I am sure that many of you have stayed at Disney’s Pop Century Resort in the past. However, upon my recent stay, I made the decision that since it was July, I would commit to coming back to the room for a rest during the day to avoid a complete meltdown by 4 p.m. (I say meltdown because it was in the mid-90s during this stay, but felt more like the mid-100s!). So on the first day when I returned to the resort for my rest at about 2 p.m., I did as I usually do when returning to the resort at the end of the night and went to make a bee-line to my nice, clean air conditioned room (I knew they were air conditioned because of the retro sign as driving into the resort that announces, “Air Conditioning”!) when my son spotted the playground located outside of the Classic Hall and close to the 90’s parking lot.
This was the first time we had spotted this playground. It is located down a small pathway and is a bit obscure, unless you know where it is and what you are looking for! My son and I found this playground to be heavily treed which offered enough shade to reduce the heat of the day to a more manageable level. My son, age 4, enjoyed the slides, bars and pebbles (Yes, I said pebbles. He loves to dig!), while I enjoyed the seats that were along the parameter of the area. I found that I felt that my son was safe there in that playground for the following reasons:
1. Flooring was made of pebbles and large rubberized mats,
2. Only one entrance/exit to the playground (unless a child could climb and make their way through the surrounding bushes and scrubs)
3. The area is so isolated that most children pass right by without even giving the area a glance leading to a hidden oasis for a kid!
4. The playground has age restrictions of 2-12 year olds and
5. All children must be supervised.
I found out that many of the Disney Resorts have playgrounds for the children! It was so nice for my son to get to get up out of his stroller for a bit before going to our room for his nap. It really helped him get good and extra tired so falling asleep was fast and easy! This lead to a magical portion of the day when I got to enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet! Now that is a hidden extra all within itself!
(Photo credit: T. Curth NDM#118)
Contributed by: Natalie H. Natalie is the Disney Driven Life’s resident resort expert.
