Summertime means playground time! And we found an awesome one recently right in Glastonbury on the Connecticut River at Riverfront Park. It’s a fairly new park, having been built about five years ago, and it’s in great condition. The park itself is home to an event venue at the boathouse, hiking/walking trails along the water, a dock, a dog park, and an amazing play area.
We travel down to Glastonbury pretty often because that’s where the eye doctor is located. So we find ourselves looking for fun things to do while we are in that area. Usually we just opt for a quick lunch and then we head back home, but with the warmer weather I decided to look for a new playground. And much to my surprise there was one super close to where we were!
Riverfront Park, as its name suggests, is located on the Connecticut River. The park entrance is on Welles Street. If you have some familiarity with Glastonbury, it’s just down the road from Whole Foods.
You’ll want to go in at the entrance for the boathouse. Here you’ll find plenty of parking, access to the riverfront and a direct shot to the playground.
The playground is located right near the parking lot. There are TWO play areas – one for the bigger kids and one for the littles. They are located directly across from each other and both in plain sight.
And, as you quickly noticed I am sure, the best part about these playgrounds is that they are completely fenced in!
We started out in the big kid playground, which still amazes me that he is finally old enough to go into the 5 and up playground. I mean, he always explored those playgrounds before but now he can actually do everything (and give me a tiny heart attack).
The older kid playground is quite huge as you can see. It has a big, fully accessible playscape along with several structures for climbing and a swingset. There are benches throughout the playground for the parents to rest. It’s pretty sunny there and not much chance to find shade on this side. The ground cover is also mulch.
He spent the majority of our time at the playground climbing every possible thing he could.
He also showcased a skill I had no idea he could do- the monkey bars!
After running around this big playground for quite a while, he asked if we could head over to the other side. The nice thing about being five is that he can still get away with going into the little kid playground — for now!
This side is also completely fenced in, which is great for that age group. The play area is for ages 2 to 5. There is a beautiful, yet smaller playscape on this side. It has slides, lots of sensory play and a smaller monkey bar. This playscape is also fully accessible.
You’ll also find swings and a few riding toys, as well as a playhouse. There are benches on this side as well.
And here’s a fair heads up, this play area has a sand box. You’ve been warned.
There is a lot of sun on this side. However, you’ll find a nice pavilion in this area with picnic tables. This would make a great spot for a picnic lunch!
After we checked out both play areas for a good hour, we decided to explore the rest of the park. Right next to the playground is a huge fountain! We had fun looking at that. He kept asking for pennies and I unfortunately did not lug my big bag with me. So, no wishes this time!
We also caught sight of the river over near the fountain. I had to coax this child into checking it out – he wanted to go back into the playground but I knew once we got to the river he would love it.
Now, I knew it was Riverfront Park for a reason but I had not realized how close to the river it was until we continued on our little walk.
What a view! As I imagined, I could not get this child to leave the dock once he was on it! I think at one point he asked to stay and take a nap. It was nice out on the dock. A lot of people were there – a few on the dock relaxing, some on the balcony steps behind us. Many people were going for a hike and we even saw them setting up for a wedding at the boathouse. Definitely a picturesque kind of place.
It took some convincing to get him to leave the river, but we finally headed back up to the playground after I challenged him to a race up the ramp. He’s yet to realize that I don’t run! So of course he wins!
I love parks that have more than just a playground. It’s nice to take the time to explore a park with walking trails and in this case, a riverfront. While we did spent a good hour and a half at Riverfront Park that day, I would love to go back one day this summer with a picnic lunch and spent a few hours. You could easily do that here. And when you finally leave, you can get your shopping done at Whole Foods or grab an ice cream over at Ben & Jerry’s!
Riverfront Park is a great one to add to your summer list!
This about sums it up…
300 Welles Street – Glastonbury, Connecticut
Hours: Open Daily
Features:
- Open to the Public
- Open layout- easy to keep an eye on all areas of both playgrounds
- Two separate areas – one for ages 5 and up, and another for ages 2-5
- Fully Fenced!
- Swings- including baby swings
- Mulch in playground
- Covered pavilion with picnic tables -one located in the smaller kid playground and a larger pavilion located outside the play area
- Many benches throughout the playground
- Full sun
- Large parking lot with plenty of available spaces
- I did not locate the bathrooms but there are public bathrooms in the park
- Walking/hiking trails to riverfront
- Riverfront and dock is open to public
