Joy Playground, Atascadero

Joy Playground, behind Colony Park Community Center, in Atascadero is a large playground with shade on one side. It is designed for children with disabilities, and has many fun options! It is best in winter because it is very spread out with no shade at all in the middle. In summer, most of the play equipment in the middle gets too hot to touch, but the swings, Rock N Raft, and play structure are nicely situated under shade canopies. The playground has a high fence all around it, and views of the park and hills. There is a cute treehouse structure with two twisty slides, a bumpy slide, a curved slide, and double slides in stainless steel. The many sensory stations, such as "sounds of water" don't work. On the structure, are leaf-shaped seats, a braille panel, leaf-shaped stepping stones, and a little pretend play area under the structure. 

The big attraction is the Rock N Raft, where six or more kids, including a child in a wheel chair, can rock back and forth in a big boat. There is also a large spinner for four kids standing and four kids seated, and a dragonfly seesaw. A log tunnel and egg seat are fun to hide in, and there is a mushroom table and chairs, but it isn't tucked away anywhere cute. Overall, the playground isn't cozy because they didn't put any trees throughout.
A large canvas disc swing is always a ton of fun. There is also a long row of six swings in the shade, including baby swings, parent-child face-to-face swings, and small plus large Zero-G swings with buckles.
Joy Playground is a ten minute walk from the cafes in Atascadero town but a stark, shadeless walk so it's best to drive.
If your child likes model railroads, drive over to Central Coast Trains, a small store with supplies and some model railroads to check out. It is four minutes from downtown, on El Camino Real.

Directions

Joy Playground is located at 5599 Traffic Way, Atascadero. There is a large parking lot with some shade, which is shared with Colony Park Community Center. It is a ten minute walk from the cafes in town, but kind of stark and shadeless, so best to drive.

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