132. Terra Nova, Richmond

Finally it's time to check out the amazing million-dollar playground at Terra Nova!  I have been saving this one for a long time, wanting to make a day of it rather than just a quick post-daycare trip.  Today we met up with our friends from two families: Gaby with Matias and Anna and Eva with Alex and Nika.  And what an amazing playground we found!

The main structure is about three storeys high and has all kinds of opportunities for climbing and sliding.  It was a bit too much for Charlotte, but the older kids had a great time.  There are lots of things to climb on and everything is made of wood and rope – no pre-fab playground equipment here!  After our picnic, we went to explore yet another part of the playground that I hadn't even realized existed at first and that's where Charlotte really had some fun.  There was a huge slide, much like the amazing slide at Garden City and the kids had a blast sliding down there as a "train".  And then there was the zip line!  I don't know how many times Charlotte went on that thing, but because it was a bit big for her, she really needed help staying on and so I had to run up and down along with her.

We were there for over four hours altogether and the kids all had a great time.  Definitely one of the best playgrounds we have ever visited, rivalled only by John Storvik in Anacortes and City Park in Lynden.  The playground is located at N 49.10.431 W 123.11.897 and is point no. 132 on the map at the bottom of home page.

82. Million Smiles Playground, Lynden City Park, Washington

Charlotte and I planned a trip to Lynden, Washington today so that we could attend a geocaching event, “The Ice Scream Man”. Before we went, I googled “best playground in Lynden” and the Million Smiles Playground in City Park immediately popped up. The pictures were amazing and this playground was clearly going to give John Storvik a run for its money!

Unfortunately, the weather was terrible all day. At least it was “just rain” when we were at the playground – as opposed to a “torrential downpour” while we were at the event. Charlotte got kitted out in her Muddy Buddies for the first time this season and we went to check out the playground.

It was very similar in design to John Storvik, though this one was much more commercialized with a little row of playshops for the little ones to play in – each one prominently displaying the name of a local sponsor. I wasn't too thrilled with the commercialism and the wet weather swayed my judgment a bit too, but even so, I think this one wins out over John Storvik because of the amazing three-storey playhouse. We climbed up to a very dark little playhouse – which lit up as soon as we got close to the top and made the place very cozy. It was entirely closed in and made for a great little spot to hang out. There was a twisty slide from almost the very top that was just a black hole – Charlotte refused to go down it – and refused to let me go down it either!

The park itself is lovely, situated on the banks of Fishtrap Creek. We will definitely have to come back here and make a day of it when the days are longer and the weather is nice again. There are a couple of puzzle caches nearby that we will need to work on too! The playground is located at N 48.56.963 and is point no. 82 on the map at the bottom of home page.

77. Riverview Park, Vancouver

Our first post-daycare outing in quite some time! The days are noticeably shorter than they were last time we went out after daycare and fall is definitely in the air. We found “Another Marpole Hide” first; I was so proud of my girl who wanted to open the cache herself, then said “Please have the log book?” so that she could sign it herself. She is getting to be quite the little geocacher! We headed over to the playground and Charlotte met a little boy named Mason, who was just a little bit younger than her. They played a little bit and did a brilliant job of taking turns driving the train. I heard from Mason's dad about the new playground in Terra Nova that opened while we were on vacation and that everyone has been telling me about. I told him about John Storvik playground in Anacortes, but I'm not sure he's willing to make the trek! The playground is point #77 on the map at the bottom of home page.

53. John Storvik Playground, Anacortes, Washington

Wow! This is by far the best playground we have come across - and not just since I started this blog either. This is the most amazing playground I have ever seen! I had googled "best playground in Anacortes" before coming down here, found more than I had bargained for, and knew that we had to visit. It's a cross between a Swiss village, a wild west fort and a pirate ship! It has so many nooks and crannies to explore and climb - ranging from wooden playhouses for the little kids to bigger structures and a scary-looking tire well for the older ones. Charlotte got carried away exploring the tot lot portion and while I usually leave her be to explore what's of interest to her, this time I was cajoling her to come with me because I wanted to explore the rest of the playground! When I had seen it all, I finally went back to my usual hands-off self and allowed Charlotte to explore as she pleased. She had a brilliant time here, running around all over the place and climbing up to take the twisty tunnel slide back down to the ground again. She invited me over to her "house" and made some new friends. I was proud of her for taking one of her pals to meet Theo, who was waiting for us in the shade. She showed him how to pet Theo and told Theo he was a good dog. It was the sweetest thing - but unfortunately the boy's parents didn't like him being near Theo and that was the end of that. Sometimes I wonder if these people actual stop to take in the situation before they bark orders based on preconceived notions or fears... The playground was fenced in, but it wasn't the usual chain-link fencing that makes some playgrounds feel like a prison exercise yard. Instead, it was just part of the structure and made the playground feel like a fort, keeping the bad guys out rather than keeping the kids in. In fact, it lent a little scope for imagination to the scene; I could just imagine playing Cowboys and Indians here - if that's still something that kids do and if it's not too politically incorrect! It's really too bad that this playground is so far from home - but it's not so far away that we can't come visit it again before very long! There's a geocache not too far away for us to look for next time too; it's a multi-cache so we didn't have time for it today. The playground is located at N 48.29.863 W 122.36.888 and is point 52 on the map at the bottom of home page.