Holiday Hills has been our most frequented playground during the pandemic! We
have had this neighborhood playground to ourselves many weekdays and
weekend mornings (or sharing with one or two families). The afternoons definitely
get busier but there are other spots to venture to in the park.
The park has a playground, a short paved trail (with a bridge), a large basketball
court, exercise equipment, tennis courts and a small shaded pavilion.
There are 2 playground structures that are very appealing to my toddlers.
Challenging yet manageable. The first playground structure is aimed at younger
toddlers (ages 2–5) but I can honestly say both my 2 and 4 year old love both the
younger and older sections of the playground. There are tunnels, slides and a
little “house/shop” with windows. My children love to sell ice-cream and pancakes
at the shop.
The older section of the playground has big slides, a fun bridge and
lots of climbing opportunities. There are also two baby swings and four regular
swings along with a Sky Web for the older kids to climb high on!
Looking for a playground adventure? Try these Playground Hop ideas!
There is no parking lot but there is street parking on a wide neighborhood street.
We either have the children ride their scooters, walk or take a wagon on the path
to get to the playground (it is about a 3- to 5-minute walk from the street, so keep that in mind if you have a very little one) There is a small paved trail that is
surrounded by woods that circles the playground and an open woods area
behind the basketball courts to explore. Watch out for poison ivy in the woods
during the summer and be sure to check out the bamboo forest!
Don’t miss our Playground Directory!
When the basketball courts and tennis courts are not being used, children are
often running around enjoying the space for bikes, scooters or chasing each
other.
This playground can get very sunny and hot in the middle of the summer.
However I recently noticed they added a small shaded pavilion which you could
use to get shade for a baby in a stroller.
—Katrina Kessler
Holiday Hills Playground
10524 Vista Road, Columbia MD 21044
Quick stats:
Bathrooms: No
Parking: Street
Picnic Benches: Yes (but not shaded)
Swings: Yes
People Traffic: Quiet on weekday mornings, busy on weekend and weekday
afternoons
Nearby Food: Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks (5 minutes up route 29)
Let us know if you have any playground suggestions for us to check out in Maryland via our social media or email [email protected]
Katrina is a Maryland mom of two toddlers and has become an avid playground
explorer since the playgrounds re-opened during the pandemic. You can follow
along with her visits at @marylandkiddos. She enjoys reading, music and walks
outdoors. Recently she has combined her experience as a parent with her
master’s degree in psychology to launch a new page @connectingwithkatrina,
which aims to connect parents and children to nature and their emotional health
through virtual and in-person guides and classes.
