Union park is a spot that brings back many childhood memories for residents of Des Moines. The size of this park is enough to entertain many families at once. There are 2 playgrounds, shelters with bbq grills, restrooms, and of course the historic rocket slide. There is also a wading pool tennis court, and a carousel. The carousel is closed at this time though. The park is well manicured and has a large open area for any outdoor games. When winter rolls around, bring your sleds and snowboards to the park. There are at least two nice sized hills to keep both kids and adults entertained. This park is one of the better parks in the city because it has so much to offer at all times of the year. Enjoy!!!

Beautiful and peaceful! Super clean. Nice place to have lunch

Like going home. Years ago I lived just down the street from the park. It was tidy and well kept. I had a trip down memory lane and shed a few tears

Best Park in Des Moines

This park is awesome and has 3 different playground sets to go to and enjoy.This park gets busy and loud on weekends. I recommend early morning if crowds arent your thing.

Beautiful and relaxing! Great place to walk, bike, or bring the family!!

The grandkids had a blast playing, fun family park

A great place to relax by yourself, or take the kids to play on the giant rocket slide!!

When I was a kid I used to go to the park all the time love it

Always loved it as a kid still love it right to this day

My family and I absolutely love this park. They have more than one playground, a wading pool, carousel, and much more. A great park to spend your free time at sometime. Also always very clean and well maintained.

Nice except on some late hours and weekends. Is clean and nice for kids.

Theres always plenty of room to get outside and get some fresh air while still socially distancing, at Union Park.

Lots of things to do, ex. slides, swings, basketball court, tennis court, lots of picnic tables and a Carousel. Very clean and maintained park.

Been going there since I was a kid famous rocket slide

Love this place!! Spent so much time at this place when I was a kid.

Nice part but the water features are closed no drinking fountain and the water feature for the kids are closed

Love taking grandkids here

Great park for a picnic or take the kids there for the giant rocket slide or gorgeous carousel.

Pleasant place to relax and have picnic while the kids enjoy, swings, slides and splash pad. The carousel was cheap and fun. The animal owners need to clean up after their pets and the rest rooms need attention.

Quiet for the most part...

Its a Beautiful place.

I take my little sister and my puppy there almost every day (along as it nice out) and they love it some much especially the rocket slide

Perfect time of year for a long walk. Be sure to stop & smell the roses.

Acres of open land for bbqs, picnics, the splash pad, carousel, tennis, playgrounds, etc. A great place for all ages

We love Union Park! We take the dogs there almost every day to walk and get exercise. I really appreciate that they have dog bags provided (we always take some, but in case we run out while there!). I wish more patrons would pick up their dogs waste, and sometimes the park grass gets a little longer than I like, but overall its a great park with lots of green space.

There were a lot of trees down but we just went to sit and have lunch with the dog

Great places to take your kids

3 different sizes of play parks, and a carousel that only costs $.50 a ride?!!! And public bathrooms. This place was amazing. My kids had a blast here. We were here for 2 hours and didnt want to leave!

I think Ive said this before, but growing up in the neighborhood, I really think this is the best park in the city. Call me biased, but thats the truth Im sticking to. Theres plenty for kids to do, shelters for family and friend events, a beautiful garden, the heritage carousel, and plenty of great sledding hills, so even in winter its a good time.

Lots of memories growing up, playing together at rocketslide park and still have alot of friends nearby, reminds me off home.

A great park. Huge. There is a splash pad that is nice. You cant miss the rocket slide, as tall as it is. And check out the old timey carousel- its fun for everybody.

Quiet, peaceful usually. Great park.

Great place to take kids to play

Truly a gem in the DSM Park system!

This place is one of the moins greatest attractions. It is a very nice park with lots of things for kids to do. Lots of space to play, and great memories.

Lots of play areas, rest rooms, picnic tables, and of course, the Carousel. Great jungle gyms for all ages.

Nice park. Plenty of shade. Good picnic areas. Kids love the Carousel

Quite, relax and carousel $ .50 kids loved it.

Cant get the kids to go home...rocket slide is fun. Bbqs.wading pool

Fun place

We took 3 of our little grandkids and they played for about an hour and had a blast.

Nice chill spot

Great park. all the kids get along well and is a beautiful park

Well kept picnic areas and playground. The water area is excellent and the kids love it. Its a great old park with huge old shade trees. Offers several shelter houses and locations for public restrooms. Adequate parking available along the roadside or several lots. The Heritage Carousel is a major attraction and so much fun for the kids. Also, very reasonably priced. Beautiful views of the marina and river. It has it all!

One of the nicest parks in town. Splasy pad and beautiful Merry go round.

Great park that lends itself to large community events. Attended the Parks & Rec. Family Fall Fest yesterday; it was a great time for families to meet local police officers, take pictures with a fire engine, and trick or treat on the way to each attraction like the play ground, slide, and carousel! During the summer, there is a wading pool!

Very family friendly... Great neighborhood location... Well maintained... Flora, trees, playground and equipment and of course the Heritage Carousel...

Splash pad blocked off & carousel still not running

Fun for the kids... Has rocket slide, wading pool, two shelters to rent, a carousel, one shelter you dont have to rent with a smaller slide park by The waiting pool. Three different entrances and right by birdland Marina

Nice park

Great place to have fun and quiet time.

