Where do you go when the sun is blazing hot and your neighborhood park’s play structure feels like a fireball? Take cover! The following parks with shaded playgrounds are our perfect picks for outdoor fun when the sun is at its peak. Flip through the gallery for the scoop.
What’s your favorite shaded park? Let us know in the comments below!
— Suzie Ridgway
They’re wild, endangered, loud, feisty, adorable, and walk on two feet. Nope, this time we’re not talking about kids! Tucked secretly away in a rural area of Santa Clarita, The Gibbon Conservation Center raises and protects five breeds of the rarest (and cutest) apes in the Western Hemisphere. And you and your own little monkeys are welcome to visit.
This little haven for lesser apes invites the public in every weekend, where you can take a self guided tour (wander on your own) or take a tour with the caretakers. We’d highly recommend this option, as the caretakers are incredibly knowledgeable, not only about the species but of the personal stories of the apes growing up there. Their names, their families, their histories, and even the games they like to play. Your kids will be fascinated to see how much like us these magnificent animals are. You will too – did you know that gibbons are the only species that, like humans (the pre-kid ones), have sex for pleasure as well as procreation?
Toward the end of the tour, the caretaker will start the apes singing, and you won’t want to miss their incredible concert! Why do they sing, you ask? It’s how they mark their territories. Grown males and females sing a duet, and their babies often join in on the family band. Their voices sound like cat-calling or the hooting and hollering heard while tailgating a UCLA vs USC football game. You will feel like you’re standing in the middle of a jungle.
Since the conservatory is focused on ape education, the center is ideal for kids 5 and up, though younger kids are also welcome. Kids of all ages love to see the babies getting fed their veggies from mommies and daddies, watch the apes fly like acrobats between trees, and hear their boisterous songs.
It’s not a large facility, so you can spend some time observing and getting to know each of the Gibbon breeds and families who all have their own personalities. You can expect to spend one to two hours here if you bring a packed lunch.
What to Know Before You Go
The Gibbon Conservation Center is open to the public every Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to noon, with a guided tour at 10 a.m. both days. The conservatory is closed on rainy days and major holidays. Admission is $5 for kids 6-12, $15 for adults and free for kids under 6.
Avoid the hottest summer days. It can get 10 – 20 degrees hotter out in Santa Clarita country than other parts of town. If you do go when it’s hot, bring a canopy for the stroller, wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring lots of water. You don’t want to have to bail out before the best part of the tour because you or your kids are feeling faint.
As you can see from the pictures above, there’s lots of dirt, so leave your Jimmy Choo’s at home. You’ll also need to dip the bottom of your shoes upon entrance to avoid bringing outside germs into the center.
Water bottles are available for purchase, there are portable bathrooms, a small area of shaded picnic tables and gorgeous vintage benches to rest on.
Gibbon Conservation Center
9100 Esguerra Road
Santa Clarita, Ca 91390
Phone: 661-296-2737
Online: gibboncenter.org
-Shannon Guyton
Photo credits: Shannon Guyton, Gibbon Conservation Center
What’s your favorite wildlife or conservation center in town? We’d love to learn! Let us know in the comment section.
City life has it’s benefits, but sometimes you just want to escape and enjoy some fresh air without the crowds. We scoured the city and surrounding areas to round up some hidden treasures that might not be on your regular rotation. Read on for five playgrounds that offer a peaceful place to play amongst Atlanta’s urban jungle.
Haw Creek Park
This playground is the perfect place to play in the woods. The shaded structures (built in 2012) resemble forrest elements, and the giant logs and life-size bears ignite imaginations. If your little cubs are still hungry for more adventure, the 85 acres and three miles of hiking trails offer plenty of other opportunities to explore.
Haw Creek Park, 2205 Echols Rd., Cumming
Tanyard Creek Park
This peaceful park offers a history lesson as well. The park entrance to this Civil War landmark looks like a collection of historical markers; however, there is much more than meets the eye here. A paved Beltway trail winds through the woods while you enjoy scenery of the winding creek, sprawling green spaces, bridges and trees before reaching an inviting playground nestled in the middle of the park. The playground itself comes complete with two different areas for younger and older tots, a huge spider web climbing structure, as well as slides, monkey bars, swings and a rock wall. Make note that there are no restrooms so go before you go or be prepared to pop a squat!
Tanyard Creek Park, Collier Rd at Walthall Dr.
Mason Mill Park
This pleasant park hits offers the perfect playground trifecta of clean bathrooms, ample parking, and awesome equipment. It is split into two separate areas—one for smaller kids and one for older children. The larger playground has a three-story tall climber and a pirate ship-themed area. The big tube slides can be a bit fast for smaller children so keep a watchful eye. The nearby nature trails offer plenty of opportunities for exploration as well.
