The Story of Ollie and the Three Bears…Park

Three Bears Park

I have always heard cute things about Three Bears Park (TBP) in Society Hill. For this review I went twice. Once during the week when there were 6 kids and then on the weekend when it was busy.

TBP is sandwiched between two quite streets and is beautifully maintained with trees and not a stitch of graffiti or Sharpie marker tags. It is beautiful and modest in what it offers. There are four swings (2 baby, 2 big kid) and one playground set up…which does boast a multiple of slides. The park is a high contrast to the packed in feeling and skinny homes that make up the neighborhood. It is open and airy  with plenty of picnic tables. There are two sections. One is the playground the other is just an open asphault area which would be perfect for your little one to learn to ride their bike.

On our morning trip there were about six mothers/ fathers/ caretakers and I can’t say anyone was incredibly friendly. Everyone just kept to themselves. In all fairness it was about 9:00 a.m. so maybe Society Hill doesn’t get “social” until 9:30-10:00 a.m.?

Even with all its beauty it was only 15 minutes before Ollie said “Go Home.” I tried to think of how long Henry would have lasted and I think he would have at least made it for 30 minutes. Now that I think about it…this park is kinda like when you used to go out with your friends and you loved going to the bar down the street but you had to “bring your own party” so to speak. The foundation is there for a nice little time but you gotta make the magic yourself.

So to test my Henry theory I went back on a weekend when the park was busy. Henry had a great time. We played tag in the big open area and he climbed all over everything.  We spent about 45 minutes there on our second trip. Parent’s again were not outgoing but solely concerned with their child. It was super rare that I saw a parent interact with a child or adult they did not know and in turn the children did not interact with each other. We practice “don’t talk to strangers” like everyone else but when a little one needs help on a slide or up some steps? Yeah there was none of that.

 The age group that day was mainly toddlers with about three older kids. The older kids were rough housing and running all over the place and making it pretty unpleasent for the toddlers. Which happens everywhere. But I say this because if you have kids over 6 they might be bored and this is probably not their spot.

 I am glad we checked it out but with tough parking and not many bells and whistles it probably won’t go on my short list. Now, I understand that every neighborhood is very loyal and territorial when it comes to their park. Through good days and bad days your park is there for you. Three Bears is loved by its neighborhood which is clear. I don’t doubt that the park was filled with wonderful families every time I was there but I would bet you won’t exactly be making any BFF’s there anytime soon.

The End