Smith is Open!

If you're getting tired of your neighborhood playground, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Smith's playground is opening for the season today! I know this is late notice to catch their "Play-a-Palooza" grand opening (10am-1pm today), but don't fret. Here are their seasonal hours:
Playground
(for children 10 and under)

10am – 4pm Tuesday-Friday

10am – 7pm Saturdays and Sundays

Playhouse
(for children 5 and under)

10am – 4pm Tuesday-Sunday

Make a note that they are closed on Mondays! I often forget about that and no one needs a car full of excited kids who have to be disappointed when you arrive to a "closed" sign.

The beautiful think about Smith is that there is no cost. It is donation only, even the play house, with three floors of kid-friendly fun.

And there is no food allowed on the playground. Only water is permitted. This is very annoying with little ones, so make sure to fill them up before you get there or have a picnic under the trees out front before heading in. It is a beautiful spot for a picnic. If you go in the play house, there is an area designated for eating.

If you missed it last season, make sure to check out the new addition to the playground: the tot lot. This is a huge play area for little ones that is super cute. There is a full play ship, train, and much more. And the last time I drove by, the scaffolding was finally taken down from the mansion, so you should get a peak at the results.

Go Downtown: A Day of Franklin

Day of Franklin

A fun afternoon or early evening with the kids can be had by doing a mini-tour of places in the city bearing the name of Ben Franklin. This past Saturday evening, ready for a shake-up from the neighborhood playgrounds, we headed in town to meet friends at Franklin Square Park, the wonderful mecca of fun visible off 676 at the 6th street exit. Parking can be tough-- don't be tempted to park illegally on the sidewalk near the park, or risk a hefty $76 ticket (the reasoning "everyone else is doing it" bears no weight with the Parking Authority). But once parking has been found a world of fun activities awaits you.

We've been to this park before and played on the very large and enclosed playground, which has designated areas for tots and for slightly older kids. We've also done the beautiful merry-go-round, with which my son has a love-hate relationship. This night, the agenda included the park's cute and relatively easy mini-golf course ($6 for a child) where two 3 1/2 year old boys had a wildly successful first stab at mini-golf (if, like me, you measure success by a lack of tears, tantrums, and injuries).

We followed our golf game with dinner from Stephen Starr's "Square Burger". Starr has taken over the burger shack in the park, and while the menu is small (think hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers and fries) the items are well-chosen. The veggie burger had well-selected toppings and the meat eaters enjoyed their selections as well. The summer salad I had included green beans and corn, and the buttermilk ranch dressing was so good I found myself lapping up the extra with french fries when my salad was gone! We passed on the yummy looking treats (including, no joke, a butterscotch krimpet milkshake-- a whole new reason to love Starr) because our night included desert elsewhere.

After our dinner on one of the many large picnic tables and a visit to the very clean restrooms, we headed out of the park, past the giant sand-sculpture of the 2009 World Series Phillies, down 6th Street to Arch, and turned left, where we took in Ben Franklin's grave site at the back of Christ Church. Many visitors throw pennies on his grave, and last time we walked by an impersonator who was lecturing on the life of Ben. You can see all this from just outside the gate at 5th and Arch.

This was a mere pit stop on the way to our next destination-- Franklin Fountain, at 116 Market. A true old fashioned ice cream and soda shoppe. The soda jerks (I love getting to use that word properly) wear old-time costumes and the ice cream and fountain sodas are delicious. Perhaps a bit on the pricey side, but quite large. My son and I split a hot fudge sundae (homemade ice cream and fudge) and were filled to the brim. We happily walked back to the car and drove back home with happy memories of our day with Ben!

NB: We had one unplanned stop on the way to Franklin Fountain because when we walked by the pet store Doggie Style at 3rd and Market, we found that they had SPCA kittens living in a cat condo in the front window. The cats are all friendly and they let kids walk into the window display and play with the kitties. (By the skin of my teeth I got out of there without a new cat-- they are all up for adoption!). I guess, however, Franklin would prefer cats to dogs, since he is famed for reminding us that "He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas."

Let's Play: Smith Playground

A Philadelphia treasure for over one hundred years, the Smith Playground and Playhouse is undergoing yet another addition to its list of attractions. The "tot lot" will be dedicated to outdoor play for children under five and will be located directly behind the playhouse. At the same time, repairs continue to Smith's beautiful terra cotta roof. So don't let the scaffolding or the construction vehicles in front of the building fool you, however. Smith is open for business.

