Des Moines' EMC Downtown Park opened in June of 2023. The park has several unique play options not found at other parks, but the key is to remember to bring the right gear with you.
- sculptural elements for climbing
- half-court basketball (adjustable height hoop)
- pickleball court
- swing benches
- ping-pong table
- bags game
- table games (chess/checkers, backgammon)
Today I brought a basketball, pickleball and ping pong balls & paddles, bags, and chess & checkers pieces. Street parking was easy to find this morning and there's no parking fee on Sundays, but there is a 4-hour limit.
Overall, we really liked the park. The basketball court and pickleball court are great. Ping pong was hard because of the table games on one side and the road nearby. My kids are still learning and some of their hits were pretty wild.
I really like how easy it is to walk around downtown Des Moines. We left our car at the park and walked to Cowles Commons to check out the new seesaws, then onto World Food Prize Hall of Laureates Gardens, we had lunch at The Royal Mile and ended our day at the Science Center before walking back to our car.
