Let's Have Some Fun!
Livable places have spaces where people of all ages can get out and play
by Melissa Stanton (text and photographs), AARP Livable Communities
-
Location: Culpeper, Virginia
Ladies Day Out
The Red Hat Society describes itself as "a playgroup for women," typically women age 50+. (Younger members are welcome but wear pink hats.) These women, from a chapter in Virginia, met up for lunch and shopping at a country market.
1 of 20 -
Location: Rehoboth, Delaware
Giant Chess
A toddler too young to play chess can enjoy the game when the pieces aren't a choking hazard and the players keep her occupied with a captured knight and trio of pawns.
2 of 20 -
Location: New York City
Board Games Prevent Boredom
Everyone is free to take a seat and play chess — or any of several other available games — for free in the table games sections of downtown Manhattan's Bryant Park.
3 of 20 -
Location: National Harbor, Maryland
Bring Your Own
The tables and chairs in the center median of this work-play-live development enable visitors to bring food for outdoor dining or game pieces for playing checkers or chess.
4 of 20 -
Location: New York City
Pickup Pingpong
While only two, maybe four, people can play at once, Bryant Park spectators have fun watching friends, family and complete strangers complete in impromptu games of table tennis.
5 of 20 -
Location: Washington, D.C.
An Urban Jungle Gym
Nestled behind street trees at the bottom of a hill sits a play paradise for children (seating for parents) at the Guy Mason Recreation Center Playground in the nation's capital.
6 of 20 -
Location: Miami
Miami Nice
Until recently, downtown Miami was home to businesses, especially banking, but not babies. Residential development brought the need for shopping and family-friendly places, like the Lee and Tina Hills Playground in Bayfront Park.
7 of 20 -
Location: Philadelphia
On Top of It All
Once off-limits, city rooftops are frequently being turned into shared outdoor spaces, such as sun decks and gardens. At the Friends Select school, a rooftop is an athletic field for team sports and simple fun (no matter the weather).
8 of 20 -
Location: Los Angeles
Street Songs
The LA Live entertainment complex is a walkable downtown district in an otherwise sprawling, car-required city. Sidewalk performances by musical groups are a no-cost attraction.
9 of 20 -
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Downtown Movies
Before movie-viewing meant a trip to a mall multiplex, renting a video or going online, people went to local, downtown movie theaters. Some small-scale cinemas still thrive.
10 of 20 -
Location: Miami Beach
Outdoor Movies
Drive-in movies aren't as common as they once were. Outdoor movie screenings — such as those projected against a wall of the New World Symphony building — are today's equivalent.
11 of 20 -
Location: New York City
A New Kind of Drive-In
Visitors to the High Line along Manhattan's West Side can walk the elevated promenade without worrying about being struck by a car or truck. In fact, fast-moving and traffic-snarled vehicles are a source of entertainment and relaxation.
12 of 20 -
Location: New York City
A Public Reading Room
Another corner of Manhattan's Bryant Park serves as an outdoor reading room. Didn't bring a book? Don't have money to buy today's paper? No problem. A variety of free reading materials are available.
13 of 20 -
Location: Portland, Maine
A Place to Sit in the City
Well-maintained, centrally-located plazas with places to sit are useful for people of all ages. That's particularly true for Congress Square Park, located in a city that's snowy or chilly for much of the year. Another benefit of this particular spot: Free Wi-Fi!
14 of 20 -
Photo: Bar Harbor, Maine
A Place to Sit in Town
Residents and tourists can relax, read and reflect in this seaside community's Village Green. For those who don't want to fully disengage, this outdoor public space is — like the Downeast one in the previous slide — Wi-Fi equipped.
15 of 20 -
Location: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
A Place to Fly a Kite
The streets of historic Old San Juan are narrow and busy. But this expansive lawn, part of the U.S. Park Service's San Juan National Historic Site, offers a stunning ocean view, warm breezes and a softly rolling lawn.
16 of 20 -
Location: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cooling Off in the Tropics
An interactive spray fountain in the El Morro area of Old San Juan helps visitors of every age beat the heat.
17 of 20 -
Location: Phoenix
Cooling Off in the Desert
Sometimes the adults outnumber the kids in downtown splash pad fountains, such as this one in the downtown CityScape complex. In the winter months (with lows of about 50 F), an outdoor ice rink opens nearby.
18 of 20 -
Location: Philadelphia
Cooling Off in the City
When tempers heat up in City Hall, the hot and bothered can cool down in the spray fountains of the adjacent Dilworth Park, a space recently transformed from "an inaccessible, multilevel, hard-surface plaza" into a gathering place.
19 of 20 -
Location: Loveland, Colorado
Ready, Set, Color!
Loveland loves the arts. The city has housing for artists. Scupture is scattered about the downtown and displayed in a 10-acre sculpture garden. The Pastels on 5th chalk art festival invites people of all ages to draw on the sidewalks.
20 of 20
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
- AARP Livable Communities Slideshows
- AARP Livable Communities Interviews
- AARP Livable Communities How To's
- AARP Livability Fact Sheets
- The AARP HomeFit Guide
- The AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities
- AARP Livable Communities A-Z Archives
Stay Informed: Subscribe to the free, AARP Livable Communities e-Newsletter!
AARP.org/Livable
Enter a topic, name, place, etc.
See past issues: Visit our newsletter archive »
Our Free Publications!
See the complete list at AARP.org/LivableLibrary
Follow Us
- X: @AARPLivable
- Facebook: @AARPLivableCommunities
Contact Us
- Email AARP Livable Communities at Livable@AARP.org.
- Ask about the AARP Livability Index by completing this online form.
- AARP Members: For questions about your benefits, AARP The Magazine or the AARP Bulletin, visit the AARP Contact Us page or call 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277).