Sarah Her

Review of West 7th Community Center

PLAYGROUND & LIBRARY REVIEW ONLY

PLAYGROUND & LIBRARY REVIEW ONLY

Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Lot
Age range (playground): 1+
Sidewalks: Paved to and around play area
Seating: Benches by play area
Bathrooms: Inside community enter
Picnic tables: 1
Grills: None
Sports field: Tennis courts, open fields

My first thought when I [eventually] made it to the playground was that this was, by far, the shadiest playground we've been to yet. This meant the turf-laid ground was covered in a thin layer of twigs, leaves, and buds; but honestly, unless you're barefoot, there's nothing to complain about.

The playarea has five sections: a playground for small kids, a playground for big kids, a swing set, a sand pit, and several small rolling hills (we'll get to that in a bit).

The playground for small kids was perfect for Zoey (17 months). Except for the curved ladder (she's still working on learning this), she was able to navigate the entire structure all on her own (cue cheering crowd).

It has stairs, slides, a curved ladder, and a bumpy climbing obstacle. Titus (3) also preferred this structure as it was 100% more manageable for him than the other one.

The playground for big kids is definitely for big kids (at least 5+). Madi (4.5) had a hard time making her way across the equipment, mainly because it required longer limbs. If you've got a tall tot, he or she will probably enjoy it more than either of my kiddos did.

This structure has a variety of climbing equipment. Because it was as challenging as it is, neither Madi nor Titus spent much time here.

Zoey spent an ample amount of time at the swings (big surprise) and the other two, if you haven't guessed already, spent most of their time making friends and garden spaghetti at the sand pit.

The swing set has baby, high back, and regular swings. Be warned: It's incredibly squeaky. I could barely stand how loud they are.

The sand pit has sand play equipment. It sits entirely in the shade, so there's no need to worry about overheated sand. There are also two diggers (one standing, one sitting).

The final section of the play area is, in my opinion, a brilliant yet simple addition more playgrounds should include: three small hills. They look like part of a mini golf course (which was my initial thought before further investigation).

At first you'll wonder why in the world did anyone think it a good idea to throw in man-made hills at a playground.

And then you'll watch your kids run, roll, scoot, and jump all over those hills for 20 minutes--and you'll thank whoever thought it was a good idea to throw in man-made hills at a playground.

All three of my kiddos thoroughly enjoyed this final section. In addition to providing a different play setting, it does wonders in refining balancing skills.

After almost an hour-and-a-half of play, we bolted inside the community center and headed straight for the bathrooms (outdated but clean).

One poopy diaper replaced later, we wandered into the library to see what we could see.

The library is tiny. As in the size of side-by-side dining and living rooms. The staff, however, are amazing. The librarian greeted us warmly and presented us with the Saint Paul library reading program.

While this program is specific to Saint Paul libraries, we're currently taking on the challenge of meeting reading requirements for prizes and hope to visit locations throughout the city this summer to participate in programs featuring anything live (farm animals, bugs, reptiles, you name it!).

There were few activities for my kiddos to engage in, so we our visit was fairly short but well worth it.

Aside from the worn turf, overly challenging big kid playground, and dated building facilities, West 7th Community Center was a pleasant stop for us.

While we won't be coming back (unless they're featuring creatures in their summer programming), we enjoyed our visit and would recommend it as a worthwhile resource for people who live in the neighborhood.