Looking for a place to spend a sunny morning or afternoon with your children now that the clouds are rolling away and summer's almost here?
We've done the scouting for you. Over the last month, The Daily News and its sister newspapers visited 57 Merrimack Valley playgrounds, most more than once.
We rated each one on safety, location, cleanliness and, of course, the "Fun Factor." That's the one that covers how cool the slides are, how nice the swings are and how big and unique the playground is.
In this paper you'll find four of the best.
You'll find the rest of the playgrounds on the Web at www.newburyportnews.com, plus an interactive map plotting the playgrounds of Greater Newburyport, the Merrimack Valley, Southern New Hampshire, North Shore and Cape Ann. Click on any point to see that playground's rating and to get directions from wherever you are to wherever it is.
Newburyport: Moseley Woods
Intersection of Merrimac and Spofford
Fun Factor: 5
Cleanliness: 5
Location: 5
Safety: 4
Overall: 5
Erin Colby, 10, of Byfield seems to curl up on her feet, then release all her energy and love for the place at once, and her hands virtually explode out from her chest as she exclaims, "It's awesome! There's all these places to climb."
Moseley underwent a thorough reconstruction in 2004 and is meticulously tended under the watch of the Moseley Woods Commission, and all that work has made it Greater Newburyport's premier playground.
The setting can't be beat - up on a wooded bluff that overlooks the Merrimack River, the Chain Bridge and Deer Island, it's a pleasant place to be. It's far enough off the main road, and far enough from the river, to make it a safe spot for kids to roam. And the play structures are spread out over a generous amount of land.
The park is a posthumous gift (1921) of Charles W. Moseley (1847-1920), "one of the many benefactions for the health and happiness of the people of his native city.", according to a monument at the entrance.
The playground has a good variety of things to do. Besides slides, swings and play structures, there's a well-used zipline, fake tree trunks to climb, and a dinosaur skeleton to clamber over. If there's anything negative to say about Moseley, it's the attraction of the fake trunks and skeleton - they are fun but very challenging, requiring kids to have ample dexterity and strength. Adults need to keep a particularly close eye on their kids if they get on these structures.
Erin favors climbing on a huge wooden stump and occasionally the dinosaur bones. The sights alone leave her enthusiastic.
"I like climbing, and the trees, and the perfect view," she said.
You can also bring the dog. Local businesses donate bags to keep "doggie landmines" at a minimum, and trashcans are liberally strewn across the nine-decade-old park.
When playtime is over, there is lots of exploring to do. There are several trails through the woods, a pleasant covered picnic area with great views of the river, and scenic outlooks along the riverbank to explore.
Newburyport: Cashman Park
Fun Factor: 4
Cleanliness: 5
Location: 5
Safety: 5
Overall: 5
Cashman Park won't overwhelm you with activities. But its play structures are some of the best maintained around, and the location gives it a boost that few can rival.
Cashman has several play structures and two unique features - a ship play structure and an enclosed tot lot - that make it unusual in the area. Within a few steps there's a tennis court and basketball court (nearby soccer fields are being rebuilt). And the entire park is less than 50 yards from the banks of the Merrimack River. A pleasant waterfront walkway is easily accessible. If someone in the family is into fishing, there's plenty of space nearby to cast a line and hopefully reel in a striped bass.
The park is about five blocks from downtown Newburyport, making the downtown fairly accessible, though you have to cross over two Route 1 access ramps.
Amesbury: Town Park
Friend Street
Fun Factor: 5
Cleanliness: 5
Location: 5
Safety: 3
Overall: 4
For sheer variety of activities, Amesbury's Town Park is hard to beat.
It has all the usual features - a large play structure, lots of swings, a toddler area, a roundabout, a play car, sand lot and plastic horses to ride. Plus, there's a variety of nearby activities, such a frisbee golf course, basketball court and a ballfield. There's even a pair of metal backhoe diggers for kids who like to excavate. When the kids get tired of the playground, there's plenty of shady places to sit and picnic, and lots of grass for kids who need to run off some energy.
The only downside to the playground is its age. The main play structure is made of wood and is wearing out. The thousands of little feet that have trodden over it have worn the wood down and exposed the heads of the nails. Kids should always wear shoes here.
Most of the tires need to be replaced, and one wooden strut on the suspended bridge is completely rotten and needs to be replaced. Also, the zipline needs to be fixed.
West Newbury: Action Cove
Bachelor Street
Fun Factor: 5
Cleanliness: 5
Location: 4
Safety: 5
Overall: 4.5
There's a lot of playgrounds in the area, but there's nothing quite like Action Cove.
On first glance, it looks entirely different than the standard playground. Dark wooden towers loom over an enormous play structure so thick with wooden struts and supports that the whole thing has an almost cage-like appearance.
And the more time a kid plays on it, the more it becomes apparent that first impressions can be right - there is no playground nearby that's quite like it.
Action Cove is a complicated and well-crafted labrynth of towers, runways, chambers, stairways, slides and tunnels, all set inside a huge U-shaped wooden structure. Kids can run, crawl, slide and clamber for quite awhile before returning to the spot where they started. The wooden structure is fairly old but well cared for. It recently underwent a thorough restoration that covered all the worn wooden decking with a much safer, and longer-lasting, composite decking material.
There's also a tot area, swings and a nearby ballfield. It's far enough off the road to eliminate worries of kids running into the street.
How we graded the playgrounds
Playgrounds were rated on four factors, each assigned a score of "1" (lowest) to "5" (highest).
* Fun Factor: How varied is the equipment? Is there more than one slide? Are there swings? Is there anything unique and creative?
* Cleanliness: How much litter is around? Does the equipment appear to have been washed anytime recently? Is there graffiti?
* Location: Is the playground centrally located or located in a residential area? Is there enough parking? Is it a pleasant setting?
* Safety: Is there any risk of being cut by the equipment? Is wood splintering? What sort of material is beneath the playground? Is there anything from which a child could fall? Is there a fence if the playground is near the road?
