Alabama's Most Unique Playground Is A Massive Kid Paradise Promoting Creativity And Fun

An immersive, well-constructed playground can have a transporting effect on someone. Throughout life, one can return to this special place that burrowed its way into their subconscious, recalling a sense of childlike discovery and innocence. Recently, there has been a rise in the U.S. in commissioning creative playgrounds and interactive art experiences for the entire family. These include attractions like the Bubble Planet Experience in New Jersey or Meow Wolf, with locations in New Mexico, Las Vegas, and a slated expansion to Los Angeles in 2026.

However, Finding a place strictly designated as a playground for children with this level of artistic involvement might be a little harder to find. One needn't look any further than the Rural Studio Lions Park Playscape in Greensboro, Alabama, about an hour and a half south of Alabama's "Cultural Capital" of Birmingham, for an experience that kids will likely never forget. This one-of-a-kind spot has been getting notices from all over the country — and rightfully so.

The play area at Lions Park Playscape is essentially a massive outdoor barrel maze. While it does also include some classic playground elements (slide, swingset, jungle gym, etc.), the main draw of the attraction might be the myriad of interactive features such as sound rooms and secret hideaways that kids can get lost in. While being very structurally impressive in its own right, this unique playground encourages children to use the structure as a canvas for their own imaginations.

Lions Park Playscape was completed in 2011 by Rural Studio Projects, a design program out of Auburn University. It's made of 3,000 galvanized barrels originally used for the transport of mint oil, acquired by the program and repurposed into this labyrinth of interactive surfaces and hidden compartments. Each barrel is welded together in eight locations to surrounding barrels, creating a sturdy foundation that can withstand all that child's play. In addition to perhaps being the best location in Alabama for a game of hide and seek, there are numerous surfaces for jumping from barrel to barrel and open spaces to run through.

Though it's still best to exercise caution, geotextile fabric was installed on the ground, and the gravel underneath was spread out to cushion some unexpected landings. In order to prevent the steel barrels from becoming dangerously hot under the Alabama sun, a canopy also made from the same 55-gallon drums was constructed above the maze with the help of Joe Farruggia, a designer from Chicago. The canopy features many portholes that children can look through to gaze at the clouds and the sky.

While numerous attractions in Alabama feature brilliant architectural design, such as the Ave Maria Grotto in Saint Bernard Abbey, few are explicitly designed as functional sites for physical activity, like the Lions Park Playscape. Rural Studio Projects has been committed to revitalizing Lions Park in Greensboro since 2005. The park had fallen to neglect by 2004, and the group was approached by a joint committee formed by the Lions Club, the City of Greensboro, Hale County, the Riding Club, and the Greensboro Baseball Association. Since then, the students have renovated the park to feature redesigned baseball fields, softball fields, new restroom facilities, a concession stand, and a new skate park (with funding from the Tony Hawk Foundation, no less!).

This playscape is the fifth project to be developed by Rural Studio Projects for the park. The first project undertaken by the group included the renovation of the six surrounding ball fields. This included the construction of a large social hub at the epicenter of the six surrounding home plates entitled "Grand Central," where families can gather to watch the games. After handing over the park to the city of Greensboro after countless hours of work, the design program has truly created a place of wonder that is a worthwhile destination for anyone to visit in the great state of Alabama.