Tanglewood Park is one of our favorite parks in the Northwest Austin area, very close to Canyon Vista Middle School on Spicewood Springs. It is not the newest (nor the oldest) park around, but this small neighborhood park has handicapped accessible features which also makes the larger playing structure easy even for my toddler to navigate and use nearly all of it, unlike most playscapes designed for ages 5 and up.
There are two play structures, one for bigger kids and one for littles. At the larger structure, there is a long wheelchair access ramp that my kids like to walk to get to the top of the playscape, instead of using the stairs which are more narrow (and with smaller steps) than the newer plastic playgrounds. That is probably not even something a child would notice, but as an adult who may need to climb up and down these playgrounds to help a toddler, I too appreciate the wheelchair-accessible ramps for making it easier on me to play with my kids here.
There is a large disc swing as well as bucket baby swings and regular swings for big kids.
There are picnic tables and a covered pavilion that would be lovely for a small birthday party.
Though the playground is not shady, there is a lovely, shaded and short 0.25-mile trail that goes around the perimeter of the park. The trail is just long enough and easy for toddlers to walk around without becoming too overtired. It is a paved trail and from spring until fall, there are honeysuckle and jasmine plants that grow in the lush greenery somewhere because we can smell them but have not seen them (yet). The mature trees form canopies so even in the dead heat of summer, the trail is still green. Near the wooden covered “bridge” at one end of the trail is the sand volleyball court.
If you are coming to this park for the first time and getting here from 183 & Spicewood Springs, the turn off for Rustic Rock Rd. from Spicewood Springs is very sharp. Once you make the turn, you will see the sand volleyball court to your right, and the parking lot and entrance to the park is immediately following the volleyball court.
Tanglewood Park
11406 Rustic Rock Rd.
Austin, TX 78750
Republished with permission from Little Austinite.
