Westminster Playground

A wonderful neighborhood playground for children and adults that features a 30′ x 34″ wall mural. The Westminster «Community» mural in the playground was funded by DC Creates Public Art, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Artist Anne Marchand designed and produced the mural at the Westminster Playground in Shaw in 2002. The mural is recognized as part of the contemporary mural movement on DC Murals Website,
. «Community» mural (c)2002 Anne Marchand,
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I’m so happy we moved into the neighborhood. It’s truly a DC hidden gem. The entire park is shaded — staying very cool in the summer. There is also a water feature for kids to play in. All around a great atmosphere for a DC family. Appropriate for all ages.

Talk about a truly hidden gem. The Westminster Playground is tucked away on a quiet road between some lovely row homes just south of U Street. This is such a little oasis for little ones and their caregivers.
Keep in mind that it is SMALL, so there isn’t as much playground equipment as other places. (Sadly there is only one baby swing) But what is here is very nice and well maintained (by an army of awesome volunteers!). The slides, swings, and general play equipment is all to the side/​corners, and the middle is a common play area where kiddos can scoot around in toy cars or scooters or just practice toddling. There are lots of benches for caregivers, too. I like how this caters just to really wee ones, so you won’t run into the problem that you can at bigger playgrounds where there are older kids hanging around, doing or saying things you wouldn’t want a baby or toddler to see or hear.
In the warmer months there is a cool interactive water-​play feature. I’m not sure when it will turn on but I’m happy that this summer, my daughter will be old enough to enjoy it!
This is also a good spot for birthday parties and can be rented out. See the board at the park for more info.

I totally agree with other reviewers, this is a great «secret park!» We were in town visitng family and they told us about this park. Even with their help, it took us a few walks around to find it! But when we did, my boys had a blast. They have many toys for kids to use and they all seemed to be kept in good condition and the ones that had moving parts were all functional. Even better, the battery operated ones all had working batteries! So somebody/​ies are doing a great job of keeping this place working. The water sprayer was so much fun for my boys after a hot day at the zoo. Once they figured out that they had the power to turn it on (with the hand panel) they were so empowered! Glad we found this little gem, and it’s worth searching around a bit if you aren’t a native of DC.

Incredible «secret» playground in DC. Westminster Playground is tucked back on a quiet residential street just steps from bustling U Street. It has a beautiful, bright mural, tons of playground options, a fun water feature, and families even leave their outdoor toys (like toddle cars and bikes) for other kids to use.

westminster is great. water play in the summer! the kids control the spray. lots of rider toys, benches for parents, quiet — kind of feels like you stumbled upon a secret garden.

Westminster is one of those one-​block streets that you probably don’t know about unless you live in the neighborhood or got very, very lost coming home from U St. one night. And the playground is hidden gem sandwiched between rowhouses that I wish were closer to our place (the playground, not the rowhouses). The brick walls, the colorful mural, and the fun mosaics are very Sesame Street. Lots of shade to protect your baby’s sensitive skin, and a gate to keep your toddler from running out into the street!