Phase III Improvements Underway in Cullinan Park
Improvements continue at Cullinan Park, with a recent donation to the City of Sugar Land that launches the third round — LEAP: Learn, Explore & Play.
In December, the Cullinan Park Conservancy presented the City of Sugar Land with a $390,000 check to fund LEAP zones that will spark the imagination and cultivate respect for nature:
- The Wandering Creek/Wetland is a meandering creek/wetland that provides a natural element that permits play through a dry and wet creek bed.
- The Exploration Village celebrates imaginative play by exploring the textures and consistencies of water, rocks, sand, mud, plants, and other natural materials.
- The Lawn provides flexible gathering areas with sun and shade for unstructured play, events, and parties. It is an area for running, wandering, relaxing, and connecting with others in an outdoor environment. The Lawn Pavilion is an open-air, covered gathering space for picnics, parties, and respite.
- The Bird’s Nest is all about exploring the world through the eyes of birds. At some point, every child thinks of perching high in a tree, observing the surroundings from above and gathering materials to build a cozy nest.
- The Tree Fort consists of a multi-level treehouse and an exploration bridge. It is all about imagination, climbing, and movement. Here a child can climb to the top to experience nature at different levels, giving them a new perspective through elevation.
- The Mounds are about balancing, stepping, climbing, crawling, discovering, and exploring. As the land bubbles up, kids can run around, over, under, and even through it.
This sustainable, nature play area will be open to all age groups and abilities, promoting healthy physical and mental well-being. It will also serve as an outdoor classroom, inspiring children to learn about the park’s ecosystem. The project is currently in construction design, and fundraising continues to bring the project to fruition.
Phase I improvements kicked off in 2017 and included a restroom, a new trail and trailheads, lake overlook, signage, and more. It was completed in 2019 and quickly followed by Phase II enhancements that included additional parking, trails, and signage. The conservancy, city, and others celebrated a ribbon cutting in March 2024.
The improvements have brought considerably more people into Cullinan Park, with visits more than doubling from 2017 to 2023. More than 46,000 people enjoyed the park in 2023. It is expected that park attendance could increase 10 percent on weekdays and 20 percent on weekends once the LEAP enhancements are complete.