Good shade for walking

Clean, very well kept park. Beautiful flowers

Love the idea of the rocket slide but needs to be updated.

The carousel is a treasure, just to see. The splash pool is super for kids to play in and keep cool and lots of shade to sit and watch.

Nostalgic. Nice place to cook some grillins and enjoy.time.with family.

Much thanks to Des Moines Parks for providing this park. The wading pool is free and so much fun for the littles. We feel lucky to have the opportunity to ride the Heritage Carousel.The park gets busy on the weekends.

Love this park i would go there every day id i could

GREAT wading pool and great, multi-age playground structures! The olde tyme carousel is AMAZING and only $.50 per ride per child! There are parts that are reminiscent of Grant Park in ATL and i LOVE that.The Rocket Slide is an interesting artifact of time past when they used METAL for building play structures! Its pretty great and only a LITTLE panic-inducing.Dont sleep on Captain Roys at Birdland Marina nearby for some afternoon food and refreshment! That place is amazing!

My granddaughter enjoyed the wading pool and splash pad and there wad shade for me.

Great park. The grandkids love the rocket slide.

Fun, but it need more kid friendly stuff

Sons favorite park. Rocket slide

Family fun, heritage carousel, rocket slide, plenty of bbqs, shelters, and open space. Memories built for a lifetime.

Me and my husband justin t brown got married her it was small and simple. It was awsome.

I love this park been going there since I was a kid

Nice throwback to my childhood. Looks nice in there.

Lovely park favorite place to take family photos

My kids LOVE this park. Its a park for all ages! With 3 playgrounds, a splashpad, and carousel everyone has something to do. There is even a geocache somewhere on the property.

Unforunately, the rocket slide was out of commission and so was one of the restrooms as of 4/20. However, the park is usually pretty well maintained and has a decent amount of play equipment. Additionally, the carousel was still closed.

The classic park with the childhood; rocket slide with all the thigh burns but so worth it!

I like it its nice do the kids

Absolutley horrible experience. We took our 3 year old and 5 month old to the splash area. A City of Des Moines Employee, named Sherlie, aggressively splashed a 2 year old boy in the face with water and screamed at him. When we stated she owed the childs parents an apology, she cussed and yelled at us, and a friend of hers charged my girlfriend with the intention to attack her, while my 5 month old was in her hands. Police were called, and a City Supervisor was contacted. We will never be returning. Great choice of staff, City Of Des Moines.

Big trees

Have always loved this park since I was a little girl. Rocket slide wading pool

As an outdoor person theres a lot of great sites and fun.

So pretty and interesting. Lots of stuff for kids to do

They serve lunch as they have a wading pool the kids seem to like it they have a beautiful carousel

Great grandchildren love it here!

I have always enjoyed going and have a fun day at the park.

Went to my cousins Birthday party in the shelter

Water park was good they pussified the rocket slide though.

My 9 year old had a blast !

What happened to the rocket slide:( People need to remember to keep their trash picked up and that its a park for kids not where u go half dressed, playing ur music too loud, acting like a fool infront of strangers. Its supposed to be a place to relax, play, and have a good time (family oriented) take ur immature adult parties to ur own back yard!

Wonderful vintage merry go round and splash pad. And one of the few remaining fully fledged Rocket slides anywhere. Nice shady picnic spots with tables and grills. Take the kids for a unique and memorable experience.

Awesome place for the kids!! Carousel, water pad,and large and small play areas!!

I grew up down the street from Union Park. I loved it then. And I recently had the opportunity to revisit the park. I really just wanted my kids to see the Rocket Slide. But the park now has so much more than when it was my old stomping ground. Additional playgrounds, a really nice splash bad, and even a beautiful carousel that only costs 50¢ to ride---actually, I went on Fathers Day, so it was free for me!

Been a cool park as long as I can remember

A good mix of people visit here

This is a really fun park! It has Heritage carousel . And a splash pad. And theres a really cool Rocket Slide on the playground.

Lots to do the old slice is fun.

Thanks you Union park

Great place for children to play nice park

They have really updated this part to have open grassy areas 4 a picnic or Gathering Place as well as a zero-depth waiting pool for the little ones. They also have kept some nostalgic things around like the spaceship playground. Out of all of the play equipment there most of the kids stuck to the spaceship they love climbing all the way to the top of it and going down the big slide. There were a lot of parents there that were a whole lot braver than I was because they wouldnt down with their little ones and you would not catch me on that slide for anyting. We stayed for about an hour and a half and the 2 1/2 year old stayed entertained the entire time but was also ready to go home when it was time. We had a blast and will definitely be going back

Rocketship park always a good time

Awesome place to spend an afternoon with the kids.

Grandkids love Union Parks Rocket Slide, Carousel, swimming & the italian frozen ice cream & all the flavors! I & the grandchildren were loving the music (Caribbean type music) being played by the ones renting the shelter house by the carousel BUT an annoyed neighbor called the police to have them turn it down which bummed me & my one year old grandson out!! He was dancing to it! :) It was perfect music for the day, raised my spirits, then they had to turn it down so we could no longer hear it. :( Love the park & the workers!

Beautiful park. Lots of families. South loop good for playing with your dogs. A few shady characters. Thats everywhere...

My grandfather help redo this park when I was a kid. I still remember the slide before that and having it stop yourself from going over rne edge everytime you went down it.