Built in 1899 through the generosity of Richard and Sarah Smith, the playhouse was built in memory of their son Stanfield in East Fairmount Park. A directions link is below but suffice it to say it's probably ten minutes from all of us. As opposed to many of the mansions in Fairmount Park, the home was never lived in by the family but built instead specifically for the children of Philadelphia. The design encourages open spaces with plenty of room to run. In the last ten years, the entire facility has undergone a rejuvenation like no other that continues with the new construction.

The first floor features a reading room with books of all shapes and sizes. There is also a miniature wooden kitchen, a train and a small wooden house. We've spent hours on this floor alone.

The basement is where Smith keeps all its riding toys for young children. It features working stop lights. On the second floor, there are literally hundreds of toys in a large space that encourages interaction but also a puppet show or two. The actually playhouse is open all year but is restricted to children under five. A great kitchen and seating area to host a birthday party shares the first floor.

The big difference in the property in the last ten years is the outdoor playground. It is the home of the world famous wooden slide. Built in 1905, there are many scary moments waited to be had with a potato sack on the way down this slide. Beautifully restored in 2005, there is nothing like the first trip down for a youngster (and for you for that matter). The outdoor playground is open to children under ten from April through October. Behind the slide (in the area of the new Tot Lot) are new swings, an updated witches' hat and plenty of interactive balance beams.

"It is," as my six year old nephew described it, "the biggest playground in town."

Oh, one more thing about Smith that's good to know. It's free. The employees will politely ask for a donation but this hidden gem in Fairmount Park is completely free. Now if they just passed out free cheesesteaks and had a TV for sports, it might just be the best place in the world. They will not be doing that in the near future, however, because no food or drink is allowed in either the playhouse or out in the playground. Remember to keep this in mind. I let my kids snack up in the car after our visit.

Don't be scared by the scaffolding or the digging, it all means an even better Smith next year. Cabin fever on a Saturday or Sunday before the cold sets in? Even after? Smith Playground has been the answer for over one hundred years.

Let's Play: The Wyndmoor Playground

As a parent, the search for great playgrounds never ends.  There does not seem to be one "perfect" playground out there.  Some have great shade, but no baby swings.  Others have huge sand boxes, but no play structures for toddlers.

  

And even if you do have all the luck and have found the playground that is just right for your kids, you still need to mix it up occasionally.  We all know how bored children can get with the same old place and even we need a change of scene from time to time.

So if you need a playground to add to your emergency list, we have a great one for you that many of you may not know about yet.  If you follow Willow Grove Avenue out of Chestnut Hill and cross over Stenton Avenue, you will be in the beautiful neighborhood of Wyndmoor.  And amidst these wonderful old houses, tucked back behind a medical building, (just a few blocks outside Chestnut Hill) you will find a play ground that is very near "perfect."

The Wyndmoor playground has just about everything you could be looking for:  baby and big kid swings, a large sand pit with a few separate sand boxes filled with toys, a fun play structure with slides, a large field for running and playing ball, benches for tired parents, a picnic table, water fountain, lots of shade, and even a small wooden play house.

And your kids will love being greeted by the elephant statue that kneels in the sandbox at the middle of the park.  Be ready with your cameras for an elephant-riding picture! 

The playground does not have a fence surrounding it, but this is not usually an issue since the park is so large and is bordered on two sides by trees and bushes.  There are also two areas on the top of the climbing structure that are not blocked off, so be ware with small ones.  The playground is lacking a climber for toddlers, but little ones will love the sand and toys!

If you're driving, there is a parking lot at the side of the playground, behind the medical buildings.

The playground is located on East Hartwell Lane, between Ardmore and Flourtown Avenues.

Let's Play: Lutheran Seminary Playground - The Best Kept Secret in Mt. Airy

Down a driveway off of Gowen, half a block from Germantown Ave., in the middle of the grounds of the Lutheran Seminary, you can find the quietest, best contained toddler playground around.

Fenced in, with both baby swings and big kid swings, a sandbox with toys, a playhouse, a climber, and some small ride on cars, this is the best playground I've found for sitting on a bench while your toddler or young pre-schooler explores.

There is also a nice, large and shaded grassy area outside the fence that is great for before or after-playground picnics.

Don't be discouraged if you get there and the gate is locked. This seems to happen much more often during winter on colder or not-quite-rainy overcast days.

If you head down the walkway along the parking lot and away from Gowen to the glass fronted building, you can find a security guard inside who will open the playground for you. There are also bathrooms inside in case you can't make it home and water fountains for thirsty little ones.