Mason Mill Park, 1340 McConnell Dr., Decatur
Brownwood Park
Just a few blocks south of EAV, this urban oasis offers plenty of parking spaces and feels safe not sketchy. You won’t know you are only a block off Moreland Avenue as you enjoy the clean playground and cute, community garden.
Brownwood Park, Emerson Ave at Brownwood Ave. SE
Jones Bridge Park
Perhaps the only thing parents love more than a quiet playground with clean bathrooms and plenty of parking, is a shaded, quiet playground with clean bathrooms and plenty of parking! Tots will love the “elevator” on the big kid playset and don’t forget to bring bread to walk down to the river and feed the ducks. There is a pavilion for picnics if you wish to stay and enjoy a bite alonng the banks of the ‘Hooch.
Jones Bridge Park, 4901 E Jones Bridge Rd., Norcross
Did we miss a spot? Share your secret spot to play with us in the comments section below! Or if you are looking for more places to play, click here for our list of the best playgrounds in Atlanta.
—Phebe Wahl
Photos courtesy of via Addy C. Alejandro O. Kathleen M. Yelp, Haw Creek Park via Facebook and Forsyth County
It’s an unfortunate fact for most of us urbanites–hear the name SeaTac and you’re envisioning impossible check-in lines, incessant jet noise and whiny kids after a long flight. But what if we told you SeaTac also equals hours of water fun, picnicking on rolling green hills and breathing in cool lake breezes? Literally a five-minute car ride from the airport, the city named after its biggest commodity also hosts a park complete with a scenic, swimmable lake, a shaded playground, green space ready for spreading a blanket, and the biggest, splashiest, most totally awesome spray park south of the Ship Canal. Grandma’s flight delayed? Forget the cellphone lot–check out Angle Lake Park for a kid-tastic new angle on SeaTac!
Angle Lake Park
19408 International Boulevard (at South 195th Street)
SeaTac, Wa 98148
206-973-4680
Online: ci.seatac.wa.us/index.aspx?page=144
Park hours: 8:00 am – dusk
Spray park hours: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm daily (closing date dependent on weather)
Lifeguard hours: 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm daily through Labor Day
Do you plan to visit Angle Lake Park this summer? Already visited? Let us know about your experience in a comment below!
-Erin Cranston, words and photos
Round, round, round you go. Where you stop? Anywhere with monkey bars and a ginormous tube slide.
Your little playground enthusiast loves to twirl, slide, run and climb. When you’re looking for a new place to cut loose, download Playground Pointers. The app created by two local parents has a database of more than 700 Chicago playgrounds. It gives you an overview of each with maps, photos and insider tips. We gave the app a whirl one recent afternoon and found that what could have been a wild goose chase to find outdoor fun was instead, well … a walk in the park.
The Rundown
The app is available on iTunes for $1.99 — money well spent, considering the amount of good info it has. Its vast directory includes playgrounds across the city, from Rogers Park to Bridgeport, and nearby suburbs. Co-creator Mistie Lucht, a mom of three, gathers all the data and has visited more than 200 sites to provide accurate reviews. Her business partner and dad of four, Chris Cooper, takes care of the tech side of things.
At a basic level, use the app as a directory and look up playgrounds by name. You’ll see their map placement and, in many cases, the kind of equipment they feature (swing sets, slides, teeter totters, etc.). That’s in addition to tiny but important details, like if the sites have shaded areas, access to public transportation, water fountains, picnic areas, and nearby food and drink.
The Search Function
Along with being a great A-Z list, Playground Pointers is a search tool and GPS. You can get directions to any playground from your current location — something that comes in extra-handy when errands, or just the urge to explore, take you away from your usual stomping ground.
You can also search by geographical area. Want to plan an outing to Dunning on the West Side? Plug in the zip code (it’s 60634 and 60635) and see all the playgrounds that pop up. Or, search by features, such as splash pads, baby swings or picnic tables to find a new favorite. (For the record, we’re fans of the splash pad at Adams Playground Park, and Playground Pointers is, too.)
The Personal Touch
Stretch out the fun beyond the swing set and into the surrounding neighborhood. With the app’s Perfect Playground Day function, you can read about other attractions and activities in the vicinity of playgrounds. Mistie can vouch for each (she’s made the rounds, after all) and has even taken photos so you can get the lay of the land.
Plans are in the works for it to be possible to set up play dates, text and email from within the app.
Welcome to the jungle gym, everyone.
Buy the app online at itunes.apple.com and learn more at playgroundpointers.com.
What’s your favorite Chicago park? Tell us in the Comments section below.
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— Kelly Aiglon
Photos: Courtesy of Playground Pointers
