Sometimes when Linley Jones drives past the playground at Blackburn Park near her Brookhaven home, she notices something that delights her. Yes, she sees children frolicking on the slides and ropes. But sometimes she spies adults on the big circle swings.
“We have big saucer swings where two or three can fit, and I often see adults on the equipment. It’s a fun thing to see,” said Jones, who is mayor pro tempore of Brookhaven and instrumental in ensuring that children — and the occasional adult — get their exercise and play time on the city’s playgrounds.
Playgrounds over the years have changed from basic sets of swings, slides and jungle gyms to extraordinarily complex equipment that involves ropes, castles, zip lines, climbing walls, gravity rails and log rolls. On top of that, some strive to be environmentally friendly or offer extra features for people with disabilities.
Throughout the metro area, there are a number of over-the-top playgrounds with thrills for older children, as well as options for toddlers and even younger kids.
“We wanted a playground that was more natural both in appearance and in materials,” Jones said. “It was important to us and a reflection of the community. We didn’t want a big plastic eyesore.” There are ropes, a spider’s web, cable and ladders. “There is not a lot of plastic and underneath the equipment is natural as well, not plastic,” she said. “We also like that the park is in a natural environment so you can hear birds and crickets.”
Another popular Brookhaven destination is Murphey Candler Park. In fact, there are two playgrounds in the park. One playground is on the park’s east side along Horseshoe Road. That playground, which cost $305,000, includes a climbing castle and a netted climbing tower. The other playground is on the west side along Candler Lake West. That area includes basket swings, a slide, chalk wall and musical play designs. Supported by a private-public partnership, the westside playground is for “children of all abilities with offerings for children with sensory sensitivities,” Jones said.
Credit: Courtesy of city of Brookhaven
Credit: Courtesy of city of Brookhaven
Wacky World at Wills Park is the largest playground in Alpharetta and was built from a kit with a castle, slide and swings.
“There are also hide-and-seek components where kids can play tag,” said Morgan Rodgers, director of recreation, parks and cultural services. “There’s a good bit left to the kids’ imaginations on how they want to play.”
The playground consists of a huge structure with slides, monkey bars, bridges, towers and swings. There are sandboxes nearby. Also located at Wills Park is a “purple playground” with a canopy for shade and a “yellow” playground for smaller kids with swings, slides, a tire spin and a balance beam.
While Wacky World is beloved, it will soon be replaced with next-generation recycled materials that can better handle wear and tear. The replacement is set to open in spring 2024.
“It’s a more open concept, and there is also a better sight line so parents can watch their kids,” Rodgers said. “Twenty-five years ago when Wacky World was built, parents just let their kids run free. Now they’re more vigilant.”
The department actually went into the schools to research what kids wanted in a playground, with a zip line being the top request.
“They wanted a good many things that we wanted as kids — monkey bars, slides, swings — but No. 1 was a zip line. They really just want to play, run and have fun without somebody telling them there’s only one way to play,” he said.
Credit: Courtesy of city of Alpharetta
Credit: Courtesy of city of Alpharetta
Another favorite Alpharetta playground is Webb Zone. It’s a more traditional playground but has a “little stream that runs through it,” said Rodgers. “We built it so they can get to play in the water and move the sand and rocks around. It’s a man-made stream, but you feel like you’re in the North Georgia Mountains. There’s a large swing area for kids under 5 and another area for those over 5. It’s fenced so there’s no chance of runners getting away.”
Over in Marietta, the Elizabeth Porter Park features not only a playground but also a “sprayground” to cool off from the heat.
“One part of the playground is three stories tall, so kids really can get up in the air and traverse all the elements and moving parts,” said Rich Buss, parks and recreation and facilities director for the city of Marietta. “It works on coordination and balance. There’s also a physical element to it. It challenges them. It has a gravity rail, which is like a zip line, and they grab and it and ride it along the rail. Kids love it.”
