I didn't count how many there are total. But there were a lot.  And tons of picnic tables throughout the park. Maybe next time we will bring lunch!

On the same side of the drainage ditch as the swings, we saw (and of course slid down) one stand alone slide.  Then it was time to go! 

Wendy Swan Memorial Park (aka Northcliffe)

 Location:4601 Cherry Tree Dr, Schertz, TX 78108

Amenities: pool, playground, restroom,

Ground cover: gravel

Here's another set of pictures that has been sitting on my phone for a long, long time.  In fact, so long that the details of the park have gotten a little fuzzy.  That could also be because we were only there for about ten minutes due to the fact that it was super hot and I was super pregnant.  Not a great combination.  There is also NO shade at this park and the equipment was too hot to touch.  I had a really disappointed kiddo. 

Here is the pool.  It was not open while we were there.  I am unable to find a website listing its hours and pricing...sorry.  I'd link it if I could find it.  Maybe I'll find my way over there again sometime and investigate. 

There are bucket swings and sling swings. 

This structure would be good for toddlers.  It is on the small side, but I bet it would have been fun if that plastic hadn't been a thousand degrees on our visit.  There is a mound shaped structure to climb on in the background as well (also 1000 degrees...)

This structure was definitely for older kids.  The park is small but it's got something for everyone. 

We tried it out since the nylon webbing was just about the only thing that wouldn't burn her.  If your toddler/preschooler is a risk taker this web will be super fun (for them...possibly nervewracking for you).  Mine's not, so this is as far as she was willing to go.