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.
Nice in-city park, unique structures. But inappropriate graffiti inside the slides.
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