Coan Playground: Kirkwood & Edgewood: 25 points

Today we visited a new-to-us park: 

Coan Playground

1530 Woodbine Avenue Southeast Atlanta, GA 30317

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The 411

Neighborhood: Edgewood and Kirkwood

Time of day visited: late afternoon (4 PM)

Season visited: late Spring (May)

Built: 2007

Coan Playground is located at the end of a larger park and surrounded by part of the PATH system. It is in a residential area with public transit options (we saw 2 buses) and lots of sidewalk options.

Initial Impressions

We went at a busy time of day and it was awesome! So many kids and moms (and even a dad) so it was fun for Cutie Face AND for me. 

I could not believe how big it was! It had something for everyone including us adults. Basketball courts, football fields, tennis courts, pavilions, shady picnic area, hills to run up and down, even a big brick grill under a gazebo!

The first thing we noticed were the ramps--

on closer inspection we learned that Coan Park was the first Boundless Playground in Atlanta meaning that even kids with disabilities can play on it! How nice! It definitely made it easy to wheel the double around as well.

I was also very impressed that, despite visiting during the heat of the day, the playground was not "very hot" (as Cutie Face often claims at other playgrounds). 

Upon my own inspection, i found she was right--the yellow and white apparatuses were cool to the touch and the red and blue were just warm not scalding. SUPER nice. The heat factor often derails our afternoon plans to play at a park so i'll remember that i can still choose to visit Coan in the afternoon.

I spoke with one mommy who said that there used to be a Rec Center that had great community programs and bathrooms. Sadly, it's been (at least, temporarily) closed for now which means NO restrooms.

The Cuties and I give it a rating of 25 points for its entertainment value (lots of swings, kids, and other creative playing opportunities), location, and because we will most definitely be revisiting it! The one downside was the lack of bathrooms. With a potty-trained toddler, you want restrooms close at hand. Next time we'll just bring along our own potty...still, a GREAT playground.

(and a few pics of the Cutie Face in action)

i like it when i recognize playgear they had at parks when i was little

Welcome to Atlanta Playgrounds!

Welcome to my new blog! The Cuties and I LOVE to explore new parks within running (and sometimes driving) distance. 

Since we're always trying out new playgrounds, I thought I'd share what we found with the rest of the mommies, nannies, daddies, and kiddos playing in the Atlanta area. 

Besides the basics of neighborhood, type of playground, location, date built, time of day and season that i went, etc., I'll be reviewing each playground based on:

1. Kid Fun Factor

• Playground for younger kids (1-4)--1 point
• Playground for older kids (5+)--1 point
• Playground for BOTH age groups--3 points
• Baby swings -- 1 point/swing
• height--tall enough for adults to push = 1 extra bonus point
• Big Kid swings--1 point/swing

2. Safety

• Is it in a safe location? -1 point if I'm uncomfortable while at the park; -2 if i leave because of that!
• Are there other kids playing? are they having fun? +1 (i realize this factor can be dependent on time of day and season but i like company so i'm awarding it a point if i find fellow playground goers)

3. Accessibility

• Can it be accessed by disabled children or adults? + 3 if so!
• Easy to get to via sidewalk? + 2 if you can walk there easily

4. Amenities

• Does it have shade? Trees, tent covers, etc? +1
• Is it WAY TOO HOT and the slides, swings, etc. burn the kids? -1
• Does it have a water fountain? +1
• Does it have green grass to run around (+1) or is it just bare bones playground (0)? 
• Is the surface soft and bouncy? (-1 if not, 0 if yes)
• Maintenance-is it in good condition (0 if yes, -2 if yucky)
• Are there bathrooms?
• +1 if yes
• 0 if no
• +1 if opened year round
• +1 if there are kiddo-sized potties!

5. Revisitability

• clearly this is my own term BUT if it is a fun enough park that we want to revisit, it gets +3 points

***Currently i have no plans of reviewing parks without playgrounds but i am open to suggestions, especially as our kiddos get older and aren't dependent on the playground to have fun in a park!  I will, however, make note if there are things for adults to do outside of the playground that we visited.***

LET ME KNOW IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO REVIEW A PLAYGROUND!

email me now (to avoid spammers, you can find my email in my profile)!

{Please note: I am in no way associated with any of these playgrounds nor their maintenance, liability, current status of them, etc. I am simply reviewing the playgrounds based on what I and my two Cuties have experienced.}