east austin – FamilyTripTips

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Family-Friendly Features

😀	Parking lot	❌	Splash pad
😀	Playground	😀	Water fountain
😀	Fenced-in play area	😀	Benches
😀	Restrooms	🤷	Reservable areas
😀	Changing table	😀	Shade/covered areas
😀	Stroller-friendly path(s)	😀	Toddler playground
😀	Easy walks/hikes	😀	Toddler swings
😀	Picnic tables	😀	Swings
😀	Swimming pool

Park Features

😀	Walking/hiking paths	❌	Volleyball net
😀	Paved paths	❌	Disc golf
😀	Bike trails	❌	Rock climbing
😀	Scenic/photo areas	❌	Sandbox
😀	Wildflowers	😀	Lap pool
😀	Grills	😀	Wading pool
❌	Off-leash dog areas	🤷	Water playscape
😀	Basketball court	😀	On-duty lifeguard
😀	Baseball diamond	❌	Natural water areas
😀	Soccer field	❌	Boat rentals
❌	Tennis court	🤷	Fishing

Family-friendliness Score:

Our Rating

BABY-FRIENDLY
TODDLER-FRIENDLY
OLDER KID-FRIENDLY
OVERALL FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES
UNIQUE ASPECTS
Average

Community Rating

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BABY-FRIENDLY	0
TODDLER-FRIENDLY	0
OLDER KID-FRIENDLY	0
OVERALL FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES	0
UNIQUE ASPECTS	0
Average

How We Rate

Learn more about how we rate the family-friendliness of locations (Opens in a new tab).

About Govalle Neighborhood Park

Summary

This neighborhood park is accessible from the Southern Walnut Creek hike and bike trail, making it easy to get to from even distant parts of Austin.

The new pools are a big draw for this small park. While the playground itself is not fenced in, the pools of course are. Construction on the new restrooms was not complete when we visited but they look nice from the outside and are said to have nice places to change.

What Can Babies Do At Govalle Neighborhood Park?

For babies there are baby swings and there is plenty of nice, shady and grassy spots to spread a blanket and crawl around.

Many babies will no doubt enjoy the shallow pool as well, especially as it begins at no depth and gently slopes until it reaches a max depth of only 2 feet 6 inches. The shade at the pools will also be quite welcome by many parents.

What Can Toddlers Do At Govalle Neighborhood Park?

The playground is great for toddlers and has several slides, plenty of things to climb, a bridge and a mostly gravel surface.

There is a shallow pool for the young kiddos that begins with a gentle slope into the water until it reaches a max depth of 2 feet 6 inches. The other pool, which is next to the kid’s pool, looks like it begins at 5 feet and reaches 7 feet at the deep end.

What Can Older Kids Do At Govalle Neighborhood Park?

The playscapes themselves are pretty much catered to toddlers but older kids will likely still enjoy climbing on them.

Where the park really shines is with the pool, basketball court and the fields along with the bike trails away from cars.

Bottom Line, Should You Take The Kids To Govalle Neighborhood Park?

If you’re looking for a small playground, fields to play on, live in the area, or want to go to a nice pool, this is a hard to beat neighborhood park. The pools were not finished at the time of our initial visit but we’ll be sure to go back as the park is on the bike path we frequently ride. Even without being complete, the pools both look like they’ll be fantastic – and there will even be some shade in the pools during the hottest times of day.

5201 Berkman Dr, Austin, TX 78723

Photos

Features

Review

Directions

Website

Photos

Features

Family-Friendly Features

Parking lot

Stroller-friendly path(s)

Easy walks/hikes

Reservable areas

Park Features

Walking/hiking paths

Basketball court

Lap pool

Our overall family-friendliness score:

BABY-FRIENDLY
TODDLER-FRIENDLY
OLDER KID-FRIENDLY
OVERALL FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES
UNIQUE ASPECTS
Average

Star ranking definitions:

: Not for kids

: There are better options

: Not bad, kids had fun

: Worth the trip

: Amazing, a must-do with kids

Rankings segments:

BABY-FRIENDLY: Baby can do more than just sit in a stroller or be carried around

TODDLER-FRIENDLY: Things are toddler level; designed for toddlers

OLDER KID-FRIENDLY: Things are meant for older kids

AMENITIES: General family-friendly features

UNIQUE ASPECTS: Wow factor

Summary

Bartholomew District Park is a large park in East Austin, just North of the Mueller area. There is a playground, splash pad, and reservable pavilion at the NW most tip of the park right off of Berkman and Greenbrook Parkway, a municipal pool on 51st just East of Berkman, and a roller derby track/disc golf park on 51st near Tilley Street. This park is spread out!

Map

Playground at Bartholomew District Park

There are two separate playscapes at Bartholomew Park, one aimed at toddlers while the other is mostly for older kids. Both sections have some shade elements and bark mulch bases.

Toddler Playground

The toddler playground includes a few slides, some climbing sections, and a few interactive noisemakers along with baby swings.

Larger Playground

The larger section of the playground includes bigger swings and slides and a playscape generally more enjoyable for the older kiddos with monkey bars, obstacles to climb and spinning seats.

Bartholomew Pool

We didn’t get to check the pool out as it was closed during the winter holidays but it appears that at least the lap pool is heated as hours have been posted for January.

From the outside, we’re able to see a lot of water features for the kids along with a wading pool for the youngsters as well as a lap pool.

Other Features

Bartholomew District Park’s Pavilion

There is a reservable pavilion near the playground, right next to the splash pad. We had great luck reserving the space for a baby shower a few years ago. It was very convenient for us as kiddos in the group got to play nearby, within eyesight of adults at the pavilion.

Nature Trail:

While there are some trails throughout Bartholomew park, we wouldn’t state this as a strong suit. We didn’t find a trail connecting the playground to the pool, or to any other sections of the park for that matter. It appears you’d have to make your own trail or hop back in the car and get back onto streets to get to other sections of the park in a short amount of time. Trees are also relatively sparse in much of this park so it’s not quite as scenic as, say, Garrison Park.

Parking

The parking lot at the playground is small, a little awkwardly shaped, had many potholes, standing water and is unpaved (not very stroller-friendly). It’s a popular park for parties and barbeques so it’s been generally crowded on the occasions we visited. It’s not our favorite parking lot at a park but it gets the job done for the most part.

The parking lot at the pool is much bigger, paved and striped, and well maintained and provides easy access to the pool. The sports complex and roller derby/disc golf sections have small, basic parking lots that seem to get the job done.

Restrooms at Bartholomew Park

We didn’t visit the bathrooms at this park.

Bottom Line: Is Bartholomew Park a Good Place to Take the Kids?

Our kids have had a great time at the playground and then cooling off at the splash pad, we’ve hosted a successful baby shower at the pavilion, and it’s generally less crowded than the park at Mueller Lake. For all these reasons along with all other things this park has to offer, we have to say it’s worth a visit.

The separate pool looks like a fantastic offering with a lot of fun attractions for the kiddos. We’ll visit soon!