Maddy's Guide to Playgrounds in Burlington - Wildwood Park

 

Basics:

Date of visit: June 15th, 2024

Where can I find it? Off Bedford St 

Bathrooms? One portapotty

Parking? Plenty! There's more hidden off Francis Wyman Rd

When open? Daylight hours. 

Review:

Some parks cater to the very small. Some parks cater to a variety of ages. Wildwood is the only playground I have been to that caters largely to cardiac health of the parents. 

Adjoining the playground is a large round walking/running path for the parents to circle while their children play, which is an excellent to get one's steps in, and heart rate elevated. If I permitted my father to ever walk away from me, he might very well enjoy it. 

He dared to venture ahead of me! 😠

There is also an outdoor enclosed gym space attached like a tumor to the actual playground, full of equipment that is intended for those who could legally consume alcohol while working out. Yet more systems for adults and parents to get that heart rate up.

You must be at least this tall to ride these rides.

But, the biggest and best system is available to all ages, and easily does the work of the other two combined. It's the playground megastructure!

I call it the heartstopper

With a platform height higher than my father's head (and he's not small), smaller children can easily stand at the precipice where there are no guardrails, easily spiking the heart rates of parents watching in terror as children toddle at the edge of disaster. 

It is tremendous fun!

Once one has thoroughly exercised their parents' hearts, or induced a cardiac arrest, many children prefer to migrate to hopping between the large boulders that separate the park from the street. 

A very orderly series of glacial deposits!

Sadly, as one can see briefly, yet another park is complicit the ring of rooster fighting apparently runs rampant through these parts. 

What horrors has that stick seen?

Beyond that, there are some questionable design decisions. Notably, the setup for flying a plane forces the pilot the block access to the slide, which runs the risk of a terrible crash if someone is racing to evacuate prematurely. Also, whomever designed it has clearly never been in a plane before. 

Who has ever flown a plane with a steering wheel?

There is also some sort of conflict between the insect populations, memorialized in a perpetual staring contest. Neither side ever yielding, ever daring to look away. 

It's a real Capulet vs. Montague scenario

All in all, I salute the town of Burlington for working so hard to ensure the parents maintain a heart healthy lifestyle. For that, I give this park four defibrillators.

Madelyn Hope Lewis is the senior playground tester of Lewis Developments, and a connoisseur of playtime activities. When she's not exploring Massachusetts fun time architecture, she can be found scouting out where is exactly "the line" with her parents.