Glen Echo Playground, Maryland

We went to Glen Echo Park hoping to see the new aquarium there. It was the early afternoon on New Year's Eve and it turned out they were closed for for New Year's Eve and Day. We consoled ourselves by trying out the playground and exploring the park a bit.

Entrance to the closed aquarium (yes, the tree house is a boat!)

The playground was a lot of fun and had equipment for all pre-teen ages.

Some equipment

A large climber 

More challenging climber

The most popular by far with my children were the swings. Everyone (except the parents) took turns.

A happy boy

Big sister lends a hand 

Big brother swings and snaps fingers?

Flying high

This is a close up from a different picture, really!

High on the other end

We also explored the park. The carousel was also closed (though we knew that beforehand).  It was built in 1921. The canopy and carved figures were hand-crafted by the Dentzel Carousel Company in Germantown, Pennsylvania. It has undergone extensive restoration and is open for rides from May to September.

Carousel

The Bumper Car Pavilion doesn't have any cars and is used mostly for dancing on weekends.

Bumper Car Pavilion 

The Spanish Ballroom is also used for dances and they were decorating for the big New Year's Eve shindig later that night. It was built in 1933 and follows a Mediterranean-influenced Art Deco style. My wife and I used to dance there many years ago.

Spanish Ballroom

Nearby is the entrance for the Crystal Pool, a popular attraction back in the day when the park was an amusement park. The pool was large and could accommodate hundreds of swimmers. The pool has been filled in but the entrance remains.

Crystal Pool entrance (it was too cold to go swimming anyway)