PARK365 — Attraction in Richmond

I was looking forward to visiting an all abilities park as a parent and wheelchair user. Given the park's inclusive design, I had hoped the ground would be level throughout, allowing disabled individuals to play alongside their friends or children just like able-bodied visitors. However, I encountered several step-ups throughout the park. This made it challenging for me to keep up with my kid while playing, as I had to navigate around to find a ramp or flat area. I believe that if the ground were more uniformly level, it would significantly enhance accessibility for everyone.

Additionally, I noticed there were limited shaded areas, apart from two picnic tables designated for private parties. I feel that in designing an all abilities park, it would be beneficial to consider the importance of shade for individuals with disabilities. As someone with POTS, the lack of shaded spaces was difficult for me. I was fortunate to find a shaded area by asking a party-goer if I could join them, but after that group left, a worker taped off the area for another party, inadvertently restricting my access out. While the park is certainly a fun place for parties, it would be more accommodating to have a shaded picnic area available for all visitors to enjoy.

I also faced some difficulties in the bathrooms, as the trash cans were placed directly in front of the door. This made it a bit tricky to enter without bumping into them. When exiting, the push button was positioned across from the trash can, which complicated turning my wheelchair around in time to leave the bathroom. It seems that individuals who maintain the bathrooms may not have considered the accessibility needs of wheelchair users. Addressing the placement of the trash cans would greatly improve accessibility.

On a positive note, the tree house was really cool, which has a ramp and spacious design once at the top. The water section was also awesome and became my child’s favorite part of our visit. There is a noticeable amount of thoughtfulness in certain areas of the park, but I believe a more consistent level ground would greatly enhance accessibility, allowing all visitors to enjoy seamless movement between play areas.

Lastly, while I understand this is not a reflection on the park itself, I encourage those who may hold ableist views to reconsider visiting an all abilities park so that everyone can enjoy an inclusive environment. I had dropped my phone and asked someone next to me for assistance, but the person looked me up and down in disgust and turned away while saying, "absolutely not". It would be nice to go to an abilities park without encountering ableism there.

If you're a wheelchair user and looking for a place to hike in Richmond, I would highly recommend The Robins Nature Center and it's park grounds The Maymont. I really miss hiking and was surprised to find the entirety of The Maymont has accessible trails. I was able to go hiking for the first time in nearly a decade and it was...

Highly accessible for all different abilities, accessible for disabilities, a wide range of ages, encourages parents and children to okay together, SAFE and CLEAN! Most amazing park/playground I've been to in my life, ecstatic to have a disability-accessible and age-accessible place in the city! The grounds are beautiful and roomy, the plants are well-kept and add sensory stimuli, the greenhouse is even wheelchair accessible (with extra wheelchairs for ambulatory or emergency use), the shady breezeway is phenomenal, the treehouse areas are absolutely accessible, and paths are flat.

There are multiple areas catering to sensory play, as well as spots to go if overwhelmed. Two covered breezeways/sitting areas (all tables wheelchair accessible), sports court, many benches and swings of varying types, play areas for bigger and smaller kids that anyone can use.. and so much more! I'll reiterate, it's a dream come true and the most wonderful park/playground I've ever experienced! I'm eternally grateful this lovely place exists...

This place is amazing. It is by far the nicest playground in Richmond. We take our daughter often and even had her birthday party there for a very reasonable price. They have a wide variety of playground equipment and a lot of it is wheelchair accessible. When booking my daughters birthday the staff members that I worked with were extremely nice and helpful. The park is beautifully maintained and has always been very neat and clean. They have water misters during the summer and a bathroom as well that was clean the one time I went in there. The only downside to this park is that there isn't much shade at all. Overall this place is amazing, I like to go first thing in the morning before it gets busy because if it's a nice day the parking lot will be full. My only other comment is that they used to have a swing there that a wheelchair could go on but I've noticed that it has been removed. I think that was a nice addition as there isn't anything like that in Richmond that I...