New Playground Opens at 17th and Riverside

Back in January, we published a list of things we were looking forward to in 2026. The list covered new attractions and upgrades to existing attractions, etc. One item on that list was a new playground at 17th and Riverside. So we are excited to announce that, as of April 30, construction has finished and the playground is open!

Joss and I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with many other families from the community. The kids were having so much fun exploring the new equipment, from a variety of swings to zippy slides, plenty of ways to climb up and climb on, etc. There’s a specific area for younger guests, and the playground is fenced on three sides, so kids can’t run off into the bike trails as easily.

We spoke with a representative from Play & Park Structures (A PlayCore Company), the company that designed the park. “One of the things that makes it special,” she said, “is it is a National Demonstration Site. We have different types of qualifications to get that. This one specifically is ‘Play On.’ So that means it has all the types of play. It’s important to us that kids get the most play value when they come to a playground.”

I felt like I should know the types of play, but I didn’t, so I asked. “There are six different types of play,” the representative said. “There’s sliding, swinging, balancing, climbing, brachiating and spinning.” These standards were developed by ASTM – more info on that at astm.org/news/keeping-playgrounds-safe-and-fun

When you visit the playground, you can scan a QR code to provide feedback about your experience. PlayCore can collect that information to make future parks as fun, safe and engaging as possible.