Summer Park Tour: Parks 7 & 8 - NJ Edition

While visiting my Mom and friends in New Jersey we had to take time to also visit some parks for our tour.  We put in extra time by visiting two parks in the same day.  What I am beginning to like as we visit all of these parks is the differences.  Most good parks have the same things swings, slides, monkey bars, and some type of climbing apparatus.  I like to find the thing that makes the park different and possibly better.  I guess that makes sense since I am rating them, but I am finally noticing those differences.  The first park we visited in New Jersey was the park at Patty Bowker Field.  This park is right around the corner from my Mom's house so it took us no time to get there.  The girls really enjoyed this park, hope you enjoy the pictures.

Here is an overall picture of the park

This piece of equipment the girls played on the most

This was a smaller version of the larger equipment

Drea helping her doll Hailey up the ladder

Now Charlotte helping her doll Alice down the ladder

Charlotte loves the slide...she will always go down them

Drea's favorite is the monkey bars.  These were pretty tricky, there height was staggered.

Charlotte's turn to climb

Drea climbing one of the two rock climbing walls on the big equipment

This was the rock climbing wall on the little equipment

Just hanging around

Here Daddy, I'll help you up

Swinging their babies

Now you listen here

Walking on the trail that surrounded the park

Running on the baseball fields...can you spot us

  Overall, this park is very nice.  It scores high in several areas and there are some cool differences.  I like that there were two giant rock climbing walls.  There was also this cool swing that the girls wouldn't swing on, that was different then I have seen at other parks.  Usually for me the thing the hurts the rating of the park is what it lacks.  For this park it lacked shade.  Not only did it lack shade, it did not have a water fountain.  Granted we were close to my Mom's house so it wasn't that big of a deal, but in my rating system it matters.  I give this park 3.5 swings.


Now for our second park of the day we went to Smithville Park.  This park is amazing.  I usually rate the park at the end, but for this park there is no sense in waiting for the rating.  It gets 5 swings.  There are cool differences, which you will see in the pictures, shade, bathrooms, water fountains, swings, and slides.  The only thing it didn't have was monkey bars, but the other climbing things make up for it.  Another reason I know it was a great park is because I had a hard time getting a picture with the girls looking at the camera.  

These were the two main pieces of playing equipment, but they were not the only pieces

This was a smaller piece in front of the green swing you will see Charlotte in later

I liked how they had the rope for the climbing wall

These climbing things were different.  I really liked them and so did Drea...until she fell off one of them.

I thought this was different because those little black piece slid back and forth so you could count them

Here is Charlotte in the green swing...she loved it

Drea on the zipline...another of her favs

This balance beam moved when you walked on it

Drea climbing the fake tree

Trying to reach the top...

...so she could pose

Charlotte's turn to climb

See I told you I couldn't get them to look at the camera

I have a scary feeling this won't be the last time she is behind bars  :)