Highlights

• Best for ages 2 to 5
• Features include a playground, swings, ride on toys, play house, green space, and more
• The playground is fully fenced in!
• Very easy for a toddler to navigate

Playground

The playground at Dogwood Park was designed for ages 2 to 5, and it’s very easy for that age group to navigate without too much help. The main playground structure has several levels and slides, all which are connected by stairs – rather than something more difficult like a ladder.

There are several ride-on toys, as well as a row of swings. A cute little playhouse was added to the playground in 2022.

Other Features

On the other side of the playground fence, you’ll find a picnic shelter, a bell tower (where the bathrooms are!), and ball fields. There’s a small parking lot next to the playground, street parking, and another, larger lot further down.

At the back of the playground you will find another gate and steps leading down into the woods. Here you’ll find the old Boathouse that used to house boats and canoes for a lagoon over 200 years ago. You can read more about it here.

The Not So Greats

While Dogwood Park is a must visit if you’ve got a toddler, there are a few things I don’t love. The bathroom is all the way in the nearby bell tower, and it isn’t always open (during the winter). There are only a handful few parking spots right next to the playground. There is ample street parking and a larger lot further down, but it’s nice to be right next to the playground when you’re schlepping a bunch of little kid stuff with you.

Also, there is mulch thorough the playground. Mulch isn’t my favorite in general, but especially not with toddlers. And since the playground was designed for 2 to 5 year olds, there’s not much to do for bigger kids or babies.

Highlights

• Good for ages 2 and up
• There is a large splash pad on one side of the park and a large playground on the other
• The playground consists of a large big kid jungle gym, smaller toddler jungle gym, and swings
• The splash pad is open from 10am to 8pm during the summer 
• There’s a large picnic shelter next to the splash pad with plenty of picnic tables, bathrooms and water fountains 

Playground

The playground at Gorman Park is great for ages 2 and up. There is a large playground for bigger kids with different levels, slides, a rock wall, and ropes course. This part of the playground is nicely shaded.

The swings are located between the big kid playground and the toddler playground, and include an accessible swing and a two-seater swing.

The toddler playground is located closest to the parking lot, and is a smaller version of the big kid playground. It is not shaded, and was not as popular as the big kid playground during our visit. The playground has mulch throughout.

I found that the playground complimented the splash pad well, however, I personally wouldn’t visit this park only for the playground if I wasn’t nearby.

The Splash Pad

The splash pad at Gorman Park is huge, and can accommodate a lot of kids. There are a variety of sprayers, and a large dump bucket in the center. It is easy to see the entire splash pad from one of the many nearby benches, as well as from the large picnic shelter behind it.

Gorman Park splash pad is open from 10am to 8pm from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. To activate the splash pad, press the Start button in the middle of the splash pad.

For more summer fun, check out my Cincinnati Splash Pads post!

Other Features

I really liked the large picnic shelter, located behind the splash pad. It has plenty of picnic tables, bathrooms and water fountains. The nearby parking lot made it very convenient to get from the car to the splash pad and playground quickly. There is also a walking path around the perimeter of Gorman Park.

The Not So Greats

While Gorman Park has been beautifully updated, there were a few things about the playground that I didn’t love. The entire playground is mulch, and I personally prefer a solid surface or artificial turf ground. I also feel that mulch limits the playground from children who are still crawling or need a wheelchair to get around. The toddler playground did not have much shade, which isn’t great on a hot summer day. And while there there is a barrier between the toddler playground and the road, it’s always nice when a playground is fully fenced in.