A Playground for Down-to-Earth Kids

Nine-year-old Kristin Buettner winced as she was squirted with cold water from a hose, then slid down a hill covered in plastic and plopped into a big puddle of mud.

With the grime streaking her face, Kristin quickly scooted out of the water and exclaimed, “I like getting dirty!”

That is the sentiment of just about every kid who visits Adventure Playground at Huntington Central Park, next to the Central Library.

The reason: It’s a place where it’s OK for kids to get grimy, pound with a hammer or saw a piece of wood.

“Kids love it,” said Kristin’s mother, Lisa Buettner of Huntington Beach, whose 4-year-old son, Connor, also enjoys the playground. “It allows them to explore and play--and be children. It gives them the opportunity to get muddy, creative and innovative.”

Adventure Playground, run by the city for the last 22 summers, takes kids back to the basics: They can pretend to be Huck Finn as they paddle wooden rafts in an 18-inch-deep pond, test their balance on a rope bridge or fly through the air on an old-fashioned tire swing.

Those curious about building a fort or treehouse are handed a hammer, nails and a handsaw to let their imaginations run wild.

“My favorite thing is to build treehouses,” said 10-year-old Maggie Harrison of Huntington Beach. “I like to work with the tools. It makes me feel creative.”

Sally Harrison, Maggie’s mother, said Adventure Playground is a recreation program of a different kind: “It’s a relaxed place and it’s very simple. It’s not high tech.”

Parents agree that the city-run summer program is still a best-kept secret, even though more than 250 children visit each day.

“We try and make it as fun as we can for the kids while making it a safe environment,” said Mark Hoxie, program coordinator. He added that the program “exposes them to a whole different world.”

The program, which runs until Aug. 23, is open to youngsters ages 5 to 12, but no one is turned away because of his or her age, Hoxie said. Even parents can join in the fun. For safety reasons, young visitors must wear tennis shoes or other closed-toe shoes to play.

The experience is inexpensive: $1 a day per child for Huntington Beach residents and $2 a day for children who live outside the city. Reservations are needed for groups of 15 or more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Hoxie said the program is in need of wood donations for fort and treehouse construction.

Reservations: (714) 842-7442. Recorded information: (714) 374-1626.