Young Life in an Old Town: The Playground at Nannie J. Lee Center Park

In all the years I’ve lived in Old Town, I’ve never visited this recreation center or playground.

That might be because I live in the north part of town and this is on the south end. I followed the Lee Center signs from Henry Street over to Jefferson Street and still puzzled about where the location of the playground, which is officially located at 1108 Jefferson St.

There is a large field, which is ideal for baseball and soccer, on the North end, or “front” end of the recreation center, and the playground is behind the building on the south side.

Sophia and I checked out the playground around 7 p.m. on a cooler than usual recent week night and, with the exception of one person shooting hoops on the basketball court, there wasn’t a single person using any of the outdoor space at the recreation center.

I imagine it’s busy during the day with day campers and children taking lessons and it seems like it would be a nice space for the families who live in walking distance. In addition to the playground, there are tennis courts, a basketball court, and lots green space on the south side of the building. The playground is designed for children five to 12 years of age.

Location: This is primarily a residential area that is adjacent to a heavy traffic route for commuters. It feels surprisingly peaceful back in the park area considering that you can see the highway signs from the park.

Equipment: This is considered a “mini” playground, and there is just one main play structure but it’s a nice one! It has four slides (a tall twisty one for bigger kids and shorter slides for the little ones), a “rock climbing” structure, those swinging bars with rubber on the bottom that create an obstacle course of sorts, and lots of things to climb on, hang from, and run through.

Shade? There are nice trees here that cover some of the picnic benches and provide a decent amount of shade.

For Adults: Several benches and picnic tables.

Fenced? The playground is not separated from the rest of the park by a gate or fence, but the park is bordered by the recreation center, a tall brick wall, and a parking lot some distance away. It seems like a safe place for kids to run around and it doesn’t seem like it would be difficult to keep kids contained.

Bathrooms? You could visit recreation center if they are open during your visit. Otherwise you’ll be pretty far from any kind of public facility.

Miscellaneous: This is a new looking playground with a soft surface and no mulch. According to the sign posted at the park, the playground is constructed of earth-friendly recycled materials with at least 50 percent post consumer content. Whole Foods is named as major contributor to the playground. After all of my park visits this summer, it’s definitely easy to distinguish the newer equipment from the old stuff. I’m not sure if the kids can tell the difference, but it sure is nice to have beautiful clean spaces for our children to play. Bonus points for environmentally friendly materials and shade!