Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park

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This profile of Ann Arbor’s Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup 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 Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park part of the Ann Arbor system.

Ann Arbor’s Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park

Gallup Park is one of Ann Arbor’s premier parks spanning both banks of the Huron River. The Bilik Orbach Playground is a small play structure near the one lane bridge.

Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park – Playground Features

Playground Profile Last Updated: August 17, 2016

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
Structures: 1
Accessible Structure: No
Slides: 3, Straight Slide, Racer Slide
Monkey Bars: No
Zip Line: No
Climbing Apparatus: No
Merry Go Round: No
Bouncers: No
See Saw: No
Sandbox: No
Natural Play: No
Swings: 0 traditional swings, 0 baby swings, 0 parent/baby swings, 0 adaptive swings, 1 tire swings
Ground Activities: No
Surface: Wooden Mulch
Shade: Partial Shade – There are some trees around the playground. It is also located near the river which can make it a bit cooler
Seating: No

Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park – Park Details

Park Owner: Ann Arbor
Location: Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Parking: Parking Lot – The Bilik Orbach playground is just over the one-lane bridge. Any parking in that center parking area is good for this playground.
Bathrooms: Yes, Year Round
Walking Trails: Paved – Gallup Park has paved and gravel walking paths throughout. It also is part of the Washtenaw County Border2Border trail with connections to Parker Mill and
Water Play: Natural Water – The river is near the playground.
Picnic Benches: Yes, Nearby
Pavilion: No
Sports Fields:

Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park Description

With its prime location on the banks of the Huron River and Geddes Pond, Gallup Park is one of Ann Arbor’s premier parks. With multiple playgrounds, walking trails, boating, and fishing you could easily spend several hours at Gallup Park. We have split the playgrounds into 3 different profiles. Originally they were separate because they were added at different times, but they are so distinct they are each deserving of their own review.

The Bilik Orbach Playground was added to Gallup Park before construction began on Centennial Playground. It provided a play option other than the Livery area while the playground was under construction. It has remained even after the completion of the Centennial Playground,

Unlike the other two Gallup Park playgrounds, the Bilik Orbach playground has a mulch base instead of rubber mats. When we visited in 2016, the tire swing had a large puddle under it after rain the night before.

Gallup Park - Second Play Area Tire Swing

The play structure has a couple of slides, and a flexible bridge. I always loved running over those. The structure has several ways to climb up including stairs and bars. It also has a taller slide and a shorter set of slides (I think they are racer slides – we will have to visit again to confirm.)

Events at Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park

As Ann Arbor’s premier park, Gallup Park is a frequent event host. Some of our favorite Gallup Park events are Huron River Day and Trick or Treat on the River.

Upcoming Events

No Events

Beyond Bilik Orbach Playground at Gallup Park

You could spend an entire day at Gallup Park with 3 playgrounds, the canoe livery, a butterfly garden, and the trails. Don’t miss our profile of the other two Gallup Park playgrounds – the Centennial Playground and the Livery playground. The Centennial Playground is the largest play area at Gallup. With two small structures and many standalone activities, it offers something for everyone. The Livery Playground is a small play area near the livery. It features a slide built into the hill and rocks for climbing. The Gallup Canoe Livery is a main draw to Gallup Park. You can rent a kayak, canoe, or paddleboat for exploring Gallup Pond. It is also the terminus point for river trips from Argo. Gallup Park also offers fishing with a youth fishing pond near the Centennial Playground. We have never gone fishing there, but it is always a great place to see ducks and geese. I caution against feeding the ducks and geese anything because they can get fairly aggressive. If you do feed them, bread is not good for them. A few options are oats, rice, birdseed, chopped lettuce, or sliced grapes.