Accessibility
As with many parks, especially newer ones, accessibility is a key component. Many of the parks may have ramp access, adaptive swing sets, sensory elements and wheelchair-friendly surfaces.
Johns Creek recently opened Bell-Boles Park with special equipment designed to promote sensory development and discovery.
Marietta’s parks don’t have rubber surfacing. That makes it safer for wheelchairs, Buss said. The city also designed a ramp that goes over one of the playgrounds so a child in a wheelchair can get to an elevated platform.
“We learned in research that kids in wheelchairs are always looking up at people, and we wanted to give them a platform where they could look down at kids,” Buss said.
Credit: Courtesy of the Piedmont Park Conservancy
Credit: Courtesy of the Piedmont Park Conservancy
The Mayor’s Grove Playground at Piedmont Park in Atlanta is an interactive one that has a sensory-rich features, as well as swings and bouncers that provide back support. The Piedmont Park Conservancy is on the process of raising money $750,000 by year’s end for an even more accessible park, a project close to the heart of conservancy outgoing CEO Mark Banta, whose daughter uses a wheelchair. Plans are to break ground on the top-level accessible and inclusive playground next year.
Playing with art
Back in 1973, Atlanta’s High Museum of Art decided that its gift to the city for the nation’s bicentennial celebration should be a children’s playground that was also a work of art.
Renowned artist and sculptor Isamu Noguchi was hired to design a set of colorful, architectural pieces in Piedmont Park. Among the designs were a swing set, seesaw, climbing blocks, a low circular mound, a triple slide and a tower. Over the years, the design began to rust and thousands of dollars were spent repairing the corrosion and bringing it up to modern safety standards.
“Most children are used to seeing the more traditional plastic playground, but the Noguchi Playscape provides a surprise to all with its size, scale and height,” said Banta. “They have no idea when they come down the slides at Noguchi Playscape or climb its tower that they are playing on an internationally known piece of public art. They just love to play.”
Sandy Springs also had arts on its playful mind when it created the Abernathy Greenway Linear Park, a playground with real art for kids to play on, play with or use to let their imaginations go wild. Among the pieces are “It’s You & Me Kid” by artist Frank Swanson, a granite boulder that creates a three-piece explorative sculpture, and “Spider Walk” by Atlanta artist Phil Proctor, an interactive sculpture formed like a playful spider that can be climbed and occupied.
No matter if it’s a more traditional area or one with all the bells and whistles, there is a playground for every child — and, according to Jones, for a few adults.
PLAYGROUNDS
Abernathy Greenway Park North. 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Mondays-Tuesdays. 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays. 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Fridays. 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Free. 70 Abernathy Road, Sandy Springs. 770-730-5600, sandyspringsga.gov.
Blackburn Park. 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sundays. Free. 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven. 404-637-0512, brookhavenga.gov.
Elizabeth Porter Park and Sprayground. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Closed, Mondays. Park, free. Sprayground: $2, residents, $3, non-residents. 370 Montgomery St. NE, Marietta. 770-794-5073, mariettaga.gov.
Mason Mill Playground. Dawn-dusk. Free. 1340 McConnell Drive, Decatur. 404-371-2711, dekalbcountyga.gov.
Mayor’s Grove Playground and Noguchi Playscape. 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. daily. Free. Piedmont Park, 150 10th St., Atlanta. 404-875-7275, piedmontpark.org.
Morgan Falls Overlook Park Playground. 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Free. 400 Morgan Falls Road, Sandy Springs. 770-730-5600, sandyspringsga.gov.
Murphey Candler Park. 12:15 p.m.-8 p.m.. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays. Noon-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays; 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Sundays. Free. 1551 W. Nancy Creek Drive. 404-637-0542, murpheycandlerpark.org.
Wacky World Playground Alpharetta. 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Free. Wills Park, 1815 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta. 678-297-6130, willspark.com.
Webb Zone Playground. 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Free. 4767 Webb Bridge Road, Alpharetta. 678-297-6123, awesomealpharetta.com.
