Illustration by Aron Rook
When I was a younger mom, my boys would play anywhere. It was all about action, speed, who could slide down first, and who could swing the highest.
But my daughter was much pickier. She preferred playtime venues where she could role play, serve as captain on her own pirate ship, or schoolmarm wayward boys aboard her spaceship.
Harrisburg has some excellent playgrounds, and nothing beats free, outdoor entertainment that will exhaust your littles and make the other parents in your playdate group say, “They’ll sleep good tonight.” For parents, especially those with multiple children to run after, a fenced playground with only one gate is a plus. And so are parent benches, with cupholders optional.
While some of the more conventional playgrounds have the typical swing/slide/monkey bar combos, other more offbeat Harrisburg playgrounds stand apart from the others—with distinctive built-in features inspiring max levels of creativity.
I’ve rounded up some of the more unique parks in Harrisburg.
Un-bored Game
The City of Harrisburg contains an inspired work of art in its life-sized version of Chutes and Ladders at Reservoir Park. With its unusual features built into the park’s natural, 50-foot sloping hillside, and its spongy footholds, the color scheme and crazy mazes feel like being inside the pages of a Dr. Seuss book.
I have to admit, I tried to navigate the game myself, but with my dog, Lucy, tugging me along, I didn’t play for long. Many neighborhood kids wandered over to pet Lucy, while the older siblings designated as their babysitters made sure the many benches scattered throughout the park didn’t blow away. Rather than answer my “kid on the street” questions about things they liked about the playground, the kids were more interested in seeing if my dog wanted to slide.
For now, the Chutes and Ladders game location sits surrounded by fence portions, even if it is just orange construction mesh. Harrisburg is currently renovating Reservoir Park to include a new splash pad with water features.
In addition to the benches, there’s a table underneath a shaded umbrella and a pavilion. If you move your seat a few times, you can keep track of your littles. You can track even better if you are the designated game spinner.
If you bring your family at the right time, you can catch Free Shakespeare in the Park, or maybe even a concert.
King of the Hill
In Swatara Township, just off Paxton Street, the Oasis Playground has a busy number of distinct features, like a fortress atop a hill. The playground is situated on the edge of the parking lot of Living Water Community Church amidst the flags of many nations, welcoming everyone to come and play. And it’s built above a soft surface, just in case my little grand-cherub slips off the perch of her Rapunzel tower.
If safety is first, then security is safety’s BFF. Seated at one of the three hexagonal tables underneath a shady umbrella, one woman, Olivia, said she likes the extra security measure of a fenced-in playground. “I don’t have to worry about my three kids running out the other side [of the playground],” she said.
The space itself is about 2,000 square feet, which is about half the size of a standard basketball court. The play features aren’t labeled, but you can easily see where the play zones are logically divided by age groups. Little kids like to swing on these things, and bigger kids like to hang upside-down off those things. And if your little prince or princess needs some extra assistance, this playground is wheelchair accessible, with plenty of ramps and slides.
All Welcome
My favorite local Harrisburg playground is Possibility Place in Thomas B. George Jr. Park, Lower Paxton Township. My bias is not just a case of location, location, location. Labeled “The Playground for All Children,” the fenced-in area is centrally situated between several multi-purpose fields, shaded in many spots at the right times of day, and has spongy ground for soft landings. In addition to being shaped like a castle surrounded by a giant moat, kids can play with built-in learning stations hidden all around, or climb the rock wall.
Bill, a father of three, likes to bring his kids to Possibility Place to blow off steam. His boys were each involved in sports activities taking place in three different surrounding fields, and they met at Possibility Place when practice concluded. “It’s close to home, and the boys really like it here,” he said.
An all-inclusive playground, your kids can play in Possibility Place regardless of age or ability, and there’s built-in wheelchair accessibility. With the pavilion nearby and benches near the playground’s entrance, you can gossip, ahem, catch up with the other parents in your playdate group while your kids tire themselves out to the point of “sleeping good tonight.”
Reservoir Park is located at 100 Concert Dr., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.harrisburgpa.gov.
Oasis Playground is located at 206 Oakleigh Ave., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.oasiscommunitypartnership.org.
Thomas B. George Jr. Park is located at Nyes Road and Heatherfield Way, Paxtonia. For more information, visit www.lowerpaxton-pa.gov.
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