Kemp Mill Urban Park
1200 Arcola Avenue Wheaton, MD 20902
https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/kemp-mill-urban-park/
Kemp Mill Urban Park is one of our favorite parks for bigger kids. While it does have a few structures for younger kids, including a playhouse, swings and a small slide, many of the activities in this park are more appropriate for kids who are about 6 or older.
This playground is home to one of the largest tube slides we've encountered in the area. In order to go down it, kids have to climb up a set of ropes and pull themselves into a metal enclosure at the top of the slide. This style of equipment keeps kids who aren't ready off, but also could lead to frustration for younger ones who want to go down the enticing super slide but can't. In addition to the large slide, there are lots of ropes to climb throughout the playground, which make for great obstacle courses.
The playground has a 3D climbing shape and a spinning wheel large enough to hold several kids. There's also a unique, accessible basketball court that is contained away from the playground space and a pond with a small walkway around it (but watch out for the geese!).
A bonus to this playground is that it has squishy material under much of the equipment. But the fact that there is very little shade on most of the structures make it good park to visit in the colder months. We went in mid-July and could only last about 10 minutes before we called it quits.
Do you have a favorite local playground? Let us know and we will feature it here!
