Maddy's Guide to Playgrounds in Burlington - Pathwoods Park

 

Basics:

Date of visit: August 31st, 2024

Where can I find it? Kinda in a random neighborhood 

Bathrooms? lol

Parking? LOL

When open? Daylight hours. 

Review:

The Pathwoods Park, also known at the 'Tot Lot' is a small park hidden away from any main streets. We happened to catch it on a quiet day, which is to say any day most likely. 

Roughly the size of a parking space, the area does not have play structures, so much as single use play items sprinkled throughout. 

My father says it is about half an acre. I reminded him I won't learn fractions for another 7 years.

There is a slide, several swings, a climbing wall, a balance beam, and a single, solitary plane. 

Ironically, about the only thing that accommodates more than one person

The slide looks like it's sticking out its tongue at you.

There is fun to be had, but maybe don't pack a lunch. I give it 4 Tots

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. 

Maddy's Guide to Playgrounds in Burlington (Adjacent) - Kids Konnection

Basics:

Date of visit: July 5th, 2024

Where can I find it? Across the street from O'Connor Hardware. 

Bathrooms? 1 Portapotty.

Parking? Lots! Especially if no game is going on.

When open? Daylight hours. 

Review:

Astute readers of mine are doubtless aware of my penchant for the Floor is Lava. While, as a rule, I intend to only write about playgrounds located within Burlington town limits, I felt an exception was warranted for the Kids Konnection. From its animalistic architecture and its challenging structures allowing one maximum distance traversed away from terra firma, this playground has won a place in my heart. 

To start, there is a fully featured sandbox, complete with toys. Admittedly, many of the vehicles no longer have functional wheels, but they also never had motors to begin with, and spinning wheels does not prevent one from moving a toy car through the dunes. 

So many toys!

Not sure what happened here, but that party must have been lit!

For the more thespianic, there is a small stage just beyond for recitations of Shakespeare, Shaw, or Seuss. Unfortunately, the proximal locations of the two prove to be a questionable choice.

Sadly, the sign was not heeded.

The major draw of this park is not the sandbox, but the integrated structures forming a loop that couples in a slide, several arm bars, and an enormous spiderweb. 

This is my father's attempt to capture the entire loop. He gets a 'C' for effort.

Curiously, the designers behind the spiderweb structure appear to have chosen poorly in material choice, as it has warped and melted quite a bit under the unyielding sun. My father thinks it was intentional, showing that his mind has also warped and melted quite a bit under the unyielding sun. 

Warped, but I kind of like it better this way.

With plenty of space, the designers have opted to fill out the area with a menagerie of animal shaped structures, along with solitary climbing structures allowing one to quietly meditate on existential questions. 

This one make me feel like James Bond

Another not so subtle reference to our capitalistic tendencies for endless consumption

And the requisite nightmare fuel

Also, a train. 'Cause trains are awesome. 

All aboard!

For people needing some alone time for quiet contemplation of life's choices, there are several solitary structures that will abide. 

Seeing the world at the same height as my father. It is terrifying.

Finally, I must tip my hat to the signage makers for this area. At last, someone correctly understands that children my age are not the problem. It is the older ones that merit constant scrutiny!

Age 2-5, supervision is only recommended

But 5-12 is very much required!

With so much to do and see, I happily award the Kids Konnection at whopping 4 snapping alligators!

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. 

Maddy's Guide to Playgrounds in Burlington - Simonds Park

 

Basics:

Date of visit: June 6th, 2024

Where can I find it? Just across from the Common. 

Bathrooms? Fully featured, when unlocked.

Parking? Lots! Just so many cars can fit.

When open? Daylight hours. 

Review:

The OG. The Master. The Grand Duke. The One park to rule them all. Many words have tried to capture the centerpiece of Burlington, and many have failed. I will try, knowing that I will fail. But, if you take nothing else away from these reviews, know this: Simonds Park is pretty great!

While most playgrounds have one, maybe two structures, Simonds has three. One for big kids, one for little kids, and one for loud potatoes that have barely gained ambulatory status. All have their appeals (the structures, at least). 

The castle

The largest of the three, which I shall refer to as the castle, boasts a bevy of slides, both spiral and straight. And, as a special treat, the rolling slide, which is guaranteed to not give you plastic burn if you are wearing the wrong kind of shorts. Even adults can ride it without fear of getting stuck.

