Photo Friday: February Playground Time

February 19, 2017

Photo Friday: Holding Hands

Oct. 24, 2016

Photo Friday: Slip-Sliding Away

Sept. 5, 2016

Photo Friday: Atticus at the Playground

June 22, 2016, Clinton-Como Park

Photo Friday: And He Eventually Made It to the Top

March 8, 2016

Photo Friday: NYC's Silver Towers Playground

Even I want to go down this slide! Located on West 42nd Street, near the Hudson River.

Edith, Sept. 28, 2015

Photo Friday: Peekaboo at the Playground

March 12, 2015

Photo Friday: At the Playground

March 12, 2015

Great Fun at Graeter's Indoor Playground

Paul and I wanted to do something special on Edith's second birthday, but plans earlier in the day meant that the "something special" had to wait until after supper. And there's not much to choose from on a dark, cold November day.

So we decided to check out the Graeter's play space a few miles from our neighborhood. Graeter's is a Cincinnati-based ice cream shop with several locations in Columbus. But only this one location in the city has an indoor playground.

It was a good choice. We ordered our ice cream first, but as soon as Edith saw the slides and other toys, all thoughts of ice cream went out the door. We were there almost two hours as Edith had a blast with the other kiddos in the closed-off space.

Edith's fun exponentially grew when a girl a few years older than her took her under her wing. She helped Edith up the stairs and went down the tunnel slides with her -- something she certainly couldn't have done on her own.

We'll be back -- Edith for the fun, me for the raspberry chocolate chip ice cream.

Review: Indianola Park, aka Dinosaur Park

I had heard tell of a mysterious playground in the northern reaches of our fair burg, known by the name of Dinosaur Park. Alas, I knew very little else, other than that one must travel north on the thoroughfare known as Indianola Avenue.

How far away it was, I knew not. Nevertheless, Edith and I drove north looking for dinosaurs.

We found them shortly after Indianola Avenue -- one of Clintonville's main streets -- became little more than a local road just past the Columbus boundaries, into Worthington. Two green plastic dinosaurs greeted us before I saw the sign announcing the park's real name: aptly, Indianola Park.

I liked this park. The equipment looked shiny and new, but even better -- there was a special little-kids section that wasn't as tall (or as ominous for us nervous parents). That's always a plus in my book, and something that you don't find at all of the parks.

The section for the older kids looked especially fun, but we'll have to wait a few years before Edith can truly play over there. She tried though, and we explored a little when we had the equipment to ourselves.

The park also had tennis courts, I believe some basketball hoops, and, of course, swings. The bucket swings were better than the ones normally found at parks. They were higher, which made it easy for underdogs.

And don't forget about the bouncy dinosaurs. Not yet Edith's cup of tea, I guess.

In summary, I liked Indianola Park just as much as Clinton-Como Park, but it's distance from home means we likely won't come often. However, this is one park I'll keep in mind for a change of scenery -- especially as Edith grows older and gravitates more toward the big-kid playground equipment.

Review: Clinton-Como Park & Tuttle Park Playgrounds

One of the big perks of living where we do is the number of playgrounds within walking distance. Off the top of my head I can think of five within two miles, with three of those being significantly closer.

So as the weather got warmer, Edith and I began exploring. Within about a week of each other we walked south on the Olentangy Trail and visited two parks and playgrounds: Tuttle Park and Clinton-Como Park.

First up was Tuttle Park, which is one of the further away playgrounds, near the Ohio State University campus. Since the park is on the Olentangy Trail, however, it's a pleasant stroll along the river.

Tuttle Park: A playground mostly for big kids.

The playground as seen from the trail.

Like many of the area playgrounds, this one seems mostly geared toward older children, but there were at least some bucket swings. We were the only ones there aside from some construction workers and I think one guy in the outdoor hockey area. But I expect the area will be hopping when the adjacent pool opens for the summer.

Closer to home but still on the trail is Clinton-Como Park. I believe the playground equipment was installed just a few weeks before we visited this spring, so we were one of the first to try it out.

Of the several parks we have visited, this has been my favorite. It has bucket swings, of course, but it also has a play area for smaller kids, with a few slides and a kind of tilted climbing wall that even Edith could use.

Clinton-Como Park playground: Stuff for the little ones.

And Edith even had fun with some of the big kid toys.

Like our trip to Tuttle Park, we visited Clinton-Como in the morning. Clinton-Como, however, was pleasantly busy -- several kids and even a dog, although it was a blustery day.

So Clinton-Como Park will be on our playground rotation, and I'm excited to check out a few more throughout the spring and summer.