Petersen Park in Tempe is a 2021 remodeled playground on the corner of Priest and Southern and is a great addition to Tempe Parks. The farm-themed park is aimed at children 10 and under. The rubber ground and all the little details were done so nicely!
Playground
My kids took off running to the playground yelling “farm” which is exactly what this playground looks like. There are the cutest little details, like a windmill, tractor and even a cow! You can climb the haystacks to get to the top of the play structure. There are multiple slides and things to climb. There is a toddler play structure directly next to the big kid play area. We visited opening week and there were four big kid swings, however, two of them were labeled “Belt Swing Seats for kids ages 2 -12”.
It’s incredible to walk on rubber ground – it is so much better than sand of wood chips and has spoiled me forever! There is a tractor design as well as a giant wheel with a game you can run around. There is currently no shade over the playground.
My son said his favorite was the curly Q slide. My daughter said her favorite was laying down at the playground. I told you the rubber turf is great!
Picnic
There is one giant shaded ramada directly next to the park with a grill. There are multiple picnic tables located throughout the park, only a little shade is provided. At our visit, they were still planting trees, so there will be shade growing.
Park
Petersen Park in Tempe is named after Niels Petersen, one of Tempe’s pioneers. He originally built a 2 room adobe house while working on the land and planting crops. The Petersen Ranch grew to more than 1,000 acres, and Niels became one of the biggest producers of cattle, hay, and grain in the valley. For more information on the history, click here. The park is currently 5 acres and includes the Niels Petersen Historic House which was turned into a museum
The new playground opened in 2021, and has an updated playground, picnic tables, one large shaded ramada, and grills. There are no restrooms but a water bottle refill station and recycle and landfill trash cans and soon there will be plenty of grass for playing. One nice feature of this playground is even though it is located on a major intersection, there is a fence around it to make sure your kids don’t run off into the street.
Park hours are from 6am to 10pm.
Getting There
Parking is available off Southern on the north side of the street where the Petersen House is located.
Petersen Park
Southern Ave. and Priest Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85282
One Response
Can you reserve the picnic area for a family event?