Douglas Gardens Park - More Than a Play Ground

3455 South Redwood Drive Springfield, Oregon 97478

Park Visit: Monday, June 2, 2025 @ 11AM -12:30PM

Douglas Gardens Park is located in an area I wasn't too familiar with. It seems tucked away but it's not too far off of Main Street. It's close to the Bob Keefer Center and Volunteer Park. A great park hop opportunity- check out the map bellow! It sits adjacent to Douglas Gardens Elementary School which is a Springfield district K-5, public, Title 1, elementary school. The school ranks 2/12 in the district and 157 out of the 634 state wide elementary schools. Title 1 funding is additional funding provided to elementary schools based on the number of students representing a low income socioeconomic status. The school is separated from the park and divided by a chainlink fence.

The neighborhood is super cute. The street parking felt safe and immediately upon driving up we were excited to get out and check things out! The day was hot. I was happy to be able to park under the shade of a tree and excited to see beautiful, mature trees! Oddly enough, there was no entry path where we parked in the shade, so we walked along the side walk past the "forest' area and the tennis/basketball courts to the front of the playground where the path officially enters the park.

The entry path takes you directly to the play structure and also veers to the right where you'll see the first picnic table. It looks like a fairly new concrete pad and the Douglas Gardens website says an additional pergola or "shelter", as they call it, is being constructed. August 26th is the start date for construction and it's expected to continue through September (2025). I'd venture to guess this is the location for that new "shelter".

As you continue on the path you'll see a bench and trash can along with a large shade providing tree. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the play structure itself is provided any shade at all, at any time of the day. The trees are all set back too far.

The path splits again. To the left is a pergola and picnic table. We ventured across the large "grassy" field to get a better look at the baseball backstops...and wear little legs out! The field was really uneven with small holes and tallish weeds. I kind of regretted the decision to venture so far. I am assuming the baseball backstops are apart of the park but, they could very well be the schools. It wasn't clear. The backstops are just that, backstops. There are no true infields. The backstop on the left has metal benches on either side. The one on the right is smaller and provides no seating.

Pergola Picnic Spot, Showing Restrooms in the Back. Both Baseball Backstops.

After we made it back and played on the

play structure we decided to continue meandering the path. My littles had a great time on this structure. I was happy that the bridge railings are full height- sometimes they stop kind of short. The railings in general are pretty good for littles, but I can definitely see older kids really enjoying this structure. My littles loved playing underneath the large, hexagon shaped, first platform. It's fairly tall and this is where the little "store front" is. My girl also really liked the balance stuff and little tunnels. There's a few balance pads and balance beams that connect via a couple of small tunnels creating a little obstacle course. A great feature for littles to practice their coordination and balance. We liked the metal slides because they go so fast, but I know they do get hot. It was pretty warm when we were there and we were still able to do plenty of sliding! Even Nana took um for a spin! 🙂

Balance Obstacle Course. My Lil' Guy Takin' Us Somewhere. Nana Sliding. The Area They Played Underneath.

Micky umbrella stroller. Strider Balance Bike.

My girl pretty much always insists on brining her Strider Balance Bike so, I was glad there was a path for her ride! I like to bring our "umbrella stroller" when I don't have a lot to tote around and we aren't walking far. We love our Micky one!!! It's so nice to have a lightweight, easy to maneuver, smaller option for when I don't want to use the big ol' Bob. I felt guilty about getting a secondary single stroller at first and waited a long time but ultimately, I wish I just got it sooner because it's really convenient. I particularly like it for when we visit the Springfield Library. #1 convenience about having it is how much easier it is for me to use the bathroom! 🤣 Why we don't have those strap in baby seats in restrooms I'll never understand. Especially, in a child centered location such as a library or park!

The path continues behind the tennis/basketball courts. The courts are nice because they are fully fenced. Although, as someone who tries, or in what feels like a past life tried, to play here and there - I always much preferred it when the courts themselves were separated by high fences so my rogue balls (and other peoples for that matter) wouldn't cause any undue inconvenience (cough, cough embarrassment). The courts are a bit rough looking with cracks and fading. According to the 2023 Willamalane Comprehensive Plan the courts aren't due for an upgrade for another 6-10 years. One side is a tennis court and the other is a full-size basketball court with double, non adjustable hoops.

