Playground Picks - The New Social Hotspot for the Kiddies! :-)

A kid needs to cut loose sometimes you know what i mean? if you think about it...my little one has been in school since he was 2 years old..all that structure is wonderful..he's only 4 and he can hold a conversation with the best of them...knows his numbers, letters, colors, etc...but i love that he's a boys boy..he loves to play! when school is out he throws down that backpack and loves to run like a wilderbeast outside and cut loose.....lol..i believe in old school playing..you know when you ran outside in the summer with your buds..perhaps in the front street, sidewalk or if you were lucky in your backyard, neighborhood or down in the country with relatives and other cousins your age...i grew up on old school playing..building forts, making mud pies (and eating them)...stringing plants together and making necklaces..red light/green light...mother may i...kickball..jacks and jumprope...and my older brother had a basketball goal in our huge backyard so you know we had the most popular house on the block..lol..my point is i like to give my kid as many opptys for old fashioned playtime as possible..so we know nowadays its not prudent to allow your kid to roam the neighborhood..so the next best things are playgrounds, which are all the rage on the kid social scene..here's my picks..enjoy!

Top Playground Picks: Indoor

During the cold of the winter, indoor play areas are the perfect places to take your kids. Two of my faves are the areas in North Point Mall and the Mall of Georgia.

Mall of Georgia’s Kidgits Korner. 3333 Buford Drive, Buford. This soft play area is designed for the toddler age group. Climbing and sliding are the main attractions here. There are benches for the parents, as well as stroller parking. There’s also a small library for all to enjoy. 678-482-8788.

North Point Mall Children’s Soft Play Area. 1000 North Point Circle, Alpharetta. Specifically designed for children under 42" tall, the play area has a heroes theme, with firefighters, a fire truck and an ambulance as well as a slide and a bridge to climb over and through. All are built with soft materials to protect against falls. The play area also has plenty of seating for parents plus stroller parking. 770-740-9273.

Top Playground Picks: Special Needs

Children’s Playgarden. Ephesus Church Road, Douglasville. This playground in Clinton Nature Preserve features an airplane structure that allows children who use wheelchairs to access slides and other play items. Swings with back support, musical instruments, a covered playhouse, tot area and sand play area round out the other playground amenities. Water misters are also available for the really hot days. All of the equipment on this playground is wheelchair accessible.

Unity Place. 143 Ozora Road, Grayson. Located in Bay Creek Park, this playground has a wheelchair accessible sandbox and play area. The slides use ramps to reach the top. Swings with mesh backing are lower to the ground, so they are easily accessible for special needs kids. 770-822-8840.


All Children’s Playground. Willowbend Road, Peachtree City. This playground features a rubberized surface that allows wheelchairs easy maneuverability. To ensure that every child can have fun, the entire play area is connected by ramps and bridges, and a tot lot is available for younger kids. 770-631-2542.

Top Playground Picks: Outdoor play!

Dunwoody

Brook Run Park. A true kiddie hot spot. multiple playgrounds for big and little kids and lots of space for dogs (or little kiddies) to run. A must do!

Chastain Park. Amazing! play on the equipment or walk the trail around the park. If the ball fields nearby are empty, your little ones can poke around there and kick/throw a ball around.

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain Park. Swings, winding wooden steps and various sized slides there’s plenty to entertain even the most active child. There is so much to do at Stone Mountain Park that often we forget about the playground there. But it's a great place for the kids to run around and play, especially the little ones who may not be able to take part in some other activities or who don't want to stand in line.

Midtown

Piedmont Park. Open spaces for running, paths for bike riding, fishing, birdwatching and great playgrounds.

Va Highland

Cunard Memorial Park. After a tree fell on the family car and killed a mother and her 2 sons, the community rallied together and built this playground. What a beautiful way tribute.

Orme Park. 795 Brookridge Drive NE, Atlanta. This playground is situated in the heart of the Virginia-Highland. This shady playground – truly a neighborhood gem – has a little something for everyone, including swings for toddlers, older kids and parents, picnic tables, a playscape with a telescope feature, slides and monkey bars and the ever-popular sandbox. The park also features a nature area, perfect for walking the family pet or just exploring on your own.

