Cranford NJ Township Playgrounds

How can you tell if a town is a “fun town?”  One very good way to make that determination is to look at what the town has to offer its residents and visitors.  And what better commodity to offer than an enticing, safe, playground to spend time at?  It should come as no surprise, then, that Cranford, being the exceptionally friendly town that it is, offers a number of wonderful playgrounds for its citizens to enjoy.

Each elementary school in town has a fully equipped playground, used by students during school day recess, and by area children during non-school hours.  That includes Hillside Avenue School, Lincoln Avenue School, Livingston Avenue School, Walnut Avenue School, Bloomingdale Avenue School, Brookside Avenue School, and Orange Avenue School.  Most of these are wisely devoid of swings.  (Swings are NEVER a good idea for school recess.  Despite fights over who gets the few coveted swing seats, there’s too many children on the playground at one time to avoid the “child who walks in front of or behind the swings” problem.)  Rather, they provide safe climbing, sliding, and gross motor play activities in a well-designed play environment.  The facilities are brightly colored, updated, and well-maintained, with soft mulch flooring to lessen the possibility of injury.

In addition to the schoolyard playgrounds, Cranford also boasts a number of beautiful playgrounds at the public parks.  These playgrounds are equally well-maintained, and include swing sets and basketball courts.  These include the playgrounds at Lincoln Park on Lincoln Avenue and Retford Avenue, Mohawk Park in Indian Village on Mohawk Avenue, and, the largest one, in Nomahegan Park on Springfield Avenue across from Union County Community College. The latter is surrounded by large picnic area, and a beautiful man-made lake with working fountains.  All of these playgrounds provide a safe, fun place for children to play, with comfort and convenience for parents, as well.

And if you have chosen to join the township pools, namely Orange Avenue Pool and Centennial Avenue Pool, then you have access to beautiful playgrounds and play facilities and fields there, as well.

All of the playgrounds are scrupulously maintained by the Cranford Recreation and Parks Department  and/or by the Union County Recreation and Parks Department

It’s nice to know that there are so many safe, accessible, free places to enjoy!