No. 32 – Corbett-McKenna Park

Visited Monday, July 12 at 9:00am. Someone was there working out with a personal trainer. And a bunch of teenagers arrived as we left. Mostly in the sun with pockets of shade. Visited again Thursday, July 15 at 4pm. There were a few teenagers in the basketball court and maybe 6 or 7 kids in the playground. Again mostly in the sun with partial shade.

The basics

This 0.61 acre playground is on Prospect Hill Avenue at Munroe Street and is sometimes called the Prospect Hill or ‘Castle’ playground. Rubber surface. A 5 minutes walk uphill from Union Square. Two-hour parking on the Prospect Hill Park side of Munroe Street (except for 9am-noon on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month) and residential parking. No restrooms but plenty of options in Union Square.

The fun stuff

Large plastic play structure lots of climbing and a spiral slide
Spinning toy
Basketball
Sprinkler
Three swings (1 bucket)
Metal slide
Stars embedded in the concrete for the US states
Picnic tables and benches

This playground has three sections – an enclosed basketball court; a large area with a very gentle misting water sprinkler, picnic tables, benches, a large plastic play structure with lots of climbing ladders, a fireman’s pole, steps, Xs and Os, little ‘hut’ type areas, a spinning toy and what looks like part of a ring sticking out of the ground at an angle (we still haven’t figured out exactly what kids are supposed to do with this one so if anyone knows, please tell me!); and a lower level with the swings and a metal slide.

I’m not a fan of split-level playgrounds (have I said that before?) because I feel like I am constantly moving around – and I only have one kid to watch! And here especially with a small child, you really can’t see them unless you are in the same section. But there is lots of climbing to be had and the sprinkler is so gentle that the kids can have some fun in it without getting totally soaked. The playground is popular with high school kids in the afternoons. Perhaps they enjoy the challenge of locating all the US states in the ground 😉

No. 27 – Osgood Park, Osgood Street

Visited Friday, July 2 at 11:30am.  Empty. Mostly in the sun, some shade.

The basics

0.27 acres. Small playground and community garden, split across a quiet dead-end street. Access from Landers Street (off School St. by way of stroller-hostile stairs) or from Granite Street off Somerville Ave. Very limited parking (private way). No nearby restrooms.

The fun stuff…

Swings (1 infant, 2 big boy/girl and 1 disabled)
Good sized climbing structure with two slides
Small water sprinkler
Picnic tables and benches

The picnic tables were shady, we liked the small water sprinkler (perfect for a small child) and we had the place to ourselves. Having the playground split across the street worked fine for one child, but would be more difficult to manage with more than one young child. And none of the gates closed properly. There is no gate at all to the side with the swings but I suppose if my child wasn’t seated safely in a swing, there isn’t much else she could be doing on that side. Other than making a run for the other side I suppose.