Playground equipment has changed significantly since I was a kid. Our hyper-vigilant society, armed with cutting-edge safety technology, has removed some old favorites. Sure, metal monkey bars rising 8' above a gravel foundation scream "emergency room." But I come from an era when falling off the top of one of those suckers merely gave me the opportunity to reflect on my poor life choices as I laid on my back in a bed of pea-stone. Hazard you say? I call that character building. What kid didn't explore the intricacies of trusting relationships while on a see-saw? No matter how bestest your friend was, you could never be sure that they wouldn't jump off and let you crash down on your tail bone, ruining your ability to walk upright for the rest of the day.

The old playgrounds have been replaced with what are referred to as composite, or modular, play sets. These colorful plastic-and-metal equipment sets come in a wide range of options, so no two play sets look alike. Though they don't offer the same character-building hazards I grew up with, they do include some cool additions that make for great fun.

My research team (Gianni 7, Giacomo 9) and I spent the better part of last summer scouting out area playgrounds. We made notes on important factors like playability and safety. There are roughly a gazillion playgrounds in the area, and listing them all would be impossible. For the sake of space, here are some public parks we found to have broad appeal. Did we miss your favorite one? Log on to rochestercitynewspaper.com, head to Guides in the Arts & Entertainment section, and let us know all about it.

City of Rochester

Meigs-Linden Playground (Meigs Street at Linden Avenue)

This is my favorite city playground, because it's a true neighborhood gathering place. It features a large play area built over poured-in-place rubber, with a horse fence that pens the kids in. Equipment includes tall metal slides (a rarity, nowadays), an actual sandbox rife with toddler rumbles (my favorite), four regular swings, four toddler swings, a separate play set for little ones, and a respectable play set for the 5-12 crowd. Benches, shade, and garbage cans make this parent-friendly, too. Even though it's situated near a residential city block, there's ample area to run and play kid games. Righteous!

MaplewoodPark (Maplewood Avenue at Seneca Parkway)

I'm not embarrassed to admit that I needed Mapquest, a GPS unit, and a Sherpa to find this park. Don't let my odyssey dissuade you, because this playground is worth the search. Up until recently Maplewood boasted the bestest wood play set in a tri-county area. Although no longer made of wood, the modular replacement is quite nice. You'll find a cool plastic car for several children to play in, fun musical chimes, and a separate tot play area. No swings or benches for grown-ups, but there's a huge field to play in. While Gianni and I played on the playground, my husband played catch with our 9 year old. A great sell for the 2-8 age group.

MarieDaleyPark (160 Gregory Street)

This new playground, opened last summer, comes replete with beautiful benches and flower boxes. The quaint set up is tucked in the shade of mature trees and shares a lot with a baseball field and picnic area. The composite set is more for smaller kids (ages 2-8), while the separate tot area includes a tire swing (with a real tire) and interesting climbing apparatus. The most unique feature is the individual whirl. This rotating post with handles has enough room for one older kid, or maybe two younger ones, to stand or sit on and spin. (I got sick just watching.) Also look for two spring riders, two swings, one adaptive swing (large molded plastic swings with extra straps for any age, but designed with handicapped children in mind), and one toddler swing, plus a plastic slide with climbing wall. 

ManhattanSquarePark (353 Court Street)

In a word? Interesting. Manhattan Square Park is in the middle of a $7 million renovation. The old spray park animals have been taken out and a new play area has been installed, a climbing park for elementary school-aged kids. A large octagon structure with criss-crossing ropes inside is intended for concussion free climbing, and there's a smaller climbing octagon for young kids. A recycled rubber base slopes up a large incline for climbing up to two slides and a cat walk. Other funky stuff we could not figure out. One item looked like a pipe organ. We guessed it was intended for striking with a metal object, but it looked like the mallet had been removed. I'll be honest, I think the sprinkler animals got more play. I hope they plan on adding more to this one.

OntarioBeachPark (4800 Lake Avenue)

This park is loved by many, and its playground is always overrun with kids of all ages playing hard. You can't help but love it like an old blanket. This medium-sized modular is older than the above-mentioned parks, but continues to lend itself to running, jumping, climbing fun for kids of all ages. The track ride is the unique feature here: kids dangle from handles on a track that takes them from one end of the set to the other with a little bodily propulsion. As a grown up, it's one of my favorites. When I was there the park was down a couple swings, and the set looked a little shabby. But it was clear that no kid on that playground noticed or cared.

