Over the last few of years we’ve discovered something amazing – all over New England, there are fantastic local breweries located right next to kids play areas! We love visiting breweries and have found that most are very kid friendly. It’s a recipe for the perfect day – take the kids out to play, wear them out, then take the parents out for a little liquid treat.
CASTLE IN THE TREES // RAPSCALLION BREWERY
Littleton, Ma // Acton, Ma
Castle in the Trees is a great wooden playground in Littleton, Massachusetts. Lovingly nicknamed “the dragon playground” by my girls, it has a fun castle/knights theme with a large dragon painted in the middle. It’s separated into two sections – a smaller, toddler friendly area with baby swings, small slides and musical pipes, and a larger castle structure for older kids. This playground has everything, including tunnels, slides, monkey bars, bridges, climbing and more.
There are plenty of benches and picnic tables for parents, though you’ll find that it is hard to keep an eye on your kids if you sit in one location. We usually end up kind of following them around to keep them in our sights.
Outside the playground is a set of basketball courts and a paved path around them (I’m guessing about a quarter mile loop), perfect for riding bikes and scooters, or taking the stroller for a little walk.
There’s plenty of parking, though no signage at the entrance of the parking lot for the playground so it’s easy to miss. If you’re coming from Littleton Common and make it to the on-ramp for 495, you’ve gone too far. There are no trash cans – it’s carry-in/carry-out. Porta Potties are on site for bathrooms.
A few miles away in Acton, Massachusetts is Rapscallion Tap & Table. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating, corn hole, bocce, full menu and their own beer available as flights or on tap. The building itself has the feel of an old home that has been converted to a restaurant, with tables set throughout smaller, cozy rooms with local artist’s work framed on the walls.
There’s a nice variety of beers and the food is delicious. My taco was great and Chris’s Chicken Caprese Sandwich was amazing. Kids menu is available and our waitress was wonderful, providing us with a large box of crayons and sheets to color. With locations in Acton, Concord, Sturbridge, and Spencer, hopefully you can try out a Rapscallion near you.
Do you know of more breweries with nearby kids play areas? Tell me about them! Include photos
and you could be featured on From Farm to Coast!
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