mXc Does Buckingham Lake Park
Here’s what mXc is going to contribute to the Capital District Fun playground list: Buckingham Lake Park (I think that’s its official name, but everyone I know calls it Buckingham Pond.). I’m thinking of it today since we met friends there and, as ushe, had a very fun time. (I was the one on my stomach fishing my kid’s brand-new Croc out of the stinky, murky muck in the shallows. That part was not fun.)
(My comments below are based on the survey you fill out to submit to the list.)
Here goes.
Location:
Berkshire Blvd
Albany, NY 12203
Does this playground have:
bathrooms: one porta potty (seasonal)
picnic tables: yes
baby swings: yes (2 + special needs swing—it’s a smaller playground)
Supercool Bonus Features:
Snacks available: BYO
Fields for running with wild abandon: My kids run with wild abandon all over this place, but the playground is pondside, so not really “fields” in the true sense of the word
Nature hike trails: Hiking/walking/jogging path around pond
Paved walking/biking trails: gravel, see above
Pond or stream: pond with ducks and geese
Pool/sprayers: nope
Basketball Hoops: nope
Tennis Courts: nope
Playground’s surface: grass/dirt and mulch
If you were talking about this playground with a mom whose child was always running off and freaking her out, would you say…
Yikes, I’d be careful of the cars—it’s VERY CLOSE to the street/parking lot.
This playground tends to be a mix of sun and shade.
Overall rating: This is our close by, go-to playground, so my kids love it. And all their little buddies love it. And on warm, sunny days, it can get busy. So lots of kids love it. I’m not sure I’d drive 10 miles (the survey asks) unless I was meeting friends there, but it’s a special place to us—and lots of others.
What makes it worth telling people about? It’s the kind of park you remember going to when you were a little kid—a beautiful little place tucked into a neighborhood with a jungle gym, some swings, trees, and the pond. You cannot beat how excited the kids are to see the ducklings every Spring (a year or two ago we counted almost 30)—adorable photo ops there. Turtles sunning themselves on logs all summer long is also a big draw, along with finding the monster koi fish on a hike around the pond.
Now that I’m thinking of it and mentally going through my Buckingham photos over the years, maybe I would drive 10 miles… You know, I think I would.
(I’ll let you know when the ducklings arrive…)
