Garden Homes

This profile of Ann Arbor’s Garden Homes 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 Garden Homes part of the Ann Arbor system.

Ann Arbor’s Garden Homes

Garden Homes Park offers an accessible main play structure. The dinosaur mini-structure will delight preschoolers. With swings, a sandbox, open fields, and walking paths, it has something for everyone.

Garden Homes – Playground Features

Playground Profile Last Updated: August 10, 2021

Playground Best for: Kids Under 5, Kids 5-8
Structures: 1
Accessible Structure: Yes
Slides: 4, Straight Slide, Curved Slide, Racer Slide
Monkey Bars: No
Zip Line: No
Climbing Apparatus: No
Merry Go Round: No
Bouncers: No
See Saw: No
Sandbox: Yes
Natural Play: No
Swings: 2 traditional swings, 1 baby swings, 0 parent/baby swings, 1 adaptive swings, 0 tire swings
Ground Activities: Yes
Surface: Wooden Mulch
Shade: No –
Seating: Yes, Benches around the playground

Events from our Sponsors

Future Innovators Academy Break Camps

Days Off From School

Family Day & Summer 5K

Sunday, June 8

Big Play Day

June 21

Ann Arbor Jaycees 4th of July Parade

Friday, July 4

Pee Wee Olympics & Foam Party

Sunday, July 20

Garden Homes – Park Details

Park Owner: Ann Arbor
Location: 1800 Franklin Street, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Parking: Street Parking – Parking on Franklin St is closest to playground. I parked on Fulmer St and it is a short walk.
Bathrooms: No
Walking Trails: Paved – Walking trails throughout wooded/swampy areas of the park and connecting to the neighborhood sidewalks
Water Play: None
Picnic Benches: No
Pavilion: No
Sports Fields: Open Fields, Disc Golf

Garden Homes Description

The playground at Garden Homes Park will appeal to a broad range of families – those with young children, those looking for an accessible playground, those wanting to explore nature, and those looking for disc golf.

The cute dinosaur structure is the perfect size for small kids. The head area has bars they can crawl up while the tail features a short racer slide. There is also a tunnel entrances.

Garden Homes Park - Dinosaur Mini-Structure

Young kids will also love digging in the sandbox. The sandbox had plenty of toys for the kids to play with. The toys went beyond standard sand toys like shovels, buckets and dump trucks. There was even a Fisher Price Little People plane and airport.

The main structure has both a “twisty” slide and a straight slide. The platform can be accessed from the sidewalk ramp or by several climbing features.

Around the outside of the playground mulch bed are several large rocks for climbing.

Older kids will enjoy disc golf. I only found one “hole”, but you can set your own course to try to score from different positions.

There are plenty of paved nature trails to explore. Unlike the playground which is in full sun, many of the paths offer some shade. There are swampy areas at the trails near the playground with standing water. While I did not encounter mosquitos on my mid-day visit, I would be prepared for them particularly in the evenings.