The Experience: Longview Park is a quiet park in a generally middle-class neighborhood, a little off the beaten path. The park is apparently enjoyed by families during the day and a wilder crowd at night, based on some suggestive trash and graffiti we found there. The park sports an interesting playscape, with a Magic 8 ball-type spinning question wheel, spinning maze, and toy telescope. There were no benches located right by the playscape, but the playscape was mostly shaded, which was nice. There were also two regular swings available. There was a picnic table a short distance nearby. Up on top of the hill, a picnic table sat alone with a covered pavilion over it, which made a nice picnic spot. Behind the pavilion is a basketball court, and what appeared to be a hike and bike trail ran beside it. We only went down the trail a short ways, but on www.austinexplorer.com there is information that the trail leads to a series of packed dirt trails through Stephenson Preserve, a former ranch turned nature preserve. The trail in the park itself was wide and paved, good for young cyclists. We saw a lot of butterflies, so there may be a type of plant that attracts them there.