This profile of Ypsilanti Township’s Ford Heritage Park Playground is part of our Playground Profiles Series. Are you interested in sponsoring the series? Contact us for details.
Each week Ann Arbor with Kids is profiling a different playground in the Ann Arbor area including Ann Arbor, Saline, Ypsilanti, Dexter, etc. Today we are profiling Ford Heritage Park part of the Ypsilanti Township system.
Ypsilanti Township’s Ford Heritage Park
Ford Heritage Park – Playground Features
Playground Profile Last Updated: March 7, 2017
This playground profile was collected prior to our new format which did not gather all of this data. We have included our best guess in the conversion and will add them to our list to be updated. Information most likely to be incorrect is number of slides and structures
Playground Best for: Kids Under 5, Kids 5-8, Kids 8-12, Teens
Structures: 1
Accessible Structure: Yes
Slides: 5, Straight Slide, Curved Slide, Tube Slide, Roller Slide
Monkey Bars: Yes
Zip Line: Yes
Climbing Apparatus: No
Merry Go Round: No
Bouncers: No
See Saw: No
Sandbox: No
Natural Play: No
Swings: 2 traditional swings, 2 baby swings, 0 parent/baby swings, 2 adaptive swings, 1 tire swings
Ground Activities: No
Surface: Mixed
Shade: No –
Seating: Yes, Benches. When kids aren’t there, the boat is also good for seating.
Ford Heritage Park – Park Details
Park Owner: Ypsilanti Township
Location: Ford Heritage Park, 8399 Textile Road, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
Parking: Parking Lot –
Bathrooms: Port a Potty
Walking Trails: Paved – Paved trails through the park connect Ford Heritage Park to surrounding neighborhoods and those along Textile Rd.
Water Play: None
Picnic Benches: Yes, Nearby, Full Sun
Pavilion: No
Sports Fields: Baseball/Softball, Soccer, Open Fields
Ford Heritage Park Description
To my daughter Ford Heritage Park is simply “The Roller Slide Playground”. She’s called it by that name since she was 3. The roller slide is one of her favorite features in the park. A couple years ago when my niece was visiting my parents, my mom had to call to ask the real name of the Roller Slide Playground so they could take her.
Ford Heritage Park offers activities for both the big kids and little kids. The accessible playground has wide paths and ramp access. This allows access by kids with limited mobility. What a great opportunity for all kids to play together. I’ve even seen moms use the ramp to bring strollers onto the structure so they can interact with their older kids while a baby naps.
Ford Heritage Park has plenty of features to engage your child’s imagination. In past years we’ve taken some nice boat rides to exotic destinations on the Sway Boat. My daughter and her friends have been zoo animals in the walkway with skylights that resembles a cage (seen above in the roller slide photo).
Ford Heritage Park has plenty to challenge your child’s co-ordination and perseverance. My 11 year old was able to navigate the spider webs, something that challenged her at a younger age.
But, the log roll and the pedals are both quite a challenge. She’ll have to keep working on conquering them. I know I’ve tried the pedals without success many times over the years.
Unfortunately, Ford Heritage Park lacks shade. When my daughter was little, we visited one hot summer day with our playgroup. We sat under the play structure for our snack – the only shade we could find. Now, we save our visits for days when a lack of shade is not an issue.
Ford Heritage Park features a mix of rubber mats and mulch surface. The main play area with the slides and structure is all rubber mats. The back half of the structure with the balance obstacles and the swings are over mulch. Find other playgrounds offering rubber mat surfaces in our Mess-Free Playground list.
Ann Arbor Playground Profiles
Have you been to Ypsilanti Township’s Ford Heritage Park? If so, what is your favorite part?
Find more Ann Arbor area playgrounds in our Playground Profile series. Then, plan your own playground tour.
