# Would Playgrounds Work for Adults? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743 "2018-02-28T11:39:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/1 "2018-02-28T11:39:55Z")
I loathe exercising. But I remember how much fun playgrounds were when I was a youngster. Swings, slides, teeter-totters, monkey bars. I might get off my ass once in a while if there was a place like that for grownups. Say, for free in parks. They now have coloring books for adults. Why not playgrounds? Gyms are expensive, and a boring chore, at least to me. Could free grownup playgrounds get people moving around a little? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/2 "2018-02-28T12:10:09Z")
I think what would happen is the same thing that happened to me when I bought an Atari (retro) classic console. I played with it for all of 30 minutes, and then quickly got bored. I think the novelty would wear off rather quickly. Also, our bones are more brittle than a 5yo’s. So I’m not sure hanging out on the monkey bars is a good idea. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/3 "2018-02-28T12:31:36Z")
They might work. I like swings, and I’d go by myself if I didn’t think I looked like a creep or something. I’m too heavy and too weak to do the monkey bars any more, but I could get stronger if they weren’t so low to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/4 "2018-02-28T13:12:51Z")
“Work” as in a place I’d like to go? Regular playgrounds, not really, since they’d only be fun with other people whom I rarely do outdoorsy stuff with. On the other hand, if there were an adult-friendly “creative” playground I would totally go there. Like your standard tower in your average kids playground but at least 4x as big and with slightly wider passageways. A couple slides and firemans poles for variety but mostly towers, bridges, passageways and climbing. It wouldn’t increase my exercise much, but it would be very fun, especially if there were a network of them that I could try out every month or so. Right now the only one I can think of is the [City Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Museum) in St Louis, which I took a trip to specifically to go there and to the Cahokia Mounds. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/5 "2018-02-28T13:44:10Z")
When my parents added a little playground area (slide, mini climbing wall, sliding pole, monkey bars etc.) to the tourist attraction they run, they insisted on getting kit that was designed as suitable, strength and size wise, for adults, so they didn’t have to put a maximum age limit on. To the apparent confusion of the salesman, they insisted on trying it out before they bought it as well 😃 I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone older than a teen playing on it without being accompanied by a little kid though. There are plenty of pay-to-visit adult playgrounds, they’re just called other things. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/6 "2018-02-28T14:13:17Z")
You can already visit a climbing wall or various obstacle courses. It’s not as though you burn many calories on a swing set or slide and the actually useful components are already available to adults. When you have young children, you have valid reason to climb the jungle gyms and run over the swinging bridges with them. You’ll notice most parents prefer to sit on the benches. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/7 "2018-02-28T14:27:45Z")
There is a park and a school nearby, both have playground equipment. When I take the grandkids to the playground, I find that there is a lot of stuff that I can “play” on. I’m too tall for the monkey bars, but there is a lot of stuff I can climb on or around with the kids. Plus, swings… You’re never too old to swing. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/8 "2018-02-28T14:40:20Z")
There are cities in the world investing in installing, in public parks, exercise/jungle gym type machines/gizmos designed for adults. They are made to look inviting like overgrown kid toys. And they do get used. I’ve seen them in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. They’re kinda fun too! ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/9 "2018-02-28T18:30:57Z")
I don’t know about you guys but I’m a 44 year old grown-ass woman and when I see monkeybars you bet I’m going to hang upside-down on them. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/10 "2018-02-28T18:50:39Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > There are cities in the world investing in installing, in public parks, exercise/jungle gym type machines/gizmos designed for adults. They are made to look inviting like overgrown kid toys. And they do get used. I’ve seen them in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. They’re kinda fun too! Thailand, too. [Here is an example](https://www.google.com/maps/@15.2308841,104.8573363,2a,75y,150.09h,91.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJCAd8kNB03bw6jPO6AFl4Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) of a public park that has a running/walking track and exercise machines for public use. Even many of the small towns/villages I drove through had set-up similar to this. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/11 "2018-02-28T18:52:54Z")
I could see a safer/less difficult “Ninja Warrior”-type set up being popular. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/12 "2018-02-28T19:01:19Z")
Recreation friendly bicycle trails would be a good start. Keep them short and focus on scenic routes. Include benches to stop and just take in the beauty and unwind. Bike trails today have become high speed highways for athletes whizzing by at 15 mph. Its not safe anymore for people that just want 15 to 20 mins of moderate exercise walking or biking. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/13 "2018-03-01T00:19:44Z")
Playgrounds for [senior citizens](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrE19CURpdaWCAADytXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE0aG5oOTc3BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjUxOTJfMQRzZWMDcGl2cw--?p=senior+citizen+playground&fr2=piv-web&fr=yset_ie_syc_tb-s#id=20&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2Fi%2Fpix%2F2010%2F05%2F21%2Farticle-1280111-09A78D93000005DC-233_468x496.jpg&action=close) are a thing. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/14 "2018-03-01T00:56:33Z")
Heck, I’d settle for a decent swingset! ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/15 "2018-03-01T01:05:43Z")
Work for what? Is this safe for work? Is it safe for the FBI? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/16 "2018-03-01T01:58:26Z")
It used to be called _Wipeout_, and now it’s _Ninja Warrior_. But really they’re just playgrounds. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/17 "2018-03-01T02:09:57Z")
I kinda thought recreational/amatuer sports we’re the activity based “playground” for adults. Like mountain biking. You can go alone, w/group, join a ride/race. Rinse and repeat with lots of activities, kayaking, climbing,skiing,bowling. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/18 "2018-03-01T02:23:45Z")
I would think so. There are already plenty of indoor rock climbing places. And there are tons of obstacle course races / mud runs like Tough Mudder, Spartan, City Challenge, Rugged Maniac, Warrior Dash and Dirty Girl. I’m sure once it gets warmer in a few weeks, I’ll be out there chasing my kid all over the monkey bars again. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/19 "2018-03-01T15:14:23Z")
absolutely they would - I used to have a call center job where I was in a cubical all day and on breaks we walked and admired the view of Pike’s Peak. we talked about how nice swings would be. big ass swings. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743/20 "2018-03-01T15:31:39Z")
Portable playgrounds are all the rage in Montreal. In winter we set up musical, lit-up teeter totters downtown. In summer small boxes containing exercise equipment are set up in a parking spot or two, and you’ll see people goofing off, trying out an exercise bike, and laughing themselves silly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-playgrounds-work-for-adults/809743.md?page=2)