Most playgrounds are finished when you get there. Berkeley's Adventure Playground isn't. At this city-run play space at the Berkeley Marina, kids play on forts, boats and towers that other kids designed and built. They can also ride a zip line and make things with hammers, saws, paint and recycled materials.
A rare kind of playground
The playground opened in 1979. The city says the adventure playground idea came from Europe after World War II, when landscape architect Lady Marjory Allen found that children preferred loose parts they could move and build with over asphalt and cement playgrounds. Wikipedia credits the model to Danish architect Carl Theodor Sørensen, who used scrap junkyards as playgrounds in occupied Copenhagen. Liability concerns have made these "junk playgrounds" rare in the U.S., and Wikipedia, citing NPR, calls Berkeley's one of only four in the country.
Plan your visit
- Public hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The playground closes when there's steady rain all day.
- Cost: Free for individuals and families during public hours.
- Supervision: Children under 18 must have a registered supervising adult who stays and watches them.
- Groups: Groups with five or more children need a reservation. Two-hour slots are available every day of the week, and prices start at $75 for 5 to 10 children.
Bring scrap wood
The city takes donations of clean, untreated, unpainted boards and plywood, rope, small nails, washable paint, fabric, work gloves and safety glasses. It does not accept particleboard, pallets, hardwoods, or metal, glass or ceramic materials. Coordinate drop-offs with the city before bringing anything.
For more weekend ideas, see our Things to Do page.