Philadelphia Playground Project (no review)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
14
Feb
14
81. Clayborn Lewis Rec Center
This small playground is right around the corner from the Philadelphia Zoo, but I’m not going to lie to you. For the first time, I felt a little uneasy visiting this playground. We were there on a Sunday morning around 11am and it was packed… with young men drinking beer and smoking up. Zora didn’t seem to mind, though, and she loved the dragon statute and the bird rocker. The playground structure itself has a neat and unusual blue climbing wall similar to what exists over at Malcolm X Park (one of our favorites.) The rec center itself is dominated by a basketball court which is really the focus of the energy in the park.
Feb
14
80. Durham Park / Clara Muhammad Square
This playground is located in the triangle formed by Lancaster Avenue, Wyalusing Avenue, and North 48th Street. The grassy park is known as both Durham Park and Clara Muhammad Square. But whatever you call it, it’s a serene park with beautiful trees, a gazebo, plenty of park benches, and a clean well-maintained park. My favorite part? The old school merry-go-round like many of us had on the playgrounds of our youth.
Philadelphia Playground Project (not reviewed)
Visited: September 2012
Feb
11
79. Von Colln Playground
This playground is pretty awesome. In addition to the usual playground equipment, it’s right next to batting cages. And on the other side, it seems like there’s always a couple real baseball games going on. Plus, the beautiful trees provide some needed shade. And if you visit at the right time, there’s even a kiosk selling snacks and drinks.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (9/5/09)
Visited: June 2012
Feb
11
78. West Mill Creek Playground
This is a great little playground just east of 52nd Street, nestled among several streets of two-story rowhouses. There aren’t any significant shade trees, but it’s otherwise got everything you might need. Plus, there are 10 swings. No waiting!
Philadelphia Playground Project review (2/13/12)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
77. 52nd Street & Wyalusing Playground
As you’re heading north on 52nd Street, you might not see this small playground on your left. There’s a fruit seller selling remarkably cheap fruit on the corner. Right behind him, through a break in the fence, you can take a time machine back 30 years where all the equipment was made of–gasp!–steel. It’s small, but it’s fun. And it reminded me a lot of my elementary school playground.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (not yet reviewed)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
76. Conestoga Rec Center
This little neighborhood playground has both modern play equipment and a section for retro equipment. (Sadly, the retro equipment looks like it hasn’t gotten much love recently: the slide is dirty, the swing is not in good shape.) I’m a big fan of the rainbow climbers. Zora’s not brave (crazy?) enough to climb to the top, yet, but she keeps going higher and higher and, I suspect, will very soon go over it. This is another one of those playgrounds where the real draw seems to be the basketball courts.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (6/12/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
75. Heston Elementary School Playground
This is a great playground attached to an elementary school with a wide open blacktop play area, a cool playground that says it was built by the Eagles, a map of the United States painted on the blacktop, a couple foursquare games, a separate small tot area, and some great murals.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (6/12/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
74. Donald Finnegan Playground
This playground offers a beautiful view of the Philly skyline and, as an added bonus, a much less glamorous view of the back of the rowhouses on South 29th Street. The rubberized surface of the play area is worn in places, and it’s clear that this playground is just an add-on to the real attraction: the basketball courts. But there are a couple rare features of the playground, include a cool blue mesh tunnel.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (5/15/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
73. Smith Rec Center Playground
I love the old-school see saw here. Plus, there are great shade trees and a generally relaxed vibe. The basketball courts–with viewing bleachers–seem to be the main draw, but there’s also a sprayground next door and plenty of grass to run around on. The afternoon, we visited, there was a large party going on with more hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill than I’ve ever seen. And I come from a long line of hot dog and hamburger eaters (even if I’m now vegetarian….)
