Parks of the Space Coast: Pineview Park
This little park is tricky to find!
Just off of Highway 3 / Courtney Parkway in Merritt Island is where you will find this generously sized neighborhood park. Here it is labeled in bright green on a Google satellite map.
Here is a screenshot of a Google map where I have highlighted the path to the park in green.
The gazebo contains some graffiti.
While at the park and Osprey kept a close eye on us, then spread its wings and flew off gracefully to a high branch of a tall pine tree.
Signage for this park is minimal. It is nestled in a neighborhood behind a local grocery store called "Thrifty Produce and Meat". The neighborhood is walkable, with well-maintained sidewalks throughout. If you are driving from Highway 3, turn West onto Barony Drive, then right (North) onto Australian Street. It turns into Melbourne Avenue. Partway down Melbourne Avenue you will find Buttonwood Drive. It looks like a driveway to the right (North) and a residential street to the left. Turn North, and the driveway will take you to the parking lot for this neighborhood park. Here's a little satellite map with the park circled in magenta.
This small park has a parking lot that can accommodate approximately 10 vehicles, including labeled handicap parking.
Mature Pine Trees
The first thing one of my children noticed about this park is that there's a lot of pinecones here. We had fun collecting them for art projects.
Hopscotch
The first thing another child noticed was the hopscotch! Paint is showing some wear, but this hopscotch was delightful.
Basketball Court
There is an open-air basketball court with painted keys and well-kept nets. There is no paved path to the basketball court.
Playground
The surface of this playground is mulch. The playground has 3 slides. The slides are a dark shade of royal blue, which makes them warm on cool days and hot to the touch on warm days.
This playground has a simplified climbing wall, a staircase, and some fun steps to to get to the platforms with the slides.
The bottom of the playground was designed for younger kids and those who might not want to climb. Underneath the raised platforms for the slides, kids can enjoy a shaded play space with a shop window and other features like this "treasure tumble" tube filled with noisy beads that you can spin, and a board with simple shapes to touch, feel, and name.
On the bottom side of the slides there were shapes to feel, like birds and dinosaur bones.
When we climbed up the stairs, we saw drums to pound! Then we traveled through a big green tunnel to another platform for the playground. Here is an image of the drums from one side of the green plastic tunnel.
Swings
There are 2 baby swings and 4 full size swings. The ground under the swings is a mix of mulch and sand. The swings were higher than we are used to, and we found it a challenge for anyone under the age of 9 to climb onto the swings unassisted. Still, they were a lot of fun!
Covered Picnic Tables
The gazebo has 4 picnic tables with attached benches. The benches are painted blue. These tables provide a shaded place to comfortably sit with a little cool protection from the sun.
There is no easily accessible seating in the gazebo for wheelchair users.
Forested Path
There is a path through the frosted area of the park. It is not advisable for children to venture down this path alone. There is a small retaining pond in this forested area.
Open Field to Forest
A large portion of this park is a large undeveloped open field that slowly transitions to a pine forest. While we were visiting we saw three cyclists and several pedestrians with leashed dogs pass through the open field. We looked at the map and saw that there are several streets that border this park, which makes the park accessible from more than just the driveway we encountered on the South side of the park.
No Facilities
We found no public restrooms or water fountains at this park. We did not find charcoal grills. The covered seating area seemed to habe no power.
Overall Impressions
We had a wonderful time playing at this park. The neighbors were friendly and welcoming. We felt like it was an underutilized gem in this neighborhood. We have spent time in this area but never before found this park. It was delightful to finally see it in person. We realized it was much larger than we expected. With so much land and its central location, it would be a highly desirable location for an outdoor concert or other events, but it lacks power and water. It seems to be designed as a small park just for the immediate community to enjoy.
Other Parks of the Space Coast
We hope you enjoy our review of this local park. I hope this inspires you to explore your local parks. In case you are planning a trip to the Space Coast, here are links to our reviews of other Space Coast Parks.
Kiwanis Island Park:
West Melbourne Community Park: http://steamma.blogspot.com/2021/04/parks-of-floridas-space-coast-west.html Osteen Park: http://steamma.blogspot.com/2021/06/parks-of-space-coast-osteen-park.html
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