Luxton Park in Minneapolis

We took a trip to Minneapolis last week to visit Obaachan (grandma). We stopped off at a non-descript playground in Luxton Park in SE Minneapolis. They still loved it since it was a playground. Just old, and the playground wasn't that clean. They do have a small, public wading pool with a spouting water fountain.

Rating: Three stars

Hershey Park, PA

Okay, this isn't really an official playground, but this water park was just so outrageously insanely cool!

This is the water park that opened this year at Hershey Park, PA.

The structure must go up 10 stories and there are a couple of water slides that start from up there! Of course, we never did any of them because it was a 20-minute wait to go down it. . . lines were everywhere.

Anyway, it was really neat and water was spraying everywhere including a GIAGANTOUS bucket at the top of the structure that literally DUMPS hundreds of gallons of water on to the people below!!! There were hoses all over the structure where you could maliciously spray other water park goers with. . . it was an invitation to be mean and annoying. That was fun.

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

Last week we went on a family vacation to Hershey, PA. Didn't get to see a lot of playgrounds because of the tight schedule (why do we have to have such a tight schedule?), but we did stop at one that was uneventful other than the cool ground cover. Ripped apart tires. It's the same stuff they use at fancy horse runs at some stables. Cushy stuff! Much softer than anything around. Of course it's really expensive.

Anyway, the playground was at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Parents and Kids Magazine

I just received an August copy of Parents and Kids Magazine from their editor, Heather Kempskie, with a nice handwritten note on the cover saying "enjoy Pg. 3!"

Hey! That's my book!

They were generous enough to include Playgrounds of the North Shore, 2e, in their August PK Picks book recommendation section.

Yeah. The first publicity for the second edition.

Quiet out there

Not too much new happening in the realm of playgrounds on the North Shore.

Endicott Park just had a big Carnival to raise money for their playground renovation.

Jackson Park did a big fundraiser as well.

Otherwise, pretty quiet.

Doucette Playground, Gloucester

This was a huge park located up a hill tucked into a very-Gloucester neighborhood. Huge field in the back, and a small structure. At least it was different than the common Gloucester-style structures we'd seen that day.

Rating: Three stars

Middleton, Gloucester

A small neighborhood playground with the same old Gloucester structure. A bit weedy as you can tell, and the fence cuts right through the basketball court. The playground is up on a hill in Gloucester, I bet in the winter you can see the ocean. . . although it might have some strong winds. Brrrr.

Rating: Two stars.

Browns Field, Gloucester

Brown's Field was nice. But like the four of the five playgrounds we saw that day, Brown's Field used the same structure. . . except this one used different colors at least.

Rating: three stars.

Carrol Savage School, Peabody

This just in the news . . . Carrol Savage Elementary School just broke ground for their new playground due to be complete in the fall of '07. The article said the structure will be "huge."

Coool. I can't wait to see it.

Here's what the old playground looked liked:

Babson, Gloucester

Most of the playgrounds we missed in Gloucester were three stars . . . except this one.

This is it.