For Pebble’s birthday, we bought her a Paw Patrol kite. On this beautiful, windy May morning, I figured out how to assemble the kite, packed some snacks, and we headed off to Fairwood Community Park. The Park is one of Prince George’s County’s Imagination Playgrounds. It is located at 12390 Fairwood Pkwy, Bowie, MD 20720, behind a shopping plaza. When you pull into the plaza, you will see Safeway directly in front of you. Drive toward Safeway, and then make a left into the lot for the park. There is a sign saying Fairwood Park right next to that left turn, too.
Once you’ve parked, you can’t miss the playground. The under 5 section is separated from the over 5 area by a short paved walkway. Oh! There are bathrooms here, right next to the parking lot in a brick building, no porta-potties! There is also a scattering of picnic tables next to the restrooms. I kept the portable handy because I didn’t think Pebble would make it to the bathrooms from the playground area. They aren’t far apart, but far enough for when a kiddo says they have to go! I saw several ballfields, too, but those were fenced and locked.
Pebble saw the playground, but didn’t run to it, she wanted to try out her kite first. It was a Dollar Store kite, so I didn’t have high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised! The kite went up with minimal effort, and it was easy for Pebble to hold it and run with it. She got a big kick out of seeing Chase’s face up in the sky. I chose Fairwood because there is a lot of open space here, and we ran less of a chance in getting the kite stuck in a tree. As a FYI, you really don’t want to visit this playground in the summer as the lack of trees also means a lack of shade. All of the playground equipment is directly in the sun. On this windy day, though, the sun felt wonderful!
Pebble played with her kite for a bit before setting out to explore the playground. The under 5 area is cute, but not huge, and Pebble soon moved on to explore the over 5 area. The playset here is very high! Kids can reach the 2nd and 3rd levels by climbing up a tunnel, or using the ladders and rock walls. The playset has slides at each level, and activity boards. There are also several rock formations for kids to climb on, swings, things that spin and slide, and a massive rope tetrahedron that kids could climb up and into. In fact, there was a platform one could climb up, then use netting to climb over to the tetrahedron. Lots of climbing opportunities, and Pebble didn’t know where she wanted to go first!
Pebble tried everything, and I’d say the rope tetrahedron and the big slide were her favorites! She played hert for a while before we went and flew the kite again. Then it was a round of kickball, snacks, and more playground time. The morning passed swiftly, and we had a great time! When the sun isn’t as hot, this is a great playground to check out. Pathways are paved, too, so littles can enjoy riding their bikes and scooters here, too. Happy trails!
