Palisades Playground

Palisades Playground

 

Location: 5200 Sherier Place, NW Washington, DC 20016
Finding the park can be a little tricky.  Look for Listrani's Italian Restaurant on MacArthur as a landmark then turn onto Dana.  Check the map.

Park Website

My Opinion:

Features:

This is a cool old park, full of lots of wooden things to climb on and through.  There are two sections, one for older kids and one for younger kids.  Slides, swings, and a sandbox, but the best part is really the wooden walkways, bridges, and little houses.  For some reason the big kid swings outside the fence beside the rec center - I didn't notice them at first.

What's Unique:

This place is full of stuff that you don't see at other playgrounds.  Not sure when it was built, but they don't make them like they used to.  No plastic gear with smooth surfaces and rounded corners here.  Except for the slides, it's mostly wood, metal, and tires. That's right tires!

All the tires look fairly new and seem pretty clean.  My kids were climbing all over them and went home with clean clothes.  There is one ramp covered with half tires that seems unsafe where the tires are coming apart.  They've been duct taped to cover the splits and cracks, but there's wires sticking through.  I told my kids to steer clear of the ramp - they were fine with it - there's enough other stuff to climb on.

Most playgrounds have a climbing wall these day, but Palisades has one made out of wood and it's pretty challenging.  There are two walls, one at a slight angle and a second one that's straight up and down.

This is a good spot for kids learning how to do the monkey bars.  These bars have a slight decline to them if you start on the platform.  It's just a little bit easier to grab for the next bar when it is lower.  Plus one side has bars on short chains so there's enough of a swing to help get you to the next bar.  They're also pretty low to the ground.

Someone was really thinking when they put this car together.  Four steering wheels so there's no fighting over who gets to drive.

Restrooms:Yes

Restrooms are located in the recreation center right next to the playground.  Although there are outside doors to the restrooms, they are only unlocked when the recreation center is open.

Sun/Shade: Partial sun
The area south of the park is wooded and there are some trees on the north side of the playgrounds as well.  The playground area seems to be shaded in the morning and sunny mid-day, although this may vary depending on the season.

Nearby:

A left back onto MacArthur will take you to a few restaurants...  Listrani's, Bambu, and DC Boathouse farther down.  I haven't been to anyone of them, but from the street they look like they're a little too fancy for bringing kids after a good run around a playground.  There's also a Starbucks in that direction.  A right on MacArthur will get you to a Safeway, CVS, and a Marvelous Market.  Good spot to grab a quick sandwich, coffee, pastry, juice, etc. and definitely kid friendly.  There's also a DC public library right across the street.