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PHOTO BY HEATHER FUENTES
A NEW PLACE TO PLAY CLIMB TO THE TOP of the treehouse in Greenbriar Local Park—which opened in Travilah near Potomac in November— and see a panorama of nearby woods, distant fields and children clambering between the two brightly colored playgrounds below. An area for older kids (ages 5-12) features the towering treehouse structure and its plank bridge, slides and rope ladders. There’s also a tire swing and a mound covered in a bouncy surface material, perfect for climbing up and rolling down. The playground for younger children (ages 2-5) resembles a beach and includes a fishing boat play structure with a working periscope. The 25-acre park’s educational aspects focus on the local environment—signs along a paved path leading from the
parking lot to the playground tell about Maryland’s watersheds, geography and wildlife. Between the play areas, families picnic at a shady stone terrace overlooking a vista of trees, part of the 15 acres of undisturbed forest that surround the park. A soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, and a paved 2/3 -mile walking path offer recreational options. While a trip to Greenbriar Local Park isn’t the same as a day at the beach, it just might keep the kids from getting crabby. Greenbriar Local Park, 12525 Glen Road, Travilah, www.montgomeryparks.org —Stephanie Siegel Burke BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH/APRIL 2017
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