Monroe County

Veterans' Memorial Park (579 Calkins Road, Henrietta)

All I have to say about this playground is "WHEEEE!" This ginormous set-up has something for everyone. There are two separate play sets for the 2- to 5-year-old crowd on one end of the park, with six spring-riders (the new name for hobby-horses). A separate composite play set for 5- to 12-year-olds starts low to the ground on one end. The degree of difficulty gradually increases to climbing, sliding, and swinging splendor for bigger kids. The set peaks at six tall slide choices. Two climbing walls are attached to the main play set, and there is a separate climbing wall, a horizontal tire swing (except it's not a tire, it's a plastic disk) and eight - count ‘em, eight - regular swings, six baby swings, and two adaptive swings. A unique feature at this park is the three spring pods. These are triangle-shaped platforms, low to the ground, on three springs, on which you can jiggle, shimmy, and shake. (I don't get it; let your kids figure it out.) The park is situated way back from the road, and is surrounded by mature trees that provide plenty of shade for spectators. There's ample room for older kids to play freeze tag or other kid games, plus plenty of benches, two rentable shelters, and a water fountain. Garbage is carry in, carry out.

GreeceTownPark (1 Vince Tofany Boulevard, Greece)

It's a hike for urban dwellers and east-siders, but well worth it. This large modular playground has managed to hold on to some old favorites. The large whirl - a kid-powered merry-go-round - is the crown jewel, next to the large (about 8' tall at the head) caterpillar climber. Another oldy but goody is the metal dome monkey bars. I thoroughly enjoyed yelling to my kids, "You got yourself up there, you can get yourself down!" The playground is next to the parking lot behind the town hall. It's surrounded by a fence, so obviously random acts of toddlers were taken into consideration when it was designed. There is a play set for toddlers, then a larger climber with slides for bigger kids. Other equipment includes four kid swings, two toddler swings, and one adaptive swing with metal bars for kids who aren't able to use their legs for propulsion.

RidgePark (255 Holt Road, Webster)

The layout for this playground is unique. Each piece of equipment stands alone on a bed of wood chips, and they are separated from each other by grass. The entire area is fenced in, as it is next to a steep bank that leads to a creek. Play items include three spring riders, a separate play set appropriate for 2- to 5-year-olds, and a bigger person's play set with a tube slide and regular slide. See-saw fans may gravitate toward the two-way and three-way buck-abouts (equipment that looks like a see-saw, but the center is on springs, so you shake and bounce, but don't go up and down). Gianni and I liked this playground for several reasons. First, it includes two whirls; the smaller of the two actually has four horses to sit on. Second, there is a sandbox. However, this one has a built-in digger right smack in the middle. Only one child can use the digger at a time, and it's quite obtrusive to other would-be digging children. The playground sits between ball fields of varying types. There are benches, mature trees, and a rentable shelter with picnic tables and a grill.

PerintonTownPark (99 O'Connor Road, Fairport)

This large, shaded park enjoys broad appeal because there is plenty of room to run around, and the playground is on sand. Props to Perinton for having some good metal slides, 10 regular swings, six baby swings, and one adaptive swing. The playground also features several spring riders and a separate tot play set (this is a great park for the combo game hide-and-seek-freeze-tag). Benches, tennis courts, a picnic shelter, a community center, and access to the canal path make this a fun-for-everyone type of place. No fence, but it is set far enough away from the road and parking lot so that there's little danger.

BucklandPark (1341 Westfall Road, Brighton)

Buckland Park is a recreation bonanza. The park is a collection of soccer fields, baseball fields, tennis courts, a walking/running track around the perimeter, and playgrounds. Several of them. I counted three, two little-kid sets and one for big kids. The first one you see when driving in is medium-sized for kids 2-5. It includes three spring riders, four toddler swings, a tall rock-climbing wall, and an attached tube slide. Continue to drive into the park and you'll see the second modular play set for ages 2-5. No swings on this one, but plenty of climbing fun. Drive deeper into the park and you'll see a taller play set for the 5- to 12-year-old crowd; it is most excellent, with a tall rock-climbing wall and slides. This set isn't very big, but I was there with four children ages 6-9, and they were all content for a half hour. Due to the significant separation between sets, it would be difficult for a family with a wide range of ages.