Photograph by Sarah McCosham
We live in Montgomery and Swaim Park has long been a staple in the McCosham playground rotation, with its various play areas growing with my kids and the large sandbox an evergreen favorite (even for my 13 year old, but don’t tell him I said that). In fact, Swaim’s humble row of swings is where I met one of my best parent friends, a stay-at-home dad who laughed when I complained about having to push then 5-year-old Mary back and forth, back and forth, ad infinitum.
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
Fast forward to 2024. I signed up to be a parent volunteer for Pearl’s kindergarten field day. She goes to Montgomery Elementary, about half a mile from Swaim Park, and I helped corral her class over to the park on a stunning, sunny-and-blue-skied May morning. I was happy to spend some one-on-one time with my baby girl, and even happier that field day was happening at one of my favorite places in Montgomery—and Cincinnati, for that matter.
Hand in hand, we wandered down the cobblestone sidewalks and up to the park, taking the trail past the playground and over to the sports fields…but wait. Back up! The playground was in the final stages of a major revamp, and neither Pearl nor I could contain our excitement over the new features. A charming, straight-from-a-fairy-tale play area replaced the retro toddler jungle gym; a spinning house with windows and seats occupied another “outdated” park feature, and the Montgomery Parks crew was hard at work putting the finishing touches on a sprawling, brand-spanking-new play center perfect for the elementary-and-up crowd.
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
(I put “outdated” in quotes because these pieces of equipment are probably only 10 years old, at most, but considering that my kids have no idea what an ice cube tray or mixtape is…these things are outdated to them. As am I.)
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
The park workers said the new play area should be ready for summer, but don’t quote me on that, because, Cincinnati weather. For now, kids can run, jump, and play on Swaim’s new(er) additions (including the Hansel and Gretel–style cottage and Wizard of Oz–esque spinning house), along with the tried-and-true trusty old sandbox. There are adjacent pickleball (or tennis, if you’ve not yet fully obsessed with pickleball), basketball, soccer, and sand volleyball courts, along with two shaded picnic shelters wherein we’ve enjoyed many a summer lunch. Oh, and the paved trail that winds around Todd Pond? Perfection.
I love a good playground and even though my older two have “aged out” of the standard swing sets and jungle gyms, my younger kiddos are still in their peak playground years and I am going to hold tight to this season, because I know how fleeting it is.
Swaim Park, 7650 Cooper Rd., Montgomery
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