David Chaplin-Loebell

Smith Memorial Playground

Here’s a map and photo of the Smith Memorial Playground, where I went with my family today. The playground has been around for a long time– over 100 years in fact– and was just rebuilt this summer. It’s a unique playground– the equipment is unusual and interesting, there’s a giant wooden slide, and most interestingly, there’s a large mansion that was built solely as a playhouse for the children of Philadelphia (it was never a residence). My favorite room of the mansion was “Smithville” in the basement, a room full of toy cars, with traffic lights, parking spots, parking meters, and gas pumps. Watching a bunch of five-year-olds in this room was a lot of fun.

My father says he took me to this playground when I was a small child, but I don’t remember. My kids had a fantastic time there today.

The playground is in Fairmount Park, but it seems that it is not run by the city– a nonprofit group maintains it.