Genesee Valley Park, Rochester NY

Friends recommended the playground at Genesee Valley Park this summer and we finally made a visit.

This is a Monroe County park on the banks of the Genesee River where it connects to the New York State Barge Canal. Also Rt. 390 cuts through the middle of it.

We had a little trouble finding which section of the park contains the playground -- should have checked the map first --  but it was easy to find once we got the right entrance. (We came in from Elmwood Ave. and the turn is just directly opposite the entrance to the University of Rochester).

The playground at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester NY

The Good: The play structures are excellent!


There is a big structure for older kids, which is actually quite toddler friendly. It has a ramp and stairs that are easy to climb and the bridge has railings all the way to the floor, a nice safety feature. The slides are too high for little ones, but it offers plenty of other activities.

Play structure for older kids at Genesee Valley Park.

Older kids' play structure from the other side.

My 5-year-old loved that the monkey bars are low enough for her to reach.

Monkey bars are under the bridge.

The play structure for ages 2 to 5 is smaller, but also nice. The mulch is running a little low so my 2-year-old needed help getting down at the bottom of the slides, but she still enjoyed playing on it.

Preschool playground structure at Genesee Valley Park.

The playground has two toddler swings and two rigid swings for older kids, all on one frame. The map shows a bathroom near the parking lot, just a short walk from the playground.

The Bad: No shade. No benches. None at all!!

This seems crazy in a park so full of shade trees and huge shady pavilions. Did nobody think to put a little something near the playground? It all alone in a wide open field under the scorching sun. This would not be a pleasant place to hang out at noon in mid-summer.

 Overall: Excellent playground, just bring sun hats.

Or do what we did, which is to take a break in the shadier areas of the park -- which are many.

Nice paved paths (stroller- and bicycle-friendly) lead to the Genesee River and the canal. And unlike typical canal paths, these are a good distance from the edge of the water so I was slightly less worried about the kids falling in.

Powder Mills Park, Pittsford NY

We met friends this morning at the playground at Powder Mills Park (154 Park Road, Pittsford, NY), which we'd never been to before.

It's near Bushnell's Basin and not far from Eastview Mall, easy to get to from Rt. 490.

The Good: Beautiful surroundings. There are wooded trails, creeks with bridges and a fish hatchery that even toddlers can enjoy.

The playground, a short drive from the hatchery, has a structure for 2- to 5-year-olds and a structure for 5- to 12-year-olds, two rocking cars and swings (two rigid seat big-kid swings, one baby swing and one baby swing without a front).

The rocking cars

The little kid play structure.

The big kid play structure, with monkey bars.

The wood mulch is the freshest I've ever seen, though a few of the playground bits were broken (one wrapped in duct tape). There were a few picnic tables and benches in the shade. We laid down a picnic blanket under a shady tree. A good-sized parking lot is right nearby.

View of a bench in the shade, taken from the parking lot.

The Bad: No bathrooms. Or more accurately, plenty of bathrooms but they're locked. Unless your kid is comfortable going in the woods, you might want to make a potty stop at the fish hatchery (the only unlocked bathrooms we found) before driving to the playground.

The playground itself has very little shade.

Overall: A nice playground, though the hot sun and lack of bathroom made our first trip here short. We'll prepare better next time.

Seneca Park, Rochester NY

We checked out a playground today near the Seneca Park Zoo. It's part of the larger Seneca Park (2222 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY) designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. There are at least two playgrounds in this park. We visited the one on the right as you drive in to the zoo, next to zoo parking.

The Good: What a great playground!

It has a play structure for 2- to 5-year-olds and a play structure for 5- to 12-year-olds, a swing set with two big kids swings and two toddler swings, two benches and oodles of shade.

We went at mid-day and almost every part was in the shade.

Everything is close together for easy supervising. Both structures have good railings so if a toddler happened to sneak over to the big one it wouldn't be terrible.

The smaller structure has long-ish slides, a play window and steering wheel, which kept even my older kid entertained.

Play structure for 5- to 12-year-olds.

Play structure for 2- to 5-year-olds.

Two toddler swings and two big-kid swings.

The Bad: It's hard to find anything wrong with this one. The bathroom is a single portable outhouse, but it's better than nothing.

Overall: This is the perfect place to stop before or after a visit to the zoo. Compared this to the playground inside the zoo, which gets so crowded by mid-day that I lose my kids right in front of me. Here were had a quiet lunch in the shade and the kids had a much better playground mostly to themselves.

Manhattan Square Park, Rochester NY

We checked out Manhattan Square Park (353 Court St, Rochester, NY) this morning after a trip to The Strong National Museum of Play.

It is by far the strangest playground we've ever seen. We noticed it as we drove into the museum, not sure if it was a sculpture park or play structures, and wandered over to check it out. I'm so glad we did.

The Good: So unusual! The climbing domes were great for our 5-year-old and also a toddler playing nearby. Our 5-year-old made it maybe half-way up, so it would challenge older kids, too. The tallest structure felt pretty safe with my 2-year-old -- great railings and fences -- and, though she was too frightened to try the long slides, other little ones were shooting down happily. The rubber ground surface was nice. There were some benches for adults and even a little shade at mid-day.

The Bad: We found bits of a broken beer bottle at the base of one the climbing walls. Watch out! Also, downtown parking could be an issue. There's not much shelter from the sun for the kids while they're playing.

Overall: This is a fun stop if you're already in the city with your kids. I'm not sure I'd come here as a destination. The elements seem designed for preschool age and up, though (broken glass aside) it generally seemed safe for toddlers, too.

On our way back to The Strong we saw a family having a picnic on a tiny island of grass in the parking lot. They probably didn't realize that in just a short walk they could have sat on shady benches or tables next to the Manhattan Square Park reflecting pools (below) and let the kids climb around a little on the playground before their drive home.

Harris Whalen Park, Penfield NY

Harris Whalen Park (2126 Penfield Rd) is a beautiful park right near the intersection of Routes 250 and 441, across from Wegmans. It also happens to be accessible from the parking lot of the Gymnastics Training Center, where my daughters have taken classes.

There are two playgrounds. This one is at the top of the hill near the water tower.

The Good: Plenty of shade, benches, fun little climbing dome, big parking lot, a big covered pavilion, bathrooms, near woodland trails and grassy hills.
The Bad: Not a good playground for toddlers. I followed my 2-year-old nervously on the structure, afraid she would fall off in the big gaps under railings and the climbing element openings. All the slides are large and there's nothing toddler sized. Also, the vintage metal animals don't rock anymore.


The other playground is down the hill, tucked in between the basketball courts and tennis courts.

The Good: Lots of monkey bar-type elements. Seems a little safer for younger kids climbing, though this one also is for older kids -- the sign says it's for ages 5 to 12.
The Bad: No shade. No benches. A long walk uphill to the bathrooms.

There are some swings a short walk from this lower playground

The park would be a wonderful place for a picnic. Also, a great place to go with older children or a mixed age group, especially if some want to play sports while the little ones play on the playground.

The playgrounds themselves are not appropriate for the littlest children, but if you bring a ball or just let them run it's a pleasant place to spend a morning.