Bicentennial Park

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This profile of Ann Arbor’s Bicentennial 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 Bicentennial Park part of the Ann Arbor system.

Ann Arbor’s Bicentennial Park

Southeast Area Park has two structures, several baseball fields under the lights, and a basketball field. The smaller structure is great for young kids.

Bicentennial Park – Playground Features

Playground Profile Last Updated: August 9, 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, Kids 8-12
Structures: 2
Accessible Structure: No
Slides: 6, Straight Slide, Curved Slide, Racer Slide, Roller Slide
Monkey Bars: No
Zip Line: Yes
Climbing Apparatus: No
Merry Go Round: No
Bouncers: No
See Saw: No
Sandbox: Yes
Natural Play: No
Swings: 6 traditional swings, 2 baby swings, 0 parent/baby swings, 0 adaptive swings, 0 tire swings
Ground Activities: No
Surface: Wooden Mulch
Shade: No –
Seating: Yes, Benches

Bicentennial Park – Park Details

Park Owner: Ann Arbor
Location: Bicentennial Park (Southeast Area Park), East Ellsworth Road, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Parking: Parking Lot –
Bathrooms: Yes, Seasonal
Walking Trails: Paved – Paved trail through the park connects to sidewalk on Ellsworth Rd
Water Play: None
Picnic Benches: Yes, At Playground, Nearby
Pavilion: Yes
Sports Fields: Basketball, Baseball/Softball, Open Fields

Bicentennial Park Description

Bicentennial Park was formerly known as Southeast Area Park. It was renamed in 2024 in honor of Ann Arbor’s Bicentennial. The park is slated for upgrades as part of the Bicentennial Celebration.

Bicentennial Park is the first playground that I began taking my daughter to when she was a toddler. The structure closer to Ellsworth was a good starting structure for her (although Lillie Park is in the same area and has a smaller structure for little ones). Southeast Area holds an advantage through since they have swings. The smaller structure offers short side-by-side slides. My daughter loved playing with the spinners on the structure. With steps instead of a ladder and a stable bridge, it is easy for toddlers to reach the entire structure.

The larger structure at Bicentennial Park includes a Zip Line and a Roller Slide. My daughter loves Roller Slides. We actually discovered the roller slide on this trip since we mostly used the smaller playground when she was younger.

Bicentennial Park was largely created with recycled materials:

Recycled plastics on both play structures and picnic benches
Old Athletic Shoes form the surface of the basketball court
Recycled Aluminum for the bleachers at the softball diamond

Our one disappointment at Bicentennial Park was the missing tire swing. My daughter loved the tire swing. It was missing when we visited in March 2016 and again in August 2016, so I’m guessing it might be gone for good. (editors note, we have not visited since. We will make a visit to see if it is there or not)

Southeast Area Park - Missing Tire Swing

Beyond Bicentennial Park

Southeast Area Park is connected to Ellsworth Rd via sidewalks. Take a break from the playground and walk to the strip mall at Platt & Ellsworth for Biggby Coffee or La Pina Loca for fresh treats. Southeast Area Park is a good playground to stop at if you are headed to the Recycle Ann Arbor Drop Off Station or Swift Run Dog Park.