Cottonwood Park
Located near the city center and a favorite among locals, Cottonwood Park is an ideal place to spend a sunny afternoon in Richardson. The park is known for its delightful duck pond and feeding the avians is allowed, so make sure to take some bread if you want to interact with these cute aquatic residents. Cottonwood Park is also famous for hosting a number of art festivals throughout the year, so make sure that you look out for local listings of what’s on when you are in town so that you don’t miss any of the fun. Cottonwood Park is a small neighborhood 8-acre park located in west Boise. Amenities include a walking path, open play areas, playground, restroom and basketball courts. This inclusive, all-abilities playground at Cottonwood Park in Richardson is big (11,000 square feet), varied, beautifully brightly-colored and completely fenced in. It’s also on a creek filled with ducks and geese to feed.
The central playground features are two all-abilities structures — seperate areas for ages 2-5 and 5-12. Both of the main structures feature off-ground “walkways” with ground level access which are wide enough for wheelchairs. Plus along the walkways are all kinds of fun hands-on activities such as marbles, three in a row, driving wheels and even a “giggle wheel”. In addition to the ground level slope onto the structures, there’s multiple entry and exit points in the shape of simple slides, “roller slides”, stepping stones and a balance beam, climbing slopes and even a frog statue that can be climbed on.
Part of the larger play structure features an all-abilities, inclusive seesaw with access for wheelchairs and which is also fun for kiddos of all ages. Beyond the main structures you’ll find a bank of swings with basic bar swings, baby bucket swings, all-abilities swings and the duo swings for 2 kids or for a parent and child. There’s also an adaptive merry-go-round which can accomodate kids seated and standing, a tire swing and a sensory garden. The Ann Eisemann Inclusive Playground for all-abilities is located within the beautiful Cottonwood park which has a basketball court and walking and running trails. It also has a large creek filled with lots of ducks and geese which seem to instictive know to gather close to the playground. Before or after visiting the park, a stop to feed the ducks is a must!
