Imagine my surprise, then, when we pulled up to Wilder Recreation Center (958 Jessie Street) to find it not only well-groomed but manned by what appeared to be rec center staff.
Life is full of surprises, am I right?
Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Lot
Age range (playground): 1+
Sidewalks: Paved to play area
Seating: Benches around play area
Bathrooms: None (likely inside the center)
Picnic tables: A couple by the building
Grills: None
Sports field: Open fields
"Look, guys," I said as we parked, "The playground has sand!" As expected, a chorus of YAYs filled the car.
A quick walk up a hill brought us to the partially-fenced play area, where my kiddos eagerly pulled off shoes and socks before diving in (almost literally).
Sitting on one side of the play area were several adults who weren't there with kids but also called the kids out for misbehavior (hence my guess that they were rec center staff).
The play area at Wilder is in great condition and has a lot to offer: a swing set with various sizes; a little playground for kiddos 1+, a big playground for kiddos 3+, tire swings, and a climbing.
And did I mention sand? Somehow that medium is an entirely additional fun feature of a playground. Not mulch or turf or synthetic flooring. Just sand. There's something special about it.
Zoey (16 months) rushed to the smaller playground while the other two made their way to the bigger one. She had no trouble taking the stairs up or sliding down the tunnel or slide. She only needed help with the climbing "wall" (it's about a foot and a half tall).
Whereas Titus (3) stuck to one half of the playground, Madi (4.5) was all over it (but let's be honest: Titus isn't much of an adventurer).
The side Titus preferred had a couple different ladders, stairs, and double slides. Connecting the half he liked to the half he didn't was a tricky web. The rest of the playground consisted of challenging climbing obstacles and an incredibly tall slide.
Right next to the playground is a huge climbing net. Again, my "spider-monkeys" went bananas for it. Even Zoey enjoyed bouncing on the lowest level of netting.
To my surprise, though, what Zoey enjoyed most about this visit was the tire swings. They're hoisted up pretty high, which made me nervous about letting her ride solo. She was surrounded by sand, though, which made falls less painful; so I opted to let her ride her heart out (and she did!).
On the far side of the play area, opposite the rec center building, is a grassy sliver of a refuge. Zoey ambled through it while ooh-ing and ah-ing at the dandelions and passing dogs.
The play area was pretty busy while we visited (after school hours). Plenty of kids went in and out during our stay. As has been our experience with Saint Paul parks and unsupervised kids, our company mainly kept to themselves.
Although my kids wanted to, we didn't check out the other half of the rec center grounds: open fields and what looked like additional play equipment on the other side of the play area.
The play area at Wilder Rec Center was impressive. We've found very little (only 1, in fact) Saint Paul parks with play equipment in such mint condition. I'd be interested in coming back to see what the rest of the center has on-site in terms of outdoor play equipment.
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