The Practical Guide To Entertaining The Cigarillo #1

One thing I figured out pretty quickly when it came to The Cigarillo was that he likes adventures.   If you want him to nap, sleep at night or not go stir crazy and start finding every possible thing to get into in the house, getting him out of the house is key.  Whether it's just a stroller ride around the block or a visit to Mercer Park across the street or something more complex, an adventure is key.

And all of that got me thinking...   what are the best places and playgrounds to have adventures?   There's an off chance that someone out there reading this might need a hot tip to shake things up with their kiddos so I thought, why not put together The Practical Guide To Cigarillo Entertainment and let people know what my favorite toddler friendly hot spots are.  So, without further ado:

The Indoor Playground at Coral Ridge Mall
(The name is probably something like 'Perky and Herky's Fun Adventure Time Play Place')

Pros:  It's indoor.  No need to worry about sunscreen or hydration- kids can take their shoes off and go wild.   It's also a shoe free zone which is a plus for The Cigarillo as he's not a fan of shoes and they're usually the first thing to get taken off on a journey.

Cons:  It's all soft, squishy stuff that puts me in mind of a germ filled Doctor's office a little bit.  And it sort of smells that way too.

Verdict:  Perfect for insanely hot days and while I'm not a fan of rounded corners on everything damn thing, if you've got a daredevil on your hands that shows no fear like The Cigarillo you can at least take some comfort from the fact that if they decide to randomly jump off of something, they'll probably bounce.


Mark Twain Elementary School
(Back In My Old 'Hood)

Pros:  Quiet neighborhood...   plenty of green space to run around and go crazy in- and the little man did a lot of running.   They've changed out the equipment a couple of times since I was a kid but I was surprised to find that the monkey bars (middle picture) are the same exact ones that they had back when I was in kindergarten.  Except it was gravel and not mulch to break your fall back then. (Back when playgrounds weren't for the faint of heart and crossing the monkey bars for the first time made you cool.)

Cons:  Outside...  and that means bugs and heat.  There was beaucoup de bird shit on one set of equipment but aside from that it's a pretty fun place to spend sometime.   And- there's more playground equipment on the other side of the school.

Bonus:   That rigging thing is pretty damn cool.   Never had those back in the day and the roller slide is the most fun I've had on the playground in a long time.  (Back in the day:  metal slides would burn the shit out of you and the plastic ones can shock the shit out of your courtesy of static electricity.   This slide accelerates you- and the bigger you are the faster it shoots you down.)

Verdict: Close to the Casa de Cigar, quiet, fun playground with plenty of room to run.  The trip down memory lane was also nice.