Back in the spring, a friend recommended a playground in her neighborhood that we'd never visited. So when my husband was working late in June and my kids needed to run around somewhere that wasn't in my house, the kids and I made our first trip.
Although I was familiar with the road, the entrance came up abruptly. There's a brown sign labeling the entrance to the park and since there's not a parking lot, it's necessary to park on the street. Upon getting out of the car, I reminded my kids several times to stay on the sidewalk and told them more firmly not to climb on the metal car barrier. Beyond that, there's a path that goes back into the park area which passes tennis courts and rocks before arriving at the playground. It seemed a lot further than it actually was because the park itself is surrounded by trees and my older three didn't want to wait for me and the stroller.
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| 09.02.16 - arriving to the park on our second visit |
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| 09.02.16 - walking up from the entrance of the park |
We were the only ones there. After initially investigating the play equipment which is nature-themed with tree logs and branches, my kids spent very little time on the play equipment. Instead, the older three spent their time climbing on the large rocks and pretending to be pirates on an adventure.
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| 09.02.16 - the playground |
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| 06.27.16 - one group of rocks |
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| 06.27.16 - other rocks |
My 1-year-old loved the swings as usual, but she also briefly explored the smaller piece of play equipment and slid down the side a few times. However, she really wanted to play on the larger equipment. I was nervous about her being up there at first because there were so many places to fall off. She had a blast, even with getting mulch in her sandals.
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| 09.02.16 - the smaller kids area |
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| 06.27.16 - for some reason kids just want to climb up slides |
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| 06.27.16 - the 1-year-old adventuring |
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| 09.02.16 - she's so high! I held her hand... |
Amenities
Bathroom: None.
Seating: There are two hexagonal benches near the rocks (the 1-year-old and I enjoyed these seats). There's also a bench and a kids picnic table near the playground.
Shade: There's a lot of shade around the rocks, but I'm not sure how the trees surrounding the playground work in the morning or daytime. We were there on an evening which threatened thunderstorms that never came.
Sports: Tennis courts and a large open field.
Water Fountain: None.
Other: My 1-year-old found numerous cigarette butts and some other trash throughout the grass and mulch. When we arrived and throughout the time we were there, there was a group of five to eight people sitting somewhat under the trees near the field. I'm not sure what they were doing. They were far enough away that my kids didn't even notice them there and so we stayed, but it seemed a little sketchy.
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| 09.02.16 - kids on the larger structure |
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| 09.02.16 - playing with sticks, which were in abundance |
Return Potential
We actually made our second trip last week, for the same reason as the first visit. The photos are actually a mix from both visits. Originally, I thought I wouldn't go back unless someone else wanted to go, but I was left with a better impression the second time. The kids really enjoyed the play structures this week and actually used them more than the rocks. The 5-year-old found glass near one set of rocks and the 1-year-old still found a few pieces of trash on the ground, but there were people playing tennis instead of hanging out randomly in the forest. I'd take them back.
