26) Stadium Place Playground (Waverly)

The second stop on our playground tour is the Stadium Place Playground in Waverly. On 33rd Street right behind the YMCA, the playground sits on the space that was once Memorial Stadium. If you grew up in my house this is a very big deal and almost like religious grounds. The playground was originally built in 2005 but had a devastating fire in 2008 that destroyed the playground. There was a large community effort to rebuild the playground and in 2009 the playground was rebuilt entirely by volunteers. This is an awesome playground! It reminds me a lot of Annie's playground in that it is separated into two areas one a designated tot lot for kids 5 and under and the other a larger area for bigger kids. Also like Annie's playground it has a lot to do! All the normal stuff is there swings, monkey bars, climbers, bridges, etc. But it also has lots of unique stuff like a musical chime that you can play by clanking bells, or a little stage area perfect for an impromptu performance. There are a few potential drawbacks to this playground: 1) there isn't much shade, although even with it being a little hotter today it wasn't too bad. 2) The playground is right behind the YMCA which uses the space for the pre-school groups so sometimes it can be a little crowded. Although we were there today with lots of groups out and enjoyed the company. 3) If you have little ones prone to wandering it can be hard to keep up with them. A lot like Annie's playground this one is big and a little like a maze so it can be hard to keep up. Having said that I definitely found this playground easier to navigate with two little ones then I did Annie's Playground. So overall I think this is a great playground and since it is so nice and close to our house I think it will continue to be one of our most visited.

For a full list of Baltimore Playgrounds checkout our Playground tour 2011-2012

13) The Farmers Market (Waverly)

If you ask Bee what happens on Saturdays she will tell you that we go to the farmers market to get a muffin and that is what we do almost every Saturday. The 32nd street farmers market is just a few miles from our house and open year round so unless it is really, really cold we usually go. Our first stop is always the muffin lady, were everyone in our family gets their own muffin. This is usually followed by a cup of coffee for the parents, purchising any veggies and milk that we need and a stop at the pickles stand. Bee and Bean walk (or get pushed or get carried) through the market while munching on their muffins or pickles, or both and check out all the people and musicians. Bee's favorite part is checking out the musicians! This summer two high school boys have been at the market every week playing the guitar and keyboard. She loves these guys and they are pretty good. Last night at bed time she asked me what I thought they might be wearing today. Only our fashion sensitive 3 year old worries about stuff like that before going to bed. On a fashion note check out her new red sneakers, she is very excited about them!