raptor playground

One of my goals as a parent is to instill sense of curiosity in my little humans. So when I asked them if they wanted to revisit one of the parks we've been to or find a new one, I was over the moon when they screamed: Visit a new one!!!

I think I'm making progress on that goal.


Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Off-street by play area, lot by basketball court
Age range (playground): 1+
Sidewalks: Paved to and around the play area and through the park
Seating: Just one bench by play area
Bathrooms: None (maybe a portable one come summer?)
Picnic tables: None by play area
Grills: None by play area
Sports field: Basketball court and open field on one side of the park; tennis courts by play area


We arrived at a park about two blocks away from this one only to find out it was still closed from the winter season. A bit heart broken, we pulled up trusty ol' Google Maps and saw this one was just down the street.

On our way over, we thought of names we might give this park. Before we even arrived, the kids settled on "Raptor Park" (aka Four Seasons Park, 1685 Gervais Avenue, Maplewood). Lo and behold, there's a dino spring rider that looks like a velociraptor!

You know you're a mom when you get as excited as your kids do--about a playground.


The playground is a short walk from where we parked on the street. Right next to it are two tennis courts. Past the playground is a swing set with two baby swings and several regular swings. To one side of the playground is a jungle gym (when was the last time I saw one of those?!). All three play areas are mulch-laid.


While this playground is an older model, it's split into two sections to accommodate kids of all ages and abilities. Zoey had a blast on the little kid playground. I loved that its tunnels and bridges connected in a circle. I literally just stood there and watched her go round and round, up and down and all over again.


The older two enjoyed the big kid playground. They scaled its "mountain" repeatedly and faced a few challenges learning to climb its tunnel slide and ladders. They also got a kick out of the dino and "shark" (I'm pretty sure it was a plane) themed spring riders.

About half an hour into our visit, the kids abandoned the play areas to run down the hill and play with  fallen branches. I kid you not: They played with sticks for nearly twenty minutes before running back up the hill to play on the playgrounds again.


The playground is rectangular, with the play area and tennis courts on one side and the basketball, skating rink, and lot parking on the other side. There's about a quarter mile of grass in between.

It has trails leading through the park to neighboring blocks. It's also surrounded by houses on two sides. In our time there, there was a good deal of traffic.


My biggest qualm with Raptor Park was the challenge of finding the playground. We didn't know where it was located and ended up at the wrong entrance on our first try. The playground entrance is located on Demont Avenue North.

Also, the playground could use some TLC (rusting and cracking parts on which my kiddos got caught a few times). Make sure to keep an eye out for bare legs, arms, and fingers that might get scratches as a result of the broken pieces.