Mushroom Park is a lovely 1.5 acre neighborhood park between Waltham Drive and Saxon Street off of Scio Church Road in the southwest corner of the city. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. The park features a path through grassy green berms and trees including the city's second largest White Oak. The playground is nestled among the berms, and among them are a few small painted concrete mushrooms, the namesake of the park. The park also contains benches and picnic tables.
Access and Parking
There are entrances on Waltham Drive and Saxon Street on the east and west sides of the park and there is street parking along both streets. Both entrances connect to neighborhood sidewalks and are connected by a paved path through the park.
The park is accessible by foot and bicycle using the neighborhood streets around the park. Nearby Scio Church Road has a sidewalk but no bike lakes.
Public Transportation
The nearest bus stop is only 300 feet from the park. Visit The Ride for schedule and route details or check out the parks ride guide.
Using a phone? - Click for a GPS Tracker and Wayfinding Map
Amenities
- Picnic tables and benches
- Playground with structure and swings, including tot bucket swing and accessible swing
- Paved path with winter maintenance
- Concrete mushrooms
Volunteer
There are many opportunities for volunteering and getting engaged with the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Unit. GIVE 365 and the seasonal Adopt-a-Park Program offer volunteer opportunities with many levels of commitment.
Report a Problem - A2 Fix It
To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through A2Fix It. Keep in mind that parks are large spaces and A2 Fix It requests can be hard to find without detailed information. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. Users can also utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Please consider including a wide angle photo, which helps staff find and fix the problem.
Gifts and Donations
Information on donating to the parks and the Guide to Giving can be found here. If you have a park improvement idea, a great place to start is through Adopt-a-Park and the proposing a special park project guide. For information on donating a tree through Adopt-a-Park, the tree donation guide can help you get started.
History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.
The land for the park was acquired in 1961 from the developer of the surrounding subdivision. The park used to be known as Vernon Downs Playlot, after the name of the subdivision. In 1975, Girl Scout Troop #190 petitioned the city to rename the park to Mushroom Park. They were inspired by the concrete climbing structures in the park that were shaped like mushrooms, which were built in 1962. They argued that "Vernon Downs" was not a commonly used name and that children had already been calling it Mushroom Park. George Owers, the park system superintendent, recommended to Ann Arbor City Council that the name be changed. Council voted unanimously to approve changing the name to Mushroom Park. The mushrooms still stand in the park to this day, having been colorfully painted by neighborhood residents.
Email [email protected]a2gov.org for incorrect/outdated information.
