Arts & Entertainment Community
Two in Tow & On the Go | Our guide to Gig Harbor-area playgrounds
The Gig Harbor area offers recreation opportunities galore, thanks to a variety of local agencies that help keep our community active and outdoorsy. From sports fields to serene forests and walking trails, there’s something for everyone. For looking for the playground variety among the area’s many parks, we’ve got you covered with this local playground directory.
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Gig Harbor
Skate Park
3510 Grandview St., Gig Harbor
The Gig Harbor Skate Park playground is adjacent to the Gig Harbor Civic Center buildings in the same complex. Located just west of the Civic Center parking lot, kids can play on older play equipment featuring a slide climber, swings, and a rock wall with hand and feet grips. The adjacent skate park features a concrete bowl, curves and ramps for riders to demonstrate and practice their moves on bikes, scooters and skateboards. Helmets required.
Related: Playground Review >>> Two In Tow & On The Go | Four surprising finds to explore outside the Gig Harbor Civic Center
The Kids’ Gig
4905 Rosedale St. NW, Gig Harbor
On the Discovery Elementary School campus, there’s a special community park that operates as a hybrid site with Peninsula School District. The Kids’ Gig, built by community volunteers in 2002, offers an wooden fort-style playground with slides, monkey bars, lookout towers and stepping platforms designed for children ages 5 to 12. Locals consider this playground a hidden gem due to its location. It’s open to the public outside of school hours and accessible through a pedestrian gate in the chain link fence in the back parking lot.
Good to know: This park doesn’t have restrooms, it’s not visible from the street and it lacks a website, but park rules are posted at the entrance.
Related: Playground Review >>> Two in Tow & On the Go: Kids’ Gig playground charms with nods to local landmarks
Rosedale Park
8205 86th Ave. NW, Gig Harbor
Rosedale Park’s playground is teeny-tiny with a slide and some balancing steps. But it works in a pinch for some quick outdoor playtime. The adjacent softball/baseball diamond is a big community draw here, in addition to the picnic shelter and the recently refurbished (and rentable) Rosedale Hall across the street. The slide has stairs to climb and a short twist on the ride down. The balancing steps, meanwhile, invite kiddos to walk over foot platforms suspended a short distance from the ground. Like crossing stones in a creek, each disc sways slightly as kids step from one to the next. The play equipment may be be slim on options, but we’ll take it—especially since Rosedale Park went its first 40 years as a public space without any play equipment at all. It wasn’t until 2007 that the park finally got its playground slide and steps—along with a perimeter walking trail and an official PenMet Park entry sign.
Good to know: There’s usually a portable toilet here but no other restrooms.
Related >>> PenMet celebrates opening of revamped Rosedale Hall
Sehmel Homestead Park
10123 78th Ave. NW, Gig Harbor
Sehmel Homestead Park opened in 2010, but its playground floor was resurfaced in 2024. Fan favorites here include a long line of swings, and climbing platforms painted in a rainbow of colors. The climbing structure is made up of a raised walkway system of ramps, bridges and and activity panels around each corner. Kids are always drawn to the Sway Fun Glider, an all- inclusive standalone feature where children work together by shifting their weight in unison to make the unit sway back and forth. There’s space for a wheelchair, a stroller and a built-in sitting bench. A little table in the middle sports handholds so those using wheelchairs can make the glider sway, too.
Outside of the playground, Sehmel Homestead Park has sports fields, restrooms, a rentable indoor pavilion and a large forested trail system. The map is linked here. The west side of the park is home to the colorful Gig Harbor Demonstration Garden and a large grassy amphitheater that hosts summer movies and concerts.
Good to know: Depending on where you sit at this playground, the climber’s platform layout can make it tricky to keep an eye on younger kids from certain angles.
Related >>> Two in Tow & On the Go | Our favorite features at Sehmel Homestead Park
Doris Heritage Park
10770 Harbor Hill Drive, Gig Harbor
This site is set to open in May 2025.
Construction of the playground at Doris Heritage Park in January. Photo by Vince Dice.
Run by: City of Gig Harbor
This brand new park is set to open in May 2025 as part of Gig Harbor’s new sports complex project on the city’s north end. Behind the construction work, one can see a playground with a rope-web climber, an accessible swaying toy that looks similar to Sehmel’s described above, at least one slide, accessible hard-back swings, belt swings and an cool double swing. There will also be picnic shelters, restrooms, concessions, pickleball courts, bocce ball courts, a performance stage and an event lawn.
Related >>> Council officially names new park in honor of Doris Heritage
Crescent Creek Park
3303 Vernhardson St., Gig Harbor
A large boat-shaped climber (that’s both walkup and wheelchair accessible) is the star of this playground. Aptly named the Maritime PlayZone, this playground feature opened in 2014. On the boat, there’s a steering a wheel up front, barnacles below and interactive panels throughout. Across from the boat is a whole row of swings, including a molded harness seat with a structured back. Kids seem to love the standing orange-and-white spinning buoy with footholds and a handle.
Good to know: There’s a fenced-in upper tot lot at this playground, separate from the main play space. It features an extra large sandbox with lots of little scooping and building toys next to a pint-sized dome climber.
