Greenwood Park, Greenwood

Greenwood Park is pretty cool. There's some Seattle-Everett railway information. Do you like trains?

Location: Fremont Ave N and N 87th St.
Number of swings: 2 regular, 1 baby bucket, 1 baby seat
Ground material: Wood chips
Chain length: Short.


Yeah, there are swings too. They're pretty decent short-chained swings.

How to get there: Bus route 5 runs down Greenwood Ave, and the 48 runs along 85th.

Lakewood Playground, Columbia City

Lakewood Playground is tucked away in a residential part of Columbia City, before you fly down the hill into Seward Park. It's one of the older-style playgrounds in Seattle; I'm sure a previous generation once enjoyed these swings.

Location: 5013 S Angeline St.
Number of swings: 2 regular, 2 baby
Ground material: Wood
Chain length: Long.


Seats are low to the ground, but when combined with the long chains, it makes for a nice SWOOP. Oh, the joy. And so continues my love affair with Columbia City.

How to get there: Bus routes 34 and 39 run along 50th.

Lakeridge Playground, Rainier Beach

Lakeridge Park, last park in the Seattle city limits before you're in *gasp* Renton. I felt like I was far, far away from home when I rode my bicycle all the way down Rainier on this day. It's quite nice down there, despite being so close to *gasp* Renton.

Location: 10145 Rainier Ave. S
Number of swings: 2 regular, 2 baby
Ground material: Sand
Chain length: Medium short.


Not the classiest, prettiest park, but oh lordy, what a nice lake view. Check it out.

How to get there: Take the 7 all the way to the end. Get off along 64th, perhaps Ryan St. That's as close as you're going to get on a bus.

Beer Sheva Park, Rainier Beach

Beer Sheva Park, known as Atlantic City Park prior to 1978, is in Rainier Beach between Rainier Beach High School and Lake Washington. It is one of the many parks in Seattle named after Seattle sister cities, in this case Beer Sheva, Israel. Other sister cities with parks in Seattle: Kobe, Japan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and perhaps Perugia, Italy, if they do decide to name the new Park at Summit & John after the city of Amanda Knox fame. Sister city parks may deserve a post of their own some day.

Location: 55th Ave S & S Cloverdale St.
Number of swings: 2 sets: 2 regular/2 baby, 3 regular/1 baby seat/2 baby buckets.
Ground material: Sand and Wood.
Chain length: Short/Medium short.


Good park. Expansive grass. Two swingsets, each with different ground material, so you can get a more comprehensive swinging experience.


Note that this second swing set is obviously the better of the two. Its chains have rubber grips, the chains are slightly longer, and the seats are the more comfortable style.

How to get there: Bus route #34 runs along nearby Seward Park Ave S.

Rainier Beach Playfield, Rainier Beach

Rainier Beach Playfield = swing jackpot. I was on a little bike excursion down through Rainier Beach recently, and after hitting up so many parks, I came across this playfield behind Rainier Beach High School. So. many. swings.

Location: 8802 Rainier Ave S
Number of swings: 12, 2 sets of 6 regular.
Ground material: Wood chips
Chain length: Long.



This park is adjacent to the Rainier Beach Family Center and Dunlap Elementary, so maybe that's why this is such a great playground. Or is it? There are 12 long-chained swings, so that's all I really care about. The swing sets each have about 50% regular seats and 50% the more ergonomic kind (see seat discussion). Note the broken tire swing (may be fixed at some point):


Go to Rainier Beach if you want to get your swing on. Just sayin'.

How to get there: Bus routes #8, 9, 106, 107 stop along Henderson. You can also take LINK Light Rail to Rainier Beach on MLK and walk 2 blocks over.