George Bush Park

Houston, TX - George Bush Park is located on the west side of Houston off Hwy 6 and Westheimer. It is a large park on the map, 7,800 acres, but the park part is a very small area. We enjoyed the playground area which has some very nice sitting areas, restrooms, water fountains and shaded pavilions with picnic tables. We did not enjoy that none of the playground is shaded. There are trees around so maybe in the distant future there will be shade.

If you look at the park on-line at http://www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/georgebush.aspx , you will see a nice picture of a wood bridge. Our only guess is it must be along the Hike and Bike path which on a 100+ degree day we opted not to explore. There appears to be a very long hike and bike path. We didn't see it so no idea how nice or how challenging.

We did see the Bark Park. The Bark Park is a fenced area where you are allowed to take your dog off leash. It is a pretty good size so dogs can actually get in a full run if they want. They had some shaded seating for owners. My kids said the part they thought the dogs would like the most is the pond. There is a nice little, shallow pond for dogs to jump in and cool off or just have fun. There were only a handful of dogs when we went by on a Wednesday afternoon, but everybody seemed to be getting along just fine.

Overall, we would recommend this park if you are in the are, but I wouldn't make a special trip over there. If you live on the northwest side of Houston like we do, there are several parks closer that are just as much fun, i.e. Bear Creek Park, Matzke Park, Telge Park, Bane Park, etc. BUT if you are in for the Hike and Bike, perhaps George Bush Park is better. If you are in the Hike and Bike category, you may also want to look into Terry Hershey Park which connects to George Bush Park at Memorial Drive and Hwy 6.

To end this, a good park, but not good enough to go out of the way for.

Trip Stats:

• Who: one Mom, two 10 year olds boys and one five year old boy
• What: George Bush Park, http://www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/georgebush.aspx
• When: Wednesday afternoon
• Where: west side of Houston off Hwy 6 and Westheimer Parkway (the first jaunt to the right once you cross Hwy 6 while traveling on Westheimer Road)
• Why: outdoor play
• Cost: Free except for gas