Behind the courts, back on the path, you walk through a little mini basketball court with a single non adjustable hoop. The surface here is rough and uneven asphalt but, it is fully shaded by trees.

You'll come to the seasonal bathrooms next. They were locked on our visit, which seems odd. Maybe seasonal means when school is out? I am not sure. There are two unisex bathrooms. Sorry I wasn't able to check out the inside but, I bet they are pretty nice for park bathrooms, judging by the building.

Tennis/Basketball Courts. 1/2 Basketball Court. Seasonal Bathrooms.

The path gets more enchanting, shaded, and you can't help but be in awe of the beauty of the mature trees that begin growing in number as you walk. The grass got greener and more lush also. There's this odd little circle that the path branches off to. This is where we stumbled upon a lone skate rail. My girl enjoyed using it as a balance beam with her Nana Gayle's guiding hand. We couldn't quite pin point it, but it feels like this area once had more of a purpose. It seemed like benches or additional skate features, maybe, used to be bolted down, but now there are just funny little alcoves in the circle. I am curious. If you know what used to be in this spot post it in the comments! There's a couple of shaded benches on either side of the circle. We stopped here for our snack and some pics with Nana, who was visiting from out of state!

We were feelin' the summertime vibes with our PINK and BLUE shades!

The path leads to one more pergola area that houses an old wooden picnic table. This spot is also shaded by the trees so, it was much cooler than the other picnic areas. During our visit we only saw one other person in the park and they were enjoying the shade and coolness of this particular spot. There's a trash can here also. The path creates a loop here where you can walk past the picnic table or not and then it just abruptly ends. It feels weird and not well thought out. This is the area where we parked and yet the path doesn't connect you back to the street. Nor does it take you through the rest of the trees or the large grassy area that follows. It would be so nice if the path went allllll the way around and then back to the sidewalk!

Odd Circle and Skate Rail. Shaded Bench. End of Path, But Open Grassy Area Continues. Last Pergola Covered Picnic Area.

The "Douglas House" Peeking Out At Us.

We spent a long time playing in the grass and the trees here. This was our favorite part of the park. This portion of the park seemed to have a totally different vibe than the playground. It felt old and peaceful. The trees are massive and really interesting looking. I happened to notice this old house and it's intriguing Palladian windows peering out at us through the trees. 👀 I wondered about it then and then again when I went to write this up. It seemed out of place compared to the neighborhood all around it and it's sitting on a huge, densely landscaped lot. It looks like something right out of a Goosebumps story or something! I did some googling and found out this home is called the "Douglas House". It's listed on the City of Springfield Landmark Inventory. The house was built in 1908 by a prominent local architect for Mr. Douglas and his wife - California transplants, who came to the area to become some of the first and largest dairy farmers! It was originally sitting on over 1400 acres! Mr. Douglas became the founder of the Lane County Fair! 💗🐄

I could see this being a great park for a birthday party! Especially one where you have a blow up bouncer or a water balloon fight! Utilizing the large open grassy area and "forest" side of the park. I'd love to go back here for a picnic! Back in 2023 this parked ranked 3rd from last in favorability among Springfield's neighborhood parks. The two sides of the park, playground and "forest", feel disjointed. Honestly, I just think this park is poorly designed. It'd have such a different vibe if the play structure was tucked back beyond the "forest", farther from the school and street. However, the park is peaceful, very clean and the kids had a blast! I hear it's also sometimes the host of Food for Lane County's Free Summer Lunch Program.

What's your favorite thing about Douglas Gardens Park? Have you ever wondered about the "Douglas House"? If you found my review helpful would ya give it a 💗? Leave a comment and tell us if you've visited. Pin 📌 this review for later!

Check out the map below and plan a park hop! Check off three parks in one day from your Park Bingo Card! ✅️ Volunteer Park and Bob Keefer Park are so close! Check out my review of Volunteer Park. It's a super fun park for the whole family.

Need a Bingo Card? Print one here! Wana join a Springfield [Crunchy-ish] Mama Park Meet-Up? 🛝 Join our Facebook Group to get the invites!

I am glad you're here.

Let's do this thing together. 💚

Douglas Gardens Park is located at 3455 South Redwood Drive Springfield, Oregon 97478 Between Main St. to the north and Jasper Rd. to the south, 32nd to the west and S. 42nd to the east. LOOK, Volunteer Park and the Bob Keefer Center are close enough for a park hop, and on our Park Bingo Card also!

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