Climbing on Dinosaurs and Jumping Off Their Heads: A Kid's Look at Local Playgrounds

Being the proud owner of two young children, I have an understandable fondness in my heart for that staple of village life- the playground. Playgrounds are where children can run wild and work off a sugar buzz by screaming, climbing, laughing, and playing for as long as their little hearts can stand it. All of this is generally done while you, the parent, sit on a bench and check your iphone.

I recently toured some of the area's playgrounds with my children to get a good sense of just what was available to families up and down the Rivertowns. What follows are some thoughts and details on our favorite playgrounds.

Note: This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Various parks and playgrounds were left off our list for a variety of reasons, such as the need to pay to enter the playground, the need to be a resident to park anywhere near the playground, or we simply missed it in our search.

I hope you find our research helpful.

Playground: Pocantico Park

Location: 9A opposite Westchester Skating Academy

This little playground is surrounded by modern funtime destinations: movie theater on one side, batting cages and party store on the other, skating rink and mini-golf course across the street. The park itself is a three-tiered creation, with a gazebo, benches, and grills on the bottom level, followed by a small basketball court, and finally the playground at the top of the park.

There is no parking lot, though you can park alongside the access road, or, if you feel like hoofing it a bit, you can always park in either of the parking lots next door. Though bordered by trees, the park echoes with the soothing chimes of traffic on 9A at all times. This is not a quiet park.

The playground itself is a fenced-in area with spots of rubberized flooring designating the play areas. The main attraction is the medium-sized play structure complete with slides, steps, poles, rings, a bridge, and funky bubble-windows. Another area houses four swings, and a third is home to two plastic dinosaurs.

This playground is best for younger children, as older ones, such as my seven year old, quickly grow bored with the amenities. Luckily, the fence around the playground allows you to keep your three and four year olds safely contained, at least until they learn how to open a gate.

My children gave the park a luke-warm rating, with my four-year-old more fond of it than his bigger sister. Asked what he liked about the park, he responded, "Climbing the dinosaurs and jumping off their heads."

Playground: Massaro Park

Location: 50 Cabot Ave.

Welcome to Suburbia, Elmsford-style. Massaro Park is tucked away in a residential neighborhood a few short blocks from 9A and consists of a large, grassy field, basketball courts, a pool, and finally the playground.

This playground was met with much enthusiasm by my two children, who quickly raced over to the larger of two climbing structures. While a part of Massaro Park, the playground itself is the Vera Gibbs Playground, and aside from the two structures boasts four swings and some lovely plantings.

The large play structure- easily the biggest draw- has a fun dragon motif, complete with green plastic steps leading up into a dragon's gaping maw, where children can simulate the exciting experience of being eaten alive by a dragon. There are also slides- including the always popular tunnel slide, poles, sets of twisty bars and ladders to climb, bridges to cross, and more. My kids spent our entire time on this structure, and would have stayed longer if I hadn't eventually dragged them away. The smaller structure, meant for smaller children, is age-appropriate, but most kids will get one look at Mount Dragon and leave it's smaller sibling in the rear-view.

A row of parking spaces is available in front of the playing field, all the way on the opposite side of the park from the playground. The pool house contains bathrooms that I assume would be open to any young child doing the pee-pee dance, and, as if in cahoots, a working water fountain is readily available as well.

My kids enjoyed the Vera Gibbs Playground immensely, with my daughter giving it high marks. "I really, really like the ladder that is first straight up and then turns." She said. "I also like the tunnel slide. And the dragon steps." She might have gone on longer, naming each and every aspect of the park, but the lure of the structure took over and she ran back to play.

Playground: Gould Park

Location: The corner of Washington and Ashford.

Drive down Ashford on your way into Dobbs Ferry from the Saw Mill and you will pass this community destination. Surrounded by a village swimming pool the high school baseball fields, Gould Park is a great place to stop for a breather on a lazy day, or on any other day for that matter.

Parking can generally be found on Washington, and parents will appreciate the large volume of shade readily available for those looking to escape the glare of a hot summer sun. The park consists of a large grassy area dotted with trees and picnic tables, a basketball court, and a long, thin playground with wood chip flooring.

The playground includes one medium-sized structure with the usual slides, poles, and bridges, swings, a four-way see-saw, and one of those zip-line things that little kids are always clamoring to try but are too short to reach without the help of a parent. Adjacent to the playground is a decent-sized sandbox, which generally houses an errant sand toy or two.

Gould Park is surprisingly resilient, with enough varied attractions to have remained one of our family's favorite for many years. We've spent afternoons kicking a ball around the field, rocking out on the four-way see-saw, and swinging until my arms fell off. I asked my four year old what he liked best about Gould Park and he answered, "The whole playground."

Playground: Memorial Park

Location: The corner of Chestnut and Palisades.

Memorial Park is a small playground catering to small children. There's a play structure with slides, steps, poles, and the like, a series of baby swings, and a small climbing wall of bars and fake rock standing about three feet high. Walk a few feet and pass through a gate and you reach Memorial Pool, which is a small wading pool for kids (town members can join for the season).

A child older than five or six will quickly become bored, but any parent or caretaker of multiple toddlers will relish this quiet, shady playground as a sanctuary where their youngster can frolic without getting run over by rambunctious seven year olds.

Parking is available on the street, and there are plenty of benches available for parents to sit down, take a load off, kick back, and relax. When I asked my four year old for his opinion on the park, he happily pontificated. "I like the slide. And those steps. And those steps. And those steps. And I like the climbing wall."