The terrifying playgrounds of the past

[Anonymous]

If you love this post then you'll love this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Playground-Celebration-Playgrounds/dp/1611685125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504475334&sr=8-1&keywords=once+upon+a+playground

I'm a designer and I reference it a lot, mostly for fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Metal slides that would singe your legs going down. Super fun climbing up these slides, too.

Metal/steel playground equipment to include a dome, monkey bars, a dragon, a high slide and low slide, see saws (with tires submerged for cushioning), those metal animals on springs, merry go rounds and best of all, gray pea gravel under our feet. I can hear the crunch crunch sound of all F the kind s running around!

Local to Fairfax County. I'm 48. Anyone else remember playing in retired, gutted airplanes? Recall this was a thing. USAF surplus planes. I remember my fave was in Van Dyck Park in Fairfax.

There use to be a plane out at Cabin John Park playground, too.

I still remember going to the Natural History Museum and getting to climb on the big plastic triceratops out front. That was awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metal slides that would singe your legs going down. Super fun climbing up these slides, too.

Metal/steel playground equipment to include a dome, monkey bars, a dragon, a high slide and low slide, see saws (with tires submerged for cushioning), those metal animals on springs, merry go rounds and best of all, gray pea gravel under our feet. I can hear the crunch crunch sound of all F the kind s running around!

Local to Fairfax County. I'm 48. Anyone else remember playing in retired, gutted airplanes? Recall this was a thing. USAF surplus planes. I remember my fave was in Van Dyck Park in Fairfax.

There use to be a plane out at Cabin John Park playground, too.

I still remember going to the Natural History Museum and getting to climb on the big plastic triceratops out front. That was awesome.

You can still see it at the zoo, but no climbing of course.

[Anonymous]

There is a merry go round I know of. One time a dad spun it ridiculously fast, and I was afraid a toddler would get killed by the hand rails if they attempted to get on board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a merry go round I know of. One time a dad spun it ridiculously fast, and I was afraid a toddler would get killed by the hand rails if they attempted to get on board.

There is a merry-go-round near us. I hold my breath when I see a kid lie on his back, hold on to the rails, and extend his head out. A neck injury waiting to happen!

[Anonymous]

Remember everything used to be metal/ BLAZING HOT slides sitting in the sun all day (ridiculously steep angle as well) and all metal merry go rounds that hurt to sit on and also to grip anywhere. These things were torture devices.

It ruled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metal slides that would singe your legs going down. Super fun climbing up these slides, too.

Metal/steel playground equipment to include a dome, monkey bars, a dragon, a high slide and low slide, see saws (with tires submerged for cushioning), those metal animals on springs, merry go rounds and best of all, gray pea gravel under our feet. I can hear the crunch crunch sound of all F the kind s running around!

Local to Fairfax County. I'm 48. Anyone else remember playing in retired, gutted airplanes? Recall this was a thing. USAF surplus planes. I remember my fave was in Van Dyck Park in Fairfax.

There use to be a plane out at Cabin John Park playground, too.

I still remember going to the Natural History Museum and getting to climb on the big plastic triceratops out front. That was awesome.

Airplane PP. Yes! It was Cabin John playground! Thanks for the memories!

[Anonymous]

The gutted airplane at Wheaton regional was the best!

[Anonymous]

I used to like the rectangular jungle gyms. I would always bruise my shins, but it was fun.

[Anonymous]

We had concrete under all the equipment. I remember hearing about kids falling and "cracking their heads open" on a fairly regular basis.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

I had my leg sliced open down a slide in 1rst grade (Greenwood Elementary Olney).
No lawsuit, just a big bandage that had to be ripped off by my mom's friend (she sent me over there just for that purpose- I still feel betrayed).

[Anonymous]

All of these bring back so many memories! I was an overweight, uncoordinated kid but loved all of this equipment.

Also, the tetherball area. Nothing like getting whacked on the head when that thing swung back around.

Did anyone else play a lot of hopscotch and four square?