I know, it’s been a while since I posted. I’ve got some stuff in the works, but I just had to make this post.
We visited the brand new Unlimited Play Center at North Park (right by the Provo Rec Center), and it was so incredible that I feel compelled to gush about it.
Upon arrival, I was immediately impressed. The park manages to fit SO MUCH into its fences, and is an all-abilities park. I’m excited, so I’m going to tell you everything that’s there.
One of the most impressive parts about the grounds is that they left the mature trees. So many of the other parks only boast tiny new, and often ornamental, trees that offer nothing in the way of shade, or impactful ambiance. Or the big trees are only on the edges of the park, again limiting ambiance, and denying park-goers much-needed shady spots to relax. I truly appreciate the Unlimited Play Center keeping the trees, and grass on one side. It makes it a much more enjoyable place to chase children around.
As for play things, first, there’s one of those park chime things to play on, but this one is very large. There’s also an enormous cement slide (that was quite popular). Harry immediately wanted to try it out. I was a bit nervous (even to go down it myself, at first), because it is s o steep. However, it’s actually 100% fine. Fast, but won’t topple even the youngest sliders. We spent a great deal of time playing on it. There are also a couple of water play areas that I imagine will only get more popular the hotter it gets.
Gwendolyn’s favourite might have been the zipline. There are two: a ‘regular’ disk-seat one, and a large seat. We tried out both (two small kids can fit in the seat at the same time!), and loved them. Todd and I even tried it out!
Moving farther back in the park, there’s a small wooden playground well-suited to small kids, as well as a play structure with a large ramp with ropes to climb down onto. I was particularly charmed by the bit encircling one of the large trees. The incorporation of nature is delightful.
Throughout the park, there are mounds of rubber mulch, making the entire park useful for all sorts of children’s running games. And there’s an adorable decorative hobbit-hole.
They also have an impressive array of swings. A couple of baby swings (with rubber up where they hold on), and regular swings that are a hard plastic (so you don’t get squeezed uncomfortably). There is a disk web swing, and a side-by-side tandem-momentum swing, too. We had fun on the adaptive merry-go-round, as well. A springy teeter-totter type things, and a few other things to sit on are scattered throughout the park.
Around the main play area, aside from rubber mulch, there is astroturf. It’s obviously drought-friendly, low-maintenance, and looks nice.
I feel like most of the parks in Provo, while certainly worthwhile, focus too exclusively on either just a playground, or literal blank open green space (or both!). The Unlimited Play Center at North Park is everything you want a park to be with so many options for play, and the ambiance of integrated nature.
Fellow Utah country folks: if you haven’t been yet, you should 100% go.
