Museums, tours and theme parks are great, but sometimes the highlight of a big vacation can be a little downtime on a swing set.
After all, a good ol' playground can be a welcome sight to travel-weary kids, and one of the nicest -- and cheapest -- ways to experience a city like a local. Indeed, some city playgrounds have such fabulous features -- with hands-on construction, musical instruments or cool old-school features -- that they are destinations in themselves.
Here are seven city playgrounds worthy of a break from sightseeing:
Adventure Playground: Berkeley, CA
First opened in 1979, this playground in the Berkeley Marina lets kids play on quirky structures -- or better yet, just build new structures with hammers, saws, and paint. Filled with plywood, painted tires, a zip line, and even the occasional abandoned piano, it feels like a whimsical (but safe) junkyard -- which, no surprise, has made it a beloved institution. It's meant for ages 7 and up, though younger kids can play if parents stay with them. (The playground also requires a reservation if you bring more than five kids in your group.)
Franklin Square Playground: Philadelphia
This family favorite is located in Franklin Square, one of the five original squares William Penn devised for Philly. The playground itself has swings, climbers and spinners, and sits next to a carousel ($3 per ride), a mini golf course ($9 per adult, $7 kids 12 and under) and fabulous lunch option Square Burger.
Powell Barnett Park: Seattle
(photo: Seattle Parks & Recreation)
The climbing equipment at this acclaimed Leschi neighborhood park looks a little like the motherboard inside a robot, with slides -- irresistible for junior acrobats. The park also has a variety of wacky spinners, a summer wading pool, Frisbee field, restrooms inside a mini castle and a circuitous tricycle maze.
Koret Children's Quarter: San Francisco
This playground in Golden Gate Park dates back to 1888, and is thought to be the nation's first public playground. Highlights include climbing walls shaped like giant ocean waves, an elaborate rope-climbing structure, a huge, historic concrete slide (you slide down with cardboard) and a Herschell-Spillman carousel built in 1914. The carousel is open weekends year round, and weekdays between Memorial Day and Labor Day; rides are $2 for adults, $1 for kids.
Imagination Playground: New York City
At this hands-on playground -- built on a former loading dock by Manhattan's South Street Seaport -- toddlers can dig in a huge sand area (or, come summer, play in the spray area), while bigger kids can build forts and ramps with giant foam blocks, mats, fabric and tires. Built to look a little like one of the old ships that used to dock here, the play area also has a ship-rigging-like rope climbing structure and a crow's nest lookout.
Rotary Playground at Liberty Park: Salt Lake City
This downtown Salt Lake City park features a Freenotes section, with giant musical instruments such as xylophones, drums and chimes. Other parks with Freenotes installations are in Moab, Utah, and Durango, Colorado.
The Geometry Playground: Oklahoma City
A project of San Francisco's Exploratorium museum, this traveling exhibit-meets-playground features a corkscrew tunnel, a contraption that lets you roll a giant gear to draw with colored pencils, and a 10-foot, climbable gyroid. It will be at OKC's Science Museum through June 2014, then it moves to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, in Lehi, Utah, until June 2015. Admission is $12.95 for adults, $10.95 for kids.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.