Just the best slide of all time.

Add to that, musical instruments in the vertical xylophone, an obstacle course, complete with a balance beam and zipline, and you really have a whole package of fun for an afternoon!

My mother accompanied me on this trip, so naturally there are a lot more photos

But we've only scratched the surface! Continuing past the castle, we come to the keep on the far side. There are still plenty of slides, but with a secret tunnel that connects the ramparts allowing for quick redistribution of troops should the invading hordes begin to press their advantage on one side, or the other. 

Toddler's Keep

The most adorable of murder holes

Finally, there is the infant fortlet, with small steps, small slides, and just the right amount of enjoyment when still relying on parental supervision for distinguishing between food and feet. 

My father says everything is relative, which makes me wonder if I'm actually related to him.

There is a fair amount of history contained within the chain-link walls. The pathways are reinforced with bricks marked with names of the people who valiantly gave their lives to ensure this park's creation. My father says they donated money, but I can read between the bricks. 

My father says they are what came before Netflix, and then he started to cry. 

Just beyond the confines of the playground area are several areas worth mentioning. One is the wading pool. Sadly not open during our visit, it promises a good time for all who gain entry. Be warned, however, that one must have appropriate documentation prepared well in advance, or entry will be denied. The criteria are stricter than what is required to gain access to the infamous Berghain!

One can close their eyes and easily picture Sven Marquardt by the gate.

The more recent addition to the play area is the new tree gazebo. Most gazebos are built on the ground, providing shade in the absence of a tree. But, the playful designers of Burlington decided to suspend a gazebo in and around several older trees in the park area. 

I would not be so banal as to reduce it to simply calling it a tree house.

With so much to do, it is no wonder this review took so much longer to post than previous ones. 

Simonds Park is awarded with four castles. 

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. 

Maddy's Guide to Playgrounds in Burlington - Rahanis Park

 

Basics:

Date of visit: May 26th, 2024

Where can I find it? Just off Mill St. 

Bathrooms? See below.

Parking? Lots, with multiple points of access! 

When open? Daylight hours. 

Review:

Who let the dogs out? Rahanis has become the de facto meeting place for canine companions in Burlington, with a large area for them to run around in. But, as I am not a dog, my focus will remain on the areas designated for smaller persons with indelible curiosities. If you count all the tennis courts and soccer fields, Rahanis has a clear focus on people over dogs, which is my personal preference, but the playground facilities, in terms of acreage, are a bit lacking. 

Ahoy matey, thar be dogs ahead!

The smaller play structure consists of a simple slide and, curiously, the fake bow of a ship. There is no blending of any other nautical themes present that I could see, so I am not entirely sure why this artifact was chosen. My guess is that it was installed circa '97-'98, when everyone wanted to be the King of the World. The choice has not aged well, in my opinion. 

This is actually the tree house of my dreams

The larger structure has much more compelling design choices, with an emphasis on verticality to get into and out of the center space near the top. Between fixed ladders, rope ladders, stairs, two kinds of slide, and a climbing wall, there are innumerable ways for a small child to give their parents a heart attack as they make their way up, and sometimes down in a dramatic fashion. 

Oh, what a tangled web we weave....

The most compelling structure at Rahanis is the spider web. A clever mesh of tensioned ropes creates a maze of infinite obstructions and solutions to allow one to climb up, around, through, or perhaps simply dangle near the center, out of reach of your father, who keeps telling you that it is getting too hot, and we need to head home. There is an achievable Zen to be found listening to the rantings of an overcooked, aged brain, I suppose. 

Above I stated "see below" with respect to the bathrooms. Near the playground is a very nicely equipped bathroom structure with fully functional plumbing. I am happy to report that I also found a single port a potty on the far side of the park, near parking for the soccer fields that also works, though it has not been cleaned in a while, based on the tears on my father's face when he escorted me inside. 

What horrors has this pit of death seen?

One of the odder discoveries is this setup for what can only be a rooster fighting arena. I was shocked to see something so permanently on display adjacent to where children, yes children, play blissfully unaware of what goes down after they go to bed in these things! I cannot believe Burlington actively condones such activities!

Setting aside the illicit activities, Rahanis park is well equipped for entertainment of many ages and species. Just don't bring your pet chicken. I give it four dogs.

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.