Looking back on my park reviews, apparently I have yet to give any of them less than 4 stars. Is this because ANY effort at a park/playground is a 4-star endeavor in my book? Maybe. I'm a pushover for park space.
But I remember what Dracena Park used to be when I played (drank) here in the days of my misspent youth, and the city has definitely done a great job with the upgrades to the play area.
Great concrete slide - short enough for wee kids to enjoy as well (this is not the "chute" style of concrete slide that some may be imagining). Li'l M was having a blast just climbing up and down the stairs on it during our last visit.
Solid sand-play area, complete with manual water faucet that funnels the excess down a trough onto the rocks/sand in the middle of the play area. Definitely a great touch, especially on hot days.
The climbing wall...is awesome. Totally geared towards children and adults alike. It even has an inverted portion for the super-hardcore climber. Very nice use of recycled rubber mulch for the area as well.
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MINUS(ES):
The play structure itself is a bit of an afterthought, it seems. Not really much to it, but any play structure is better than none.
The expanse of lawn towards the rear of the park - which affords the most shade - is heavily dotted with clover. And clover means BEES. I am a huge fan of the native honeybee, but can't exactly get thrilled about the constant worry of bee-stings on 15-month old feet. So just be on guard when you put your blanket down or run barefoot through the grass.
The rubber mat substrate that pads the play areas (swings, slide, play structure) is EXTREMELY slippery when combined with sand...so watch your little ones closely, especially near the large rocks underneath the water feature. I came very close to going down myself several times.
It's also worth noting (although I'm sure you already knew this) that Dracena Park is home to a large off-leash dog area (it is gated and separate from the play area), so if your child suffers from serious dog-phobia, this may be something to consider.
However, I would *hope* that if your dog has a "strong prey drive" and is prone to chase down small children as described in the 1-star review by Peggy W., you wouldn't have them off-leash in a public area anyway...because that's just terribly irresponsible.
Park ON, bishes! read more