Ryan's Park — Attraction in Tacoma

Cool, but basic park. It's a pretty well-kept playfield (it floods when it rains, so be careful) and a nice little playground with all the basic equipment. There's not much parking, and the area down by the water seems a little odd, but nothing too sketchy was going on while I was there. Two little mysteries: There's a deer sculpture on private land that's visible from the park, and I spent probably too long staring at it and wondering if it was a live deer or yard art. Turns out: yard art. Second, there's a rock that seems to have been turned into a local community art project. None of the surrounding rocks get painted, but this one is currently bright red. Pretty...

This park is just ok. It's a convenient location for us so we'll go there occasionally, and it's almost never busy. It's tucked behind a neighborhood. Large open grass areas, a small playground, and a paved area with picnic tables.

Not a lot of parking, though there is a short trail that leads to another housing area with additional area to park.

No restrooms, but some wooded area for the boys. Good for a short stop to burn off...

HISTORY The City of Tacoma transformed this 5.1-acre parcel into what was named Celebration Park in 1992. In 2009, the City Council renamed it Ryan’s Park. The name is in memory of the 7-year-old boy who was attacked and left for dead in 1989 in what was then an overgrown, vacant lot. The little boy survived to adulthood; his name, Ryan Alan Hade, became public after he died at 23 in a 2005...