Norcross

Best Friend Park. 6224 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross. This 43-acre park is home to an aquatic center, tennis center and community building. The pool provides an interactive play center and there is a separate swing area. The playground features slides, climbing structures and more. 770-417-2212.

Jones Bridge Park. 4901 East Jones Bridge Road, Norcross. The playground has three wooden play stations with a swinging bridge, a big twisty slide, monkey bars, climbing poles and more. A swing set and sand volleyball court add even more options for play. A shaded area with benches and picnic tables is close by for parents to watch their children play. And if you’re the proud parent of an angler, there’s a fishing hole here, too! 770-417-2212.

Downtown

Centennial Park. Baker Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, Atlanta. Less than a block from the children’s museum is a hidden gem of a playground in Centennial Olympic Park. Kids can hop, skip and jump on two playscapes. The playground features three slides, a bridge, a zip line and several towers where children can play tic-tac-toe and peer through Plexiglas windows. The bouncy ground covering is sure to cushion any falls. Benches for parents ring the play area. 404-222-7275.

Atlanta Botanical Garden Discover 21 collections of flora at the 30-year-old facility. The favorite destination for your kids will be, no doubt, the two-acre Children’s Garden; here youngsters can play in the fountain, tend to veggies, perform on stage and more. Located at 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE in midtown Atlanta. Summer hours are Tues.-Sun., 9 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information, call 404-876-5859 or visit www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.




Roswell

Chattahoochee River Park. 203 Azalea Drive, Roswell. Situated along the Chattahoochee River, the park offers a relaxing scene with plenty of covered resting spots for a picnic lunch or small gathering. A popular spot on the playground is a tiny bridge overlooking a stream that flows into the river. Kids can toss rocks into the stream or watch for fish jumping in the Hooch. In the play area the equipment includes swings, slides and mini climbing walls. 770-641-3705.

Fairburn

Clarence Duncan Memorial Park. 6000 Rivertown Road, Fairburn. The park’s playground equipment includes teeter-totters, swings, a swinging bridge, monkey bars and more. Benches and picnic pavilions are located close to the playground so parents can sit in a shady area and watch their children play. If you’re bringing a picnic, throw in some extra bread for the pond’s ducks. The park also features hiking trails and an indoor pool, so bring your swimming suits along. 770-306-3136.

Howell Mill Road

Ellsworth Park. Howell Mill Rd. at Collier Rd. NW, Atlanta. There’s lots to explore in this fenced-in area: a fort-like play structure with two slides, climbing wall and interactive features, swings for toddlers and older kids, spring toys, two spinner bowls and a teeter-totter. For moms, it’s a great meeting place for mom’s groups, play dates and picnics. And, all of the play equipment rests on recycled rubber material, which is bouncy and wheelchair accessible. 404-817-6734.

Austell

Hurt Road Park. 990 Hurt Road SW, Austell. This playground offers something for all ages. Bucket swings and sand play will occupy the little ones while older kids tackle the monkey bars, slides, tic-tac-toe, tunnel and a swing set of their own. Parents can watch their children play while relaxing on a shaded bench. 770-528-8890.

Suwanee

PlayTown Suwanee. 425 Main Street, Suwanee. This 10,000-square-foot multi-level wooden wonderland is a treasure trove of things to do, including six slides (even "wavy and twisty" ones), a vertical tunnel, several bridges, swings, ladders, a rock climbing wall, chin up bars, and rings. In addition, there is a bus, castle, rocket, ship, playhouses, sand box and a hidden phone system. 770-945-8996.

Marietta

Promised Land Playground. 2450 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. Constructed entirely of wood, the 10,000-square-foot playground readily inspires imaginative play. The entire play area is connected with bridges or elevated walkways, each leading to a castle-like area. Speaker boxes allow communication between different areas. Around the wooden complex are two swing and slide areas – one for toddlers and another for older children. A layer of wood chips provides ample cushion below. 770-971-2323.

East Cobb Park 3322 Roswell Rd Marietta, GA 30062-5561 multiple age-appropriate play structures, bike/walk trail around the park, clean restrooms, a babbling stream for wading, plus plenty of open space for picnicking and kicking a ball - what more could you ask for?