Philadelphia Playground Project review (5/7/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
72. Smith Rec Center Sprayground
It was a hot afternoon when we turned the corner and found this great sprayground. Zora and I quickly ran under the squirting cacti and the dripping palm trees, then dashed under the rainbows. It’s a pretty standard sprayground–the equipment is essentially the same as any other sprayground we’ve been to–but on the particular HOT afternoon we visited, it was an oasis of cool awesomeness.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (5/7/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
71. Vare Rec Center Playground
This is a peaceful playground under several shade trees in Grays Ferry. The afternoon we went, there was a lively soccer game going on and a couple guys shooting hoops. The purple arched see saw is the same as the one at Cedar Park playground, our hometown stomping ground, and it’s the only other one of these we’ve seen.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (5/21/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
70. Cobbs Creek Rec Center Playground
This is a great neighborhood spot, always well used and located right between an ice skating rink and a swimming pool. On the warm Saturday afternoon we visited, the two picnic areas were mobbed with family gatherings. And the swimming pool–open for public swim weekdays from 1-4 and weekends from 12-5–was inviting.
Philadelphia Playground Project (not yet reviewed)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
69. Stinger Rec Center Playground
This was the first playground we visited outside of our West Philly stomping grounds. Zora was pretty excited by the horse and frog rockers. There’s lots of open green area for running around. And the Gaupp Meats sign in the distance is pretty cool, too. The day we visited, there was a spirited card game going on at the table at the picnic table next to the building. But the nearby swimming pool was closed.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (5/15/11)
Visited: August 2012
Feb
11
68. Eastern State Penitentiary Playground
This is a great neighborhood park, located in the shadow of Eastern State Penitentiary. It has a gigantic spider web rope climber, plus a sit down booth under the play ground. It also has a water fountain and a tent that includes a water mister. The afternoon that Zora and I stopped by, the neighborhood association was holding a small festival on the grassy area to the east of the playground. It reminded me of my local Cedar Park playground. Worth the stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.
Philadelphia Playground Project Review (12/10/2009)
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Visited: September 2012
Feb
11
67. Lemon Hill Playground
I can’t say enough good things about Lemon Hill. It’s a great place to get a view of the Philly skyline. It’s a great place to watch the annual bike race come whipping down the hill. It’s a great place to play pick-up football on a Sunday morning. It’s a great place for a picnic. And it’s got a great playground. The playground has that weird rubbery brown pseudo mulch and the usual equipment. There are three rare playground things here: (1) a small puppet show stage (but no puppets?); (2) a stair & railing climber; and (3) black mushroom-like steppers that will test your balance.
Philadelphia Playground Project (not reviewed)
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Visited: September 2012
Feb
11
66. Kendrick Rec Center
We visited this playground on a cloudy Sunday afternoon while a very competitive softball game was going on in the field next to the playground. 12 and 13-year-old girls hovered on the swings talking about their moms. Zora was a big fan of the swings. She’s just transitioning from the infant swings to the regular kid swings and is starting to learn how to kick her feet out. She was a bit bored by the rest of the playground equipment, though. It’s nice, but, you know, she’s seen it before. Don’t let her assessment stop you from going to check it out, though.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (10/16/11)
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Visited: September 2012
Feb
11
65. Pretzel Park
There are some bizarro playground equipment in this small oval neighborhood playground on the hill above Manayunk’s Main Street. There were lots of families in the park when we were there, but Zora seemed a little bewildered by the space-age equipment. She wasn’t quite sure how to climb them and when to swing on them. Once I taught her, she still wasn’t convinced that this would be fun. I guess she knows what she likes and is in a bit of a rut. But you should go check this one out for yourself.
Philadelphia Playground Project review (5/1/11)
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Visited: September 2012
Feb
11
64. James Finnegan Playground at Paschall Playground
The only thing this playground really seems to need? More trees. And maybe more food places nearby. Zora and I had a great time playing on the equipment–mostly the swings. There’s nothing particularly unusual about this spot, but the equipment is in good condition and we had fun running around. And the mural on the side of the rec center looks great. When we got hungry, we couldn’t find anything good to eat. But maybe that’s just because we didn’t know the neighborhood well.
Philadelphia Playground Project (not yet reviewed)
Visited: November 2012
Feb
11
63. Myers Rec Center Playground
Myers Rec Center takes up a whole city block in Southwest Philadelphia. It’s hard to think of something that Myers doesn’t have. (Polo fields, maybe?) I particularly appreciated the ledges surrounding the playground. They’re good to sit on to watch Zora play on the equipment. But Zora’s really loving swings these days and, unfortunately, you can’t push a swing while sitting on a ledge.
Philadelphia Playground Project (reviewed 5/1/2012)
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Visited: November 2012