Adult Playgrounds: How To Act Like a Kid Without Getting Arrested

BreakingModern — As an adult, it isn’t exactly socially acceptable to show up at a playground alone. At best, you’ll get a few weird looks. At worst, you’ll get arrested.

adult playgrounds

Can’t a grownup get a little R&R without attracting the attention of the law?

The good news is that there are places in the world where acting like a fifth grader isn’t just tolerated, it’s encouraged. Recess is back! From throwing axes to sleeping in public, here are five places where you can act like a kid without getting arrested.

1. Stress Relief

Nothing shakes off the stresses of adulthood like heaving a hand axe at a wooden bull’s eye, especially if beer is involved. At Toronto’s BATL (Backyard Axe Throwing League), you can try your hand at the ancient art of hatchet hurling. The sawdust-scented grounds are a popular spot for bachelor and bachelorette parties, and private lessons are available. Best of all, BATL is BYOB. (Just no hard liquors or glass bottles, please.)

adult playgrounds

2. No Kids Allowed

Parts of Berlin, Germany’s Preußenpark are off-limits to anyone younger than 16. Built with the aim of helping adults stay fit, the equipment in the park’s senioren treffpunkt (or “elderly meeting place”) was specifically designed to accommodate people at least five feet tall. Burn off some steam on the elliptical then enjoy a drink or two in the park’s biergarten.

3. Time for a Nap

At first glance, the five-story Flederhaus in Vienna, Austria’s up and coming Flugfeld Aspern district looks like a giant dollhouse. Open on two ends, the see-through structure was designed by the innovative architectural firm heri&salli as an “oasis for the soul.” What makes this spot so relaxing? The Flederhaus is filled with hammocks. More than two-dozen netted beds offer a spot for Vienna’s adults to practice the preschool art of naptime during their lunch breaks.

4. Slide With Class

Stairs are boring. Elevators are overrated. In the glass-ceiling atrium of Munich, Germany’s Technische Universitat, college students slide to class. Two steep tube slides transport riders from the fourth floor to the ground level of the math and computer science building. You don’t even have to be an aspiring engineer to take a ride. The atrium of this esteemed research university is open to visitors.

Video: Huge (4 story high) slide inside the TUM university

5. A True “Adult Playground”

Built to break taboos, start conversations and spur a few laughs, South Korea’s Jeju Loveland is an outdoor sculpture garden home to more than 140 provocative pieces of art. The work, which ranges from erotic to downright silly, was done by art graduates from Seoul’s Hongik University. Slip into the outstretched arms of a sculpture with puckered lips, or take a sip from a strategically placed water fountain in front of a male nude. This park is truly NSFW and because of the nature of the exhibits, Loveland is only open to adults.

There’s a real playground for kids to hang out in while their parents explore the park.

Did we miss one of your favorite spots to act like a kid without getting arrested? Let us know in the comments below!

For BMod, I’m .

Featured/Header Image: Man on swing by Sarah Joy via Flickr

First Image: Ax Throwing by Patrick via Flickr

Helen Anne Travis

Author: Helen Anne Travis

Helen Anne Travis covers travel and lifestyle at BreakingModern. Follow her on Twitter @Helen_Anne.

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