What’s to Love:  Holly Farm Park is a lovely park right off Capitol Highway in SW Portland.  While next to a busy road, this small park has a nice vibe and a strong community feel.  It’s well kept with a relatively large lawn, newer play structure, paved paths, and a very cool mini-skate-park.

The green space is a central area to watch your kids while they bike, skate, or scooter around on the paved paths.  The lawn is well kept and perfect for a picnic lunch.  The “skate park” is interesting. It’s more like a feature that’s good for skating.  For beginners, it has a lot to offer.

Caveats:  The skate park attracts a lot of younger children who just want to run around inside of it.  Serious skaters will quickly get bored with the terrain, or lack thereof.

Usually, my kids are the ones getting in the way of serious skaters, but this time, they were the serious skaters!  Rather than remind people it’s a skate park, I tried to teach my own kids a lesson in patience and tolerance for other users.  However, skaters should have priority to this type of terrain.  If skaters are present, you’ll want to keep your kids out of the way, if they are not skating.  Take them over to the play structure!

Website:  Portland Parks and Recreation’s Holly Farm article

Distance from Portland:  About 7.5 miles from downtown Portland.  Here is a Google Map.

Recommended Ages:  Very nice park for younger children (8 and younger).  Beginning to early intermediate skaters/scooter riders will enjoy the park.

Parental Stress Factor:  Low stress park!

Physical Difficulty:  Pathways are paved, flat, and accessible.

Family Fun Factor:  Not what I would call a “destination park,” but it’s fun if you have younger kids, especially if they skateboard or ride scooters.

Pet Friendly:  Very small green space.  Not a park for off-leash dogs.

Weather Considerations:  Nothing is covered here, so it’s best in nice weather.

Insider Info:  If you have a child who is just learning to ride a bike, scooter, or skateboard, this is a perfect park to let them experiment a bit on the paved pathways.  You’ll be able to hang-out on the lawn and watch them ride around the entire park.

Family Tips:  There are some nice picnic benches, if you’re thinking about bringing a picnic.  The lawn  is flat and perfect for games like Croquet or a family game of soccer or kickball.

 

 

 

 

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