Charlotte’s Blueberry Park at 7402 ‘D’ Street is a 20 acre public park with well over 3,000 blueberry bushes. I’ve never seen so many. There are five variety of bushes and all of them were full of unripened berries. I am sure to be back come July when hopefully they are ripe. The public is welcome to pick the berries, which have no pesticides on them.

The property has been farmed since 1952 and was purchased in 1968 by the Tacoma School District in 1968 for a new high school. The neighborhood opposed the proposed high school and in 1994 traded 23 acres of the property to Metro Parks in exchange for the acreage that became Manitou Elementary School. Over the past few years Metro Parks with the help of volunteers has planted thousands of bushes, installed a paved trail, picnic tables and signage.

The park was named for long-time Blueberry Park advocate and founder of Friends of Blueberry Park, Charlotte Valbert.

The website for the park is here http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/charlottes-blueberry-park/