I’ll be honest. It’s not often that I go out of the way to visit a new-to-me playground. I’ve got a couple of decent options in the town that I live in and why drive two towns over for a playground that’s probably not all that different from what I’ve got around the corner, right? Well in the case of the recently-renovated-and-OAAM-reader-recommended Butternut Hollow Park in Middletown, I couldn’t have been more wrong 🙂
In all seriousness, my family does enjoy outdoor play quite a bit and we have a deep appreciation for a truly excellent playground, so on a sunny afternoon last week I loaded up Bug and Bean and made the trek out to Middletown to see what all the fuss was about.
Source: Google Maps
The playground in Butternut Hollow Park is located at the corner of Butternut Street and Thomas Street, and the parking lot entrance is on Thomas Street.
Source: Google Maps
There is a parking lot right next to the playground. However, it’s not a huge parking lot, so on busy days it could easily fill up.
Butternut Hollow did not disappoint! This playground is truly more than meets the eye…and even at first sight it’s something to behold.
The park is clean and, unlike many new(er) playgrounds I have visited, it’s nestled among some mature trees that offer plenty of delicious shade on hot summer days. The playground surface is made from that wonderful springy stuff that not only cushions those unforeseen falls, but makes it that much easier to take a toddler along with you (no mulch for them to stuff in those little mouths!).
There’s a pond adjacent to the playground area (we saw several Canada Geese AND a Great Blue Heron while we were there!), quite a few park benches, and two separate covered picnic areas perfect for an outdoor lunch or snack break.
The playground equipment itself was very impressive too. Lots of climbing equipment, a smaller playscape for the littles (including a cool swing–pictured below–that was ideal for a big kid like Bug and a baby like Bean to enjoy together), and an ENORMOUS 3-tier playscape geared toward kids 5 and up.
There were also a few interactive sound-making types of devices, including at least a couple of electronic ones that were operated via touch-sensors. Bean really enjoyed the one in the big-kid playground that made piano sounds:
It was awesome! The only less-than-ideal thing about this playground is that the only bathrooms are port-o-potties (not pictured because we all know what a port-o-potty looks like), but that’s pretty par-for-the-course as parks go. It’s located right off the parking area so if you’ve got a potty emergency, you can’t miss it 🙂
We spent at least an hour at Butternut Hollow and Bug still nearly lost his mind with grief when I told him it was time to go. I had to swear on my life that we would come back again just to get him in the car. You’ve been warned.
And truthfully, we’ll absolutely be going back. Because, despite the fact that we discovered quite a bit during our trip, I didn’t notice these signs until we were on the way to the car:
As I said, I’d already gone through all of the theatrics of telling a 4-year-old it’s time to go when he REALLY didn’t want to, so I wasn’t about to undermine myself by saying “Ohhhh nevermind! Let’s just check out this one more cool thing that you’re sure to love!” Additionally, in the interest of full disclosure, when I saw a sign at a perfectly beautiful park encouraging me to get out my phone and download an app in order to enjoy the outdoors more, I gave a fairly epic eye-roll. However, upon further investigation, I think I have to revisit my initial judgement.
Have you heard of a Biba Playground? Because I sure hadn’t! The concept is actually pretty interesting. Essentially, you download the free Biba Play Tracker on your device and create an account. From there you can download interactive games that “enhance” your playground experience and spark your child’s imagination. The most important aspect of this idea for me, however, is that the games are designed to get your child engaging with the playground equipment, not stare at a screen. The creators of the whole Biba experience emphasize that the supervising adult should be holding the phone the whole time and, even though your child will stop and look at the screen periodically, it’s roughly a 10% screen-time, 90% play-time split. All of this is WAY different than the initial impression I got from just looking at the sign.
So if this is something that might interest you, now you can download the app ahead of time, create your account, and be ready to go when you get there (unlike me). And that’s why you read Out and About Mom, right? You’re welcome 🙂
All told, it was obviously still a very enjoyable experience even without the app. The Biba games are just a great excuse to get back out there and enjoy Butternut Hollow Park again, pinky-swear promise or no!
Let us know in the comments if you’ve been to this park and, if you have tried the app, what you thought. I’ll be sure to share an update after my family checks it out too!
Butternut Hollow Park
66 Thomas Street, Middletown, Connecticut
(This is the address I found; the playground is at the corner of Butternut Street and Thomas Street and the parking lot entrance is, indeed, on Thomas Street)
For questions or more information, you can contact the Middletown Recreation Department.
Hours:
Dawn to dusk (I think)
Pricing:
FREE!
Details:
Stroller Friendly: YES
Coffee Mug Friendly: YES
Restroom: YES (port-o-potties)
Baby Changing Station: NO
Parking: YES
Food for Sale: NO
Outside Food Allowed: YES
Cash Required: NO
Age Recommendations: ALL AGES
Dress Code: Play clothes! I’d also suggest closed-toe shoes for all the climbing that will likely be done.
Evening/Weekend Hours: YES
Discounts: N/A
Birthday Party Venue: Sure! Why not! ?
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