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Mandell Park

by Jill Jarvis Leave a Comment

Address:  Richmond and Mandell
Cost:  Free
Appropriate Age:  Any age

Our Review:  Mandell Park is at the corner of Richmond and Mandell in the Montrose/Museum District. In the 1980’s, the city of Houston bought the land (which was part commercial and part residential) to build a public library. The city later decided on another location for the library and the land became an abandoned lot.

James Garden
The residents of Castle Court Neighborhood Association took the initiative to clean up the eyesore and eventually started an organic garden. In 2004, the property was transferred from the Library Department to the Parks and Recreation Department. Due to the City’s budget constraints a citizen’s group was needed to continue the improvement and maintenance of the property so the Friends of Mandell Park was formed.

JoeLeaf
The Friends of Mandell Park rescued the land, and made great improvements, but have much more planned. The master plan can be found HERE. This is not to be a playground park, but a urban oasis. A place to garden, relax or catch a small show. And it’s not just for grown ups.

Swing
Friends of Mandell Park have hosts kid’s ceramic making classes and other events, but our favorite thing to do is picnic at the park. On weekend afternoons we grab some lunch and head to the park. The kids walk through the garden paths, eat at the picnic table and relax on the swing. We then search for our favorite leaves and flowers. Brooke takes some pictures while Joe draws pictures.

Some day, when the kids are older, we want to volunteer in the garden and help produce organic food for local food banks. Currently, there are group gardening days on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For details, go HERE.

Go check out Mandell Park for yourself. Enjoy the gardens, take a picnic, volunteer your time, donate some money or simply be inspired to rescue an eyesore in your neighborhood.

Filed Under: All, Parks, Things to do December 18, 2012

About Jill Jarvis

Jill Jarvis is the owner of JillBJarvis.com, a BigKidSmallCity.com and Things to Do in Houston, with Kids, blog!

She is the mom of 4 and started the website years ago... when she was tired of constantly cleaning up the same mess in the family room.

Another mom showed her that you could just go do fun things in Houston, without hours of planning.

This inspired the blog and changed everything about how she enjoyed life in Houston, with kids!

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jill-jarvis-bigkidsmallcity-circle-300 Welcome!  JillBJarvis.com is the go-to blog for things to do in Houston with kids!  It is upbeat and dedicated to making our big city feel small.   START HERE!    

On this website you will find a full list of Houston weekly events, things to do around the city, travel ideas and resources for parents.

I know just what it’s like to be overwhelmed by work, life and family. I spent a lot of years traveling for work, missing big milestones for my kids and feeling bad about everything.

I started this website to make a list of all the events happening around Houston and then pick one to enjoy with my kids. And instead of thinking of all the things I was missing, I started to enjoy the things we were doing together.

If you are a parent that is feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could be doing in Houston… please just use our weekly lists and daily posts as suggestions. Pick one thing to do with your family and intentionally ignore the rest!

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