LBA Park — Attraction in Olympia

LBA Park is an amazing spot for family gatherings and kids' birthday parties! I recently reserved one of the shelters for my daughter’s birthday — she had to have her party here because Blippi filmed an episode at this exact park, and she was so excited to celebrate in the same place!

The shelter we rented was great — it had plug-ins and running water, which made it super convenient for setting up food, decorations, and everything else.

The playground is fantastic and has something for every age group. There's a zip line, a unique rope-climbing half-circle toy, and a separate section with smaller equipment for younger kids. There’s also a really cute area with little animal statues that the kids loved.

The park also has tennis courts, lots of open space, and several baseball fields — plenty of room for games or just running around.

The only reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that it was hard to find availability for the shelter rental. If you're planning a weekend party, definitely try to book several weeks ahead. Due to limited options, I ended up holding my daughter’s party from 3:30 to 6 PM — not my first choice, but it still turned out great.

All in all, a fun, well-equipped park that’s perfect for birthday parties, especially if you’ve got a...

Full disclosure : I can't address the playground or ballpark aspects of LBA, but I've been walking the trails through the life span of two dogs (about 25 years) and it's a GREAT place for that. Plenty of other dog walkers around and the etiquette is 99% good. The animal control freaks are mostly gone now. Volunteers and City are doing a fantastic job of control & elimination of non-native vegetation. You'll never step in dog doo, and you might even make some friends! UPDATE, FEBRUARY 2020 3 STARS. The dog issue is getting too intense. Lots of angry people who want to see ALL dogs leashed ALL the time, even a 12 year old arthritic Golden Retriever. Give me a break and "pull the stick out" people. Knew it was too good to last. Adios. UPDATE: The area is sane again thanks to designated leash and non-leash trails. There are good distances of trail for each designation. It appears an Eagle Scout did an impressive job of signage at trail junctions. It also looks as if non-native vegetation management is at least keeping up with new establishment, and that is better than many City parks in the region. Tentative uograde to 5 stars, mostly due to...

We recently discovered LBA Park, and it's quickly become one of my kids favorites. There's playgrounds and climbing structures for kids of all ages, and there's even a zip-line, which is a huge hit with my progeny. There's plenty of grass to run around in, and lots of big trees for shade so you can have a nice picnic. After a nice lunch, you can hit the trails for a lovely little walk in the woods. With 150+ acres, there's plenty of space for everyone at LBA. Although, when we've been here (typically mid-week in the afternoon during summer break), there's never been more than 20 people in the playground area.

One odd thing is Google reports that the park closes at 7pm daily, which is ridiculously early during summer. I've searched, but haven't found anything that indicates this...