Boise, ID

The temperatures were rising quickly and nieces and nephews had just arrived from Tacoma. They were not prepared for the heat. They were going to melt here! After a brief shopping trip to outfit most of them with shorts and sandals, we headed over to Adventure Island at Settler’s Park in Meridian. This adventure would keep us all happy and cool.

It doesn’t look like much from the road, but Adventure Island is one of the most amazing playgrounds ever. First of all, this playground is accessible to ALL children. It’s called a Universally Accessible Playground. That means no matter what a child’s disability or ability level, this is where they can play with all the other kids. Go here for more information– http://www.adventureislandplayground.org/adventure_island/adventureisland.htm .

I entered the playground from the park side because I walked, but if you enter from the parking lot you might hear musical sounds like wind chimes. That’s because there is a sound garden with about six oversized xylophone and chime pieces. They all have big mallets for making beautiful (or at least really fun) music. I’d never seen anything like it so I thought it was fantastic.

The Adventure Island theme is carried throughout the play area. The play structure is designed to represent a sailing ship. There is even a crow’s nest to climb into. There are fish, wave, and pirate motifs to fuel the imagination. It’s also on multiple levels, meaning; to make it accessible to all kids, there are wide ramps to the top instead of only ladders and stairs. This makes for a pretty good sized area to climb and play. Of course, they put in that amazing squishy playground surface. I love that! Playgrounds didn’t have that when my kids were little, so I still find it amazing. There are swings set back to one side, rocks to climb on the other, and then there is the water fun.

The water play area has fountains shooting up to keep kids (and parents) cool.There are buckets that fill up with water and then dump on anybody standing underneath them. The kids wait in anticipation, until they get pummeled by the water coming down on them. It cracks me up because it always looks like they are surprised it happens! I noticed that a staff member from the city was on duty to keep things safe. There are lots of places for people to sit either on the edge of the water area, on the play structure, on a picnic table, or in the shade under a tree.

This park is relatively new so the bad news is that most of the trees are still pretty little. The good news is that the facilities are still in good shape. More good news is that Adventure Island isn’t finished. It is being built with private funds and put together by volunteers. As soon as enough money is available, more phases will be built. Adventure Island is located in Settler’s Park in Meridian on Meridian Road between Ustick and McMillan.