Related: >>> Master plan pursuing a more connected Crescent Creek Park
Kenneth Leo Marvin Veterans Memorial Park
3580 50th Street Court, Gig Harbor
Located on Gig Harbor’s west side, the “green and blue park” features an older tot lot and a newer big-kid play structure. The updated equipment features a tall tower slide, a rope jungle gym, and a standalone disc swing. There’s also a baseball diamond, soccer fields, a picnic shelter and restrooms.
Good to know: This park is also home to Gig Harbor’s original World War II memorial. Until 2009, the statue historically stood at Harbor Ridge Middle School and Gig Harbor Union high school before it (same campus). It features 14 names of WWII veterans, each with connections to Gig Harbor, who died while enlisted in the service. Their names are part Gig Harbor Now’s 14 Names to Remember Project detailing the lives of the young men and how they died.
Related: Playground Review (plus a bio of the park’s namesake, Kenneth Marvin) >>> Two in Tow & On the Go: Kenneth Leo Marvin Veterans Memorial Park
Harbor Hill Housing Development in Gig Harbor
Olympus Way Community Park
4488 Copper Court, Gig Harbor
Located in the ungated Harbor Hill housing development in Gig Harbor North, this small neighborhood playground has a short climbing structure, slides and a balance beam. See Google Maps for an aerial view.
Athena Park
10425 50th Ave NW, Gig Harbor
Also in the Harbor Hill housing development, this second neighborhood playground has a springy ride-on toy, a large grassy lawn, a small climbing structure with slide. There are also picnic tables. See Google Maps for an aerial view.
Fox Island
Fox Island Playground
690 9th Ave., Fox Island
Run by: The FICRA Building Trust
Located in the back of the Nichols Community Center, this older playground opened in July 2000, according to the Fox Island news site. It has swings, a little metal fire truck climber for pretend play, a spring toy to stand on and various other short climbers. A picnic gazebo, sports field and walking path are also featured.
Port Orchard
South Kitsap Regional Park
Port Orchard. See the two addresses below.
The playground features two lots — one big and one small. The largest features climbers, slides, circular monkey bars and rope climbers. There’s also a separate line of swings. The smaller lot has a short train-themed climber and a slide. There’s also a pretty cool froggy statue!
Good to know: There are two ways to access the park:
- The SE Marbeth Lane entrance leads to the playground, restrooms, picnic shelter and the mini trains run seasonally by the nonprofit Kitsap Live Steamers.
- The 2841 SE Lund Ave. entrance leads to the skate park, batting cages, ball fields and portable restrooms.
Horseshoe Lake County Park
3101 SE Marbeth Lane, Port Orchard
This seasonal park has an older playground featuring a climbing structure with a wobble bridge and a long freestanding row of swings. Down the grassy slope toward the water, there are areas for swimming, fishing, a dock, ball field, volleyball, restrooms and a life jacket stand. Check out the park map for details.
Good to know: Horseshoe Lake County Park is open seasonally from April to mid-October. Gates to the parking lots and park areas are closed and locked during the off-season.
Key Peninsula
Gateway Park
10405 State Route 302 NW, Gig Harbor
This park is large and spread out with several picnic tables set around the perimeter of the playground. It has slides, swings, tall climbing structures and everyone’s favorite — a zip line. Folks will also find sports fields, skateboarding areas, disc golf, and restrooms there.
Good to know: This park is home to a popular spray park/splash pad, which runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year.
Related >>> Two in Tow & On the Go | ‘Tis the season for spraygrounds
Burley Park
14644 Park Drive SE., Port Orchard
Run by: The Burley Association
All-new playground equipment was installed at Burley Community Park this month featuring a climber with swings, monkey bars, a slide and an adjacent dome climber. Among the new swings is an adaptable high-back support swing. A barbeque and potluck event to celebrate the opening of the new playground is planned. See The Burley Washington Community Facebook group for more details.
Volunteer Park
5514 Key Peninsula Hwy NW, Lakebay
Volunteer Park boasts three baseball fields, disc golf, a small skateboard park, horseshoe pits, restrooms and wooded trails. Its playground, located in the back of the park by the Key Pen Parks office, features one of the first playground concepts from back in the day. Operating as a playground spinner, the “witch’s hat” gets its name from the shape of its wide base that tapers to a point at the top. At Volunteer Park, kids get a modern version that now includes rope netting to grasp while running around it on the ground, eventually jumping onto the base for a seated spin. Across from the spinner is a climber and slide, plus a stand-up seesaw-type toy with a spring base.
Good to know: Volunteer Park has free public wi-fi. The network is called “KeyPenn Parks Guest” and there’s no password. The service is funded through a Pierce County Connected grant from the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.
Home Park
17220 8th Ave Court NW, Lakebay
Home Park has the cutest playground with a petite fire truck rider that sways on springs and a metal “porch swing” overlooking the greenery. The climbing structure has multiple short slides, monkey bars, a floating step path, and a whole row of swings on the adjacent lot.
Good to know: The restroom here is a one-room enclosure housing a barrel or pit toilet that young children will likely need assistance with so they don’t fall in.
Elsewhere in Pierce County
Twelve parks in Pierce County Parks’ system have playgrounds. Find them on this page by selecting the “playgrounds” link from the list of recreation amenities.