Tag Archive for: castle playground

Wickliffe Playground

Castle playground in Upper Arlington is full of fun, friendly features

The Wickliffe Playground in Upper Arlington is a study in friendship.

Volunteers in the community built the castle-like playground within a week in 1990 and dedicated it “to children of all ages,” according to a bronze plaque on one of its spires.

Constructed out of plywood and car tires, it’s where boys and girls can engage in adventuresome games of hide-and-go-seek and tag.

The playground is surrounded by colorful benches with positive messages about friendship like “you are amazing” and “treat others kindly.” They’re the works of students from the adjacent Wickliffe Progressive School, known for its art-centered curriculum.

Also on site is a Little Free Library – a birdhouse-like structure where children can borrow and lend books – another friendly gesture by the school.

I learned about the playground from a friend who lives in the neighborhood and regularly visits with her son. I went with my children, who quickly made new friends while traversing a labyrinth of walkways and bridges.

Other neat features include a tunnel of tires, a portion of a walkway that rocks back and forth, and a section that looks like a locomotive. There also are swings that don’t squeak – perfect for swinging alongside a friend.

Visit during non-school hours or on weekends. Parking is available along the 2400 block of Eastcleft Drive in Upper Arlington.

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Wildwood Park

Please young royals at castle-like playgrounds

Sometimes I prefer a wooden, rickety rollercoaster to a streamlined, steel one. Therefore I thought my children might like to try an “old-school” wooden playground instead of the newfangled community play areas we usually visit.

Wildwood Park, at 785 W. Broadway in the village of Granville, has a great wooden playground. Volunteers built it in 1993, according to a sign on the property.

At its entrance, the structure resembles a castle or a fort, depending on which of my children you ask. It’s got wooden towers with pyramid-shaped tops and a labyrinth of walkways with lots of hiding places. There are multiple levels, with several metal slides, and swings and tunnels made of old tires.

We visited the park, 40 minutes east of Columbus, on a hot day before school started in August, as a way to celebrate the impending end of summer. We spent most of our time under a shady tree amid the structure, which lent a tree house feel to it. I sat in the middle as my children ran around me, looking for clues that led to a pot of gold painted on a treasure map.

The park also contains soccer fields, clean bathrooms and a water fountain.

The promise of ice cream inspired my kids to wrap up their play. We headed a half mile west back toward downtown Granville where we found Whit’s Frozen Custard at 138 E. Broadway.

Whit’s is a decade-old, local establishment where they make the custard fresh every day. We got cups of the Buckeye flavor – peanut-butter custard with chunks of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups – and sat an iron table under a market umbrella.

It was a fitting end to an old-school adventure that never goes out of style.

For more information, visit www.granvillerec.org/parks-facilities/wildwood-park.

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