Yuma Creative Playground

After my friend, our kids and I finished up at the Yuma Territorial Prison, we took the advice of some locals and went to the Creative Playground.  Apparently, the people of Yuma banded together and built this incredible playground themselves - folks donated supplies, time and labor.  Their efforts were not wasted!  You should've heard the delight and awe in our children's voices when we pulled the van into the parking lot there and they saw the playground (which, is pictured as my blog photo).  Words will simply do this playground an injustice.

Each of those photos shows a different view of the playground.  The centerpiece is an enormous castle-like structure with tunnels, stairs, cubbies, slides, and platforms.  Think McDonald's Playland on steroids.

There is a designated "Tot Lot" for the little guys.  Sand, baby swings, adaptive recreation swings, smaller playground equipment, bouncy toys, an airplane and a train for imaginative play, even a cut-out photo opportunity (which you can see part of on the left hand side of the second photo)!

None of our kids (ages 12, 12, 9 and 2) wanted to leave, but alas, the sun was going down and we had a long drive ahead of us.

Cave Creek Recreation Area, Sweetwater Entrance

I took my kids and met my friend with her kids at a park I'd never heard of before: the Cave Creek Recreation Area, Sweetwater Entrance.  This particular park has a bunch of small caves and tunnels.

When we pulled up and my kids saw the mounds/caves, they said "cool! This is perfect for playing wolves!"  As it turns out, they were also explorers, mountaineers and spies. 

This is a big park, with a big wash right behind it.  I noticed some teenagers skateboarding down there.  There was also someone playing with a big RC car.  The parking lot and the bathrooms are very close (there are no doors in the women's bathrooms and no soap, either).  Plenty of picnic tables.

The playground equipment itself is all right.  I've been to parks with a more impressive array of things on the playground.  Honestly, here my kids spent more time on the mounds and in the caves.  However, this park also has two sets of swings for both babies and big kids.