L L.
Yelp
My son has visited twice, once with Mom, once with Dad. He enjoyed it both times, and that's the most important thing!
This indoor/outdoor playground is in a wonderful little corner of Fairmount Park, with Please Touch Museum just across the river on the other side of the park. The pair can make for an amazing kid day.
I'd read the reviews saying the place is very cool, but a little shabby/old/worn, so I expected that. Upon arrival, the grass needed mowing, and the house could use some freshening too, but press on because if you look past the cosmetics, this is an artfully designed, creatively inspired, special place.
At the entrance someone sits in a white plywood hut, like a country fair booth x a lemonade stand. They greet you with cheer, and donations are welcome in cash (or can be done via cc online). Playground is to the left of the house, and around back.
The equipment was impressive. They have the old standards (swings, slides, jungle gym), but also a lot of more unique and interesting pieces, that were very popular with the kids. Lots of rotating going on, that seemed to be the theme of the more exciting stuff. Like stand-on saucers, spin-around chairs, girating poles, merry-go-centrifuge things with rope cages to hold you in, etc. I was so tempted I spun on the centrifuge myself (with my 1yo son), but it was a little much for him. That said, there is a designated baby area, which is fitting for toddlers, but sadly, this was the dirtiest of the areas, with a little litter, some broken equipment, and a lot of weeds, all of which aren't safe for kids at the age of grabbing and attempting to eat whatever they see. A few hours of volunteer clean up would correct this.
Creative thought has gone into every corner of this playground, and in addition to the exciting equipment, it possesses unique bigger attractions I can't find anywhere else. The longtime favorite huge wooden slide (like a bowling lane floor made into a slide) is in an outbuilding by the side of the house. It is so popular they've made a queue that snakes along it, probably accommodating a line of at least 50. IDK if a slide is worth that to me, but when I visited in the early afternoon on a weekday, there was zero line. Fantastically, there is a gigantic rope web climbing area on the lowest tier, which is the perfect physical challenge for high-energy kids! Nearby, are huge saucer swings that can fit a few little ones at once. My son loved it.
There are climbing walls, swings of various kinds, a huge sand area, theme playstructures (train, fire engine, pirate ship), tunnels, clubhouses, a large bouncy ride-on, that even adults can ride, it goes on and on.
The rubber track surface underfoot is a nice touch, but as with any playground employing it, the stuff gets a little blackened in places, weeds pop up here and there, and stains happen. So have some forgiveness for its cosmetic ageing, and you will see past it into the magic that awaits your child!