Leon Corlew Park, Edwardsville

Location: 333 S. Main St., Edwardsville, IL 62025

Website: https://www.cityofedwardsville.com/481/Leon-Corlew-Splash-Pad

Playground Ground Cover: Poured Rubber

I consider this a destination playground and splashpad. It's completely amazing.  I'll talk about the playground first. It has 2 play structures, one for littles and one for kids over 5. The small one has a maze board, 2 different slides, a small rock wall, and nearby there are 2 spring cars.

You can see the splashpad next to the playground with the restrooms in between the two.

The larger playground is 3 stories with all kinds of cool things. There are 2 different tube slides, a rock wall, floating steps, a tunnel, a tic tac toe board, monkey bars, and other various bars and poles. It's brand new, clean, and there are several large covered pavilions nearby. They also sell concessions at certain times. They have speakers at the concession area and Disney songs were playing, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

I saved the best for last, the splashpad. This is one of the coolest splash pads I've ever seen. It's like the ones at the pools, but it's at a park and completely free. There are lots of little buckets that fill up and pour out water, plus one really large one. There are things that kids can manipulate and 2 little animals that spray water (a snail and a frog). The flooring is rubber and not concrete which is great, and they have cubbies for your belongings. They have covered benches and pavilions nearby also. Basically everything you could ever want in a park is here! 

Bellerive Park, St. Louis City

Location: 5570 S. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63111

Website: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/parks/parks/browse-parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=16&parkName=Bellerive%20Park

Playground Ground Cover: Poured rubber

This park is in the Carondelet neighborhood of the city. From the website, "Sweeping views of the river heading southwards are really stunning. Nearly every bench faces out towards the Mighty Mississippi. The pavilion has a beautiful scenic overlook."  Not going to lie this park is sketchy. I saw prostitutes and drug deals so I didn't get out of my car.

 Cool old pavilion

 There used to be 2 sling swings here but they are long gone now

These photos are from the website and show the full playground

The playstructure has slides, chain climber, and lots of bars and poles.

South St. Louis Square Park, St. Louis City

Location: 7701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63111

Website: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/parks/parks/browse-parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=78&parkName=St.%20Louis%20Square%20Park

Playground Ground Cover: Poured rubber

This playground was installed in 2006 and is the Carondelet neighborhood of the city. In 2005 artists from the Gateway Gallery Artists' Co-op in Clayton painted a mural showing people enjoying themselves in a park on the side of the South Public Super Market that adjoins the park.

2 photos from the website to show a different angle

The playstructure has a rock wall, several slides, a pretend window, a bridge, and lots of bars and poles.  There are 6 sling swings and 2 baby swings.

Also in this park is the restored stone Anton Schmitt House. "It was moved to the park in the 1990s from property owned by Monsanto, said NiNi Harris, a historian and author on St. Louis topics who lives in the Carondelet neighborhood. The house is typical of stone homes built by German immigrants before the Civil War, Harris said."  The gray limestone house was built in 1859!!!!

There is a restroom building but I did not go inside.

Buder Park, St. Louis City

Location: 2900 Hickory, St. Louis, MO 63104

Website: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/parks/parks/browse-parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=19&parkName=Buder%20Playground

Playground Ground Cover: Poured rubber

This playground is not to be confused with Buder park in the county. Both parks are named after Susan Rassieur Buder, as well as the library on Hampton and the elementary school on Lansdowne. My son actually went to preschool there when we lived in the city. The park is located between Rutger, California, Hickory, and Ewing Avenues in the Gate District Neighborhood. The park was dedicated in 1912 and has basketball courts, a playground, and a recreation center. The rec center is not technically within the confines of the park, rather is located on the southwest side of Hickory and Ewing and used to be a bathhouse.

 The play structure is average-sized and has a bridge, some slides, and some bars and poles.

There are 2 sling swings and 2 baby swings.