Yesterday was a full-on Boulder playground adventure. We packed snacks, water, and all our monster voices, then hit the road to explore as many parks as we could before dinner. Here’s how the day played out, straight from the expert herself—Margot, age 5, fearless climber and playground connoisseur.
🌿 Greenleaf Park
Rating: 3 out of 5
Our day began at Greenleaf Park. It’s got a pretty minimal setup—just a basic play structure and a swingset—but Margot discovered a cozy little “home” underneath the platform. That quickly became the base for our monster game (I was the monster, of course). Not the flashiest spot, but she made the most of it.
🌳 Emma Gomez Martinez Park
Rating: 10 out of 5 (Margot math!)
This one took Margot by surprise. The trees and little stream running alongside the playground made it feel like a hidden world. “Everything here is plastic,” she noted, but that didn’t stop her from falling in love with the place. Accessing the stream took some creative climbing, but once we got down to it, it became a full-blown pretend hut. Climbing equipment got a “pretty mid” review, but overall? “Ten out of five stars!”
🚫 University Hill (Uni Hill) Park
Rating: Boooo!
Unfortunately, this one was closed and locked. Big letdown. Margot rattled the gate and declared the whole thing “boring.” I’m guessing they’ve had problems with people messing up the playground. Too bad.
** 🏖️ Chautauqua Park**
Rating: 5 out of 5
One of the big winners of the day. An amazing play structure and real-life woods to explore. Margot found a cool climbing tree and built a secret “fun house” in the brush nearby. They also spent time playing on the pretend fifth flatiron, it felt like adventuring on the edge of the wilderness—if the wilderness also had monkey bars. The playstructure here was amazing, three stories with a huge slide.
🌲 Beach Park
Rating: 5 stars
Two smaller structures here, but Margot found “special places” on top of the play sets where she could perch and narrate her own stories. We had a quiet, imaginative play session in the shade, with just enough space to get lost in her own little world.
🪨 Eben G. Fine Park
Rating: 5 stars
The playground itself is showing its age—the slides are worn and the telephone game was broken—but Margot didn’t care. She saw rocks. Big, climbable rocks. That was all it took. She scrambled up and down them like a little mountain goat and gave the whole place a full 5 stars on rock merit alone.
📚 Main Library Park
Rating: 5 stars!
We wrapped up the day with a visit to the library playground. Big, wide slide? Check. Splash features? Check. Room to run? Absolutely. Margot zoomed, splashed, and giggled her way to the finish line of an epic day.
Final Thoughts
Seven parks in one day—one closed gate, multiple imaginary homes, monster games, rock climbs, and slide races. Margot declared it “one of the best playground days ever.” And honestly? I think she’s right.
We’ll definitely revisit some of these soon—especially if the stream at Emma Gomez stays magical and the climbing tree at Chautauqua keeps whispering secrets.