Memorial Park (Stowe, Vermont)

You know when the music swells at the end of the movie and you get the happily-ever-after ending you’d been hoping for?
That’s the feeling I got with this park.
We rounded the corner, and it was like a mirage of playground amazingness. I had tears. Really. Ask my husband.

This was our third summer trip to Stowe and each time before I’d thought “It’s really weird that there’s no playground for the town kids”, and we’d just hung out at the Golden Eagle Resort’s playground (review here!)

Before this trip I did a little Google searching and found that there IS a park that was built in 2008, there just isn’t much mention of it on the Stowe website or any pictures that I could find.

We were so, SO happy that we took the walk after lunch at the Depot Street Malt Shop (park is just around the corner and beside the school and the new arena). Because it was AWESOME. It is one of the best playgrounds we’ve been to, and by now we’ve gone to over 130 in Montreal! (edited to add: 530 as of fall 2016!)

So…the park.
The large play structure is bigger than my house. And sadly (for me), I’m not actually kidding. There are two huge levels with slides and monkey bars, and ziplines, and rock climbing, and bridges, and more super-duper high slides (yes, I screamed), and music things to hit and…..really, it just never seemed to end. The thing I loved the most is that it is safe, there’s room to run around, and there are STAIRS to get up to the second level!
It went something like this…”This play structure would be perfect if there were stairs to the second level…..OMG! There are stairs there!!!”
Part of the first level is also wheelchair accessible.

Then there is the toddler climber. Stairs, toadstools to climb, slides, room to walk around, and a bubble window to look through.

In this little section there are also baby swings, a reduced mobility swing, a double ride-on bumblebee that the brothers loved, and a sandbox that was filled with sand toys.

THEN, there are big swings, a tire swing, a geodesic dome climber AND an Xccent X-wave. With instructions!
There are also beautiful stone benches with inspirational quotes and some picnic tables, AND a porta potty.

Man alive, it was impressive. Well done Stowe.

The playground is used by the adjoining elementary school during recess, and I would guess also after school, though since we were there during the summer it was very quiet.

 

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