My two sons are incredibly active. Although they are tweens and teens now, one of the ways I would burn off some of their never-ending energy when they were younger would be to take them to a park to play at a playground. Since we moved to Indiana 10 years ago, I’m happy to say that we have visited almost every playground around Indianapolis! That’s a lot of playgrounds. Even though my kids are not little anymore, they still are thrilled to play on a playground, and can play with the best of them.
Because we’ve visited so many parks around central Indiana, my kids definitely have opinions about which ones are their favorites. It turns out, many of my kids’ favorite playgrounds have been designed and created by Recreation inSites, a playground design company that serves Indiana and Kentucky. The Colts Canal Playspace in downtown Indianapolis? Check! Lawrence W. Inlow Park in Carmel? Yes! Federal Hill Commons Park in Noblesville? You got it! And those are just three examples.
I had the chance to meet with Melissa Guffey, principal owner at Recreation inSites, to talk about designing and creating some of the playgrounds we all enjoy around Indy.
What is a playground around Indy that you’re most proud of?
Wow, this is a hard one to answer! I have been so proud of all our designs and collaborations on many projects, ranging from pocket parks to large destination parks.
The Colt’s Canal Playspace is probably one of my favorites. I loved the challenge of creating a unique, one-of-a-kind, very linear playground that resonates with so many age groups. From the embankment slide to the large custom Corocord loop and climbing tower that inspires and challenges users age 5 and up. And when I say up, I mean ADULTS even are seen playing on it! Play doesn’t end, or rather should not end, when you become an adult. I have, on many occasions, seen adults come off the trail and use the playground structure as a way to exercise. They have figured out how to parkour underneath the structure.
What is a trend you are seeing right now with playgrounds?
We are seeing a lot of nature-based playground equipment and embankment play. We are also seeing lots of themed playgrounds, like the big Robinia Owls at Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center on Indy’s far east side, or Cason Family Park in West Lafayette.
Playgrounds have changed so much since I was a child! What kind of features are most popular on playgrounds around Indy?
[Playground equipment manufacturer] KOMPAN has a lot of research into what motivates and keeps kids playing on playgrounds for longer.
We see lots of structures that are multi functional. Spinning (rotating) structures that are designed for all abilities, group spinning and spinning that can be varied in speed. We are also seeing that children like unique structures, ones that have a WOW factor, that excites them to come to that playground to play. We are also seeing more sensory play features on a playground.
I have noticed an emphasis on accessibility in playgrounds. Is accessibility something that’s a standard now when building new playgrounds?
KOMPAN’s DNA has always been designing equipment for children of all abilities, so that everyone feels included. It is important to understand that we are designing our playgrounds to encourage all abilities to play together-physically, cognitively and socially. Accessibility is also looking at how people navigate to the playground and through the playground. We are striving to make playgrounds inclusive to a diverse user needs, accessible, fun and usable for all abilities.
What are some other playgrounds that Recreation inSites is currently working on that we can look forward to?
We just finished a playground at Christina Oaks park, McCarty Triangle Park, and Shortee’s Run. Old School Park in McCordsville is soon to be completed.
We are super excited to be redoing Simon Moon Playground in Westfield in the coming year. This is my first revision of a playground I did early on in my career. It’s such a honor to be working with the park’s department and their design team on phase two of the park.
Is there anything else our readers should know about the work that Recreation inSites is doing for Indianapolis playgrounds?
Playgrounds are a big investment to a community, whether it is a municipal park, school playground, church playground, daycare or neighborhood HOA park. We like to take the time to learn how we can best design each playground so it is something that has not only that WOW factor, but is designed with materials that are the best in the industry.
