This Whimsical Playground In Nevada Is Straight Out Of A Storybook
By Mychelle Blake
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Published October 31, 2016
This unusual playground is a delight for children and adults. It’s also part of a massive revitalization effort for the economically distressed downtown area of Las Vegas.
Downtown Container Park opened in November 2013 and was created by the $350 million Downtown Project. The goal is to boost business in the area around Fremont Street and bring more tourists and locals to a place often ignored in favor of the Strip and other Las Vegas attractions.
The park is an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex which is made entirely of shipping containers.
In the middle of the park is the children's playground, which has a 33-foot slide and water play area.
Children can climb through the container "towers," the tallest of which is three stories. There is also a fabricated tree and tree house. Covered slides and wooden-and-rope walkways connect the installations for the children.
There's also a NEOS play system for children, which is designed to combine the speed of video games with aerobic movement. This creates a fun outlet for kids that's also healthy!
Giant building blocks allow kids to explore their own creativity and have fun at the same time.
Another section of the park offers comfortable outdoor chairs and couches for parents. They can relax and watch their children playing with the enormous Legos on the lawn. This area is flanked by an actual train caboose decorated with adorable monkey paintings. Step inside and find that the caboose is actually a working barber shop! There is also an outdoor stage for music and theater events, many of which are designed for children.
The park also hosts educational projects for children to encourage learning and experimentation. An example is this spaceship from the Youth Educational Spacecraft Project, which teaches art and technology to children.
One of the highlights of Downtown Container Park for children, and their adults, is the Mantis. This 55-foot tall structure greets visitors as they arrive to the park. The Mantis "speaks" forty languages and even does mating calls at night! The sculpture was created by Kirk Jellum in 2010 and was featured at the Burning Man festival before finding its new home. Behind the Mantis is the Catalyst Dome, which looks like an igloo during the day and at night lights up and changes colors.
What do you think of the Downtown Container Park? Share in the comments!
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