Bessie Branham Park

Fantastic park hidden behind the popular Kirkwood shops and restaurants! This park is perfect for all! Children are nuts about the HUGE playground! It is great for all ages! All sorts of playground equipment. Pretty much anything you can think of, they have provided! See-saws, tire swing, monkey bars, slides, rock climbing walls, swings, bridges, and many more things that I don't know the names of. There's benches and stone walls to perch on! Plenty of off street parking and walkable from Kirkwood Village. There's also a huge open field! Baseball field! "Urban Tree House". I recommend taking the kiddos to lunch or breakfast over at Le Petit Marche and then hitting the park around the corner afterwards. Or if you are a doggy parent, grabbing a cup of Joe at Taproom and meander around the open field :)

This is a great neighborhood park! The playground equipment is fairly new and the ground is largely covered with the rubbery covering that helps the kids keep safe and (bonus) clean! Bessie Branham has a picnic area that can be reserved for parties and a softball/kickball field. My only complaint is that the adjacent community center is not usually open for using the bathroom.

Park is well maintained and in walking distance of library, shops, and restaurants....

Great place to attend community festivals/events. Plenty of open space to soak up the sun and drink beers while listening to great local music. Recommend the Kirkwood Spring Fling each May.

I didn't fully appreciate it till I became a father, but Bessie is a fine park. A nice playground, event deck and a field to run around in. My son loves scaling the hill as well. It really feels like the heart of the Kirkwood neighborhood and is conveniently close to coffee and juice options in Downtown Kirkwood.