April was the opening of a magical new playground (renamed the “princess
playground” according to my daughter). If you have a child that enjoys princesses or
fairytales, put this on your playground bucket list.

It is important to note that this playground was created by the Lillard family, “to honor
the lives of Sophie and Madigan Lillard by building a memorial playground and
providing opportunities for children and their families to play, learn, and create
lifelong memories together…” *

And oh did I see families making memories when I visited!

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!

The well-thought out details of this playground are really something to be
appreciated. The huge castle felt like something from Disneyworld. The castle is the
largest structure on the playground with multiple ways to enter- through Rapunzel’s
hair, the mermaid tale, the rock climbing wall or the stairs. The inside of the castle
has bridges, a telescope in the turret, slides and countless climbing options.

There is also a treasure hunt, which my 4 year old enjoyed. You spin to see what
object to look for such as the crown, shield or a sword. Other features of the
playground: Rapunzel spinning web, pumpkin carriage, horse spring riders, a small
slide with a hill for the kids to run up and down.

We visited the playground right after it opened and it was very busy. If you are
nervous about crowds, wait until the excitement of the new playground settles a bit
because I think the playground will be buzzing with excitement for awhile.

A bonus of this playground is that it strives to be fully accessible for children of all
abilities. I saw multiple fully accessible swings!

Oh and keep your eyes peeled because there will be a Phase 2 of this playground
opened (hopefully) in Fall and Phase 3 opened next year. It’s going to be a true
destination playground. What a beautiful tribute to two precious girls.

—Katrina Kessler

Let us know if you have any playground suggestions for us to check out in Maryland via our social media or email [email protected].