Go Play Outside Now (It's a place!)

I am super excited to share this post with you.  We discovered this place on facebook and headed down to check it out last Friday.  It was absolutely awesome and everyone should definitely "Go Play Outside Now"!

What it is:  Go Play Outside Now is a huge outdoor playground located in Garner that opened in October of 2012.  That sounded far away from me until I looked at the directions online and discovered that it was only off of exit 312 on I-40.  That's less than 30 miles from our exit in Durham, not a bad drive at all.

Anyway, Go Play Outside Now is a completely fenced park that has everything you could think of to play on.  There are two huge tube slides that will be hooked up to a hose when the weather gets warmer to make water slides.  There is a race track complete with many, many cozy coupes and riders to race on.  They have several tire swings, picnic tables, and seating areas as well as several jungle gyms, a huge sandbox, a huge laser tag course, a model campground, and more!  Oh, and there was also a little pen of chickens and some wandering around just for fun.

We arrived on a Friday morning (right now they are only open on Fri, Sat, and Sun but this summer they will be open every day).  When we arrived there was only one other family there, and within a few minutes they left and we had the whole place to ourselves for the rest of the day.  While the owner said that they are fairly crowded on the weekends, I imagine they will be similarly empty until school is out for the summer.

The boys had an absolute ball!  It was fenced, so I could just let them run.  The ran from the slide to the race track, to the basketball court, and on and on.  There were conveniently located restrooms in the center of the area so it was easy to take a potty break.  Plus, you could bring in your own food and drink (no alcohol), and she will have a concession stand this summer as well as an air conditioned room to take a break from the heat.

What we liked:  We love that this is a fenced place where the children can play safely with tons of exciting attractions for all ages of kids and adults!  It is very family focused with rules on their website about no bullying and foul language as well as adults being there to supervise and interact with their children.  It is a great place to spend the day!  In addition, it is wheelchair accessible, and the owner has gone to great lengths so everyone can enjoy it.

What we would change:  Of course, it is a bit of a distance away from Durham and we wish it was closer.  Plus, at $10 for everyone over 36 inches tall and $5 for those under, it can be a bit pricey for a daily outing.  But I think it's worth it because that includes admission to everything at the park!

Website and other important information:

Website: http://www.goplayoutsidenow.com/index.html

Address: 44 Cornwallis St, Garner, NC 27529

Hours: Hours vary and are now clearly marked, so I would call to make sure they're open.  I think they will have pretty long hours during the summer months.

Rates: $10 for adults and kids over 36 inches, $5 for those under

Photos:

(the giant tube slides)

 (a view from the slides)

 (the sandbox surrounded by the race track)

 (My son heads down the slide.)

 (a view of all the fun from the entrance)

 (the model campground)

 (the chickens)

 (more views of the whole scene)

(the view from the car on the way out...we'll be back soon!)