2015 UPDATE: This playground is currently under construction! The former playground was determined to have reached its useful life and a huge fundraising campaign took place to build a brand new play area. Construction is currently in progress and hopefully the new playground will be constructed soon! Visit their site for the most up-to-date information.
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You may remember a post I did a few weeks ago about the new library in Ridgefield. Well that outing was part of a morning playdate with a good friend and she wanted to not only show me their new library, but also the playground right across the street.
After an hour or so at the library, we packed up the kids and headed to the Imagination Station Playground, located in Ballard Park.
It was a very quick walk from the library to the playground. I didn’t even bring a stroller with me and it was no problem for me and my friend to get across the street with our almost two-year olds. The map below may help a little with the layout of the area and the distance between the library and the park. I’ve also noted on the map the spot where we grabbed a bite to eat after our playground adventures. But more on that at the end of the post.
As we walked up to the playground, I immediately noticed that it was fully enclosed. I think angels might have started singing overhead. I just love fully fenced-in playgrounds! Yay! Makes life so much easier.
Actually, not only was it a fully enclosed playground, but it was broken up into two sections: one for the younger crowd and one for the older crowd. It was heaven.
As we approached, I noticed that a lot of the strollers were parked outside the playground area. Might be a good option if you don’t need your stroller while enjoying the playground.
I found it interesting that the ground cover in the bigger kids area was bark chips and in the little kids area it was sand. Just be aware in case you have a little one who still puts things in their mouth. They may be eating some sand for their morning snack 🙂
We made our way through the main gate, past the big kids playground and through the second gate into the little kids play area. The sand certainly kept our little munchkins entertained.
But so did the baby swings and all the other play equipment in this space.
And I loved that there were benches available inside for the mommies.
Right outside the gated playground were a few port-a-potties for those bathroom emergencies.
The kids played for a while (and my friend and I actually got a few moments to sit and chat) and then we headed back out of the playground and made our way to the shopping center next door for lunch.
Supposedly there are several eating destinations within walking distance from the park, but my friend suggested a new restaurant in the area, Prime Burger. I was glad she did because I was definitely craving a burger and I knew Sweetheart would be in heaven with a plate of sweet potato fries in front of her. Ordering at Prime Burger was quick (you order at the counter) and then they brought us our food when it was ready.
Wow, we were busy this morning. Playtime and a drop-in class at the new Ridgefield Public Library, then a little outdoor playtime at Imagination Station Playground at Ballard Park, followed by lunch at Prime Burger [and then hopefully finishing with a nap for the ride home].
We had such a fun time! I can’t wait to go back for another visit and see even more of the cute town of Ridgefield!
Imagination Station Playground at Ballard Park
Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut
Follow the Ridgefield Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook!
Hours:
I’m assuming the hours are sunrise to sunset but I didn’t see any signage with more details.
Pricing: FREE
Details:
- Stroller Friendly: YES. Many of the moms with strollers, left them outside the playground area. The ground covering in the playground is bark chips for the big kids area and sand for the little kids area. You could get your stroller in there if you need to, but probably it is better to leave it outside if you don’t need it.
- Coffee Mug Friendly: YES.
- Baby Changing Station: NO.
- Restrooms: YES. Port-a-potties are available near the playground.
- Parking: FREE parking is available at the library across the street or in the shopping center next door.
- Food for Sale: NO. No food is available for sale at the playground, but there were plenty of restaurants located near by. We ended up having lunch at the nearby Prime Burger restaurant.
- Outside Food Allowed: YES.
- Cash Required: NO.
- Dress Code: NO.
- Evening/Weekend Hours: YES.
Playground Features:
- Bark chip ground covering for the big kids play area
- Sand ground covering for the little kids play area
- A separate play area for the big kids and the little kids
- Baby swings
- Slides
- A large play structure and a few smaller structures
- Fully-fenced in play ground for both the big and little kids
- The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school serves families from over 20 communities.
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