**DFWChild Favorite
Where is it? 851 Hensley Lane, Wylie. Occupies 82 acres adjacent to Wylie High School.
What makes it special? The main attraction is the Pirate’s Cove Playground, a sprawling, castle-like maze of slides, climbing features and cool extras like musical chimes and a sandbox. The playground also boasts an impressive 13 swings.
What else? If you need a break from the playground, a nearby pavilion has picnic tables and there are restrooms with changing tables at the Softball Plaza and the Soccer Plaza. The park also contains ball fields, sand volleyball courts, concrete trails and a large parking lot to access everything.
Is it safe? Kids ages 2–5 have a separate play area just for them. Benches are scattered throughout the enclosure (including under the shade of a spreading oak tree) so you can stay close to the action – a good idea since kids can be hard to see while playing hide-and-seek in the twisting structures. The park scored an A* for overall safety.
Pluses & minuses:
+ Large, separate areas for ages 2–5 and 5–12
+ Plenty of benches and shade
+ Restrooms nearby
– Visibility limited on play structures
Our grade: 4.9/5 stars
*Based on the National Program for Playground Safety’s Report Card at playgroundsafety.org
This review was distributed to the City of Wylie Parks and Recreation for further review and/or action.
Published April 2014
