
DATE: Tuesday, July 1, 1997                 TAG: 9707010064

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   72 lines

WELCOME TO KIDS COVE PLAYGROUND AT MOUNT TRASHMORE PEACEFUL, FUN

SAY THE WORD playground and kids hear fun. One of the area's biggest playgrounds is Kids Cove at Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach. It draws kids like ants to a picnic.

The huge wooden structure is a giant agility course and sensory free-for-all for youngsters. It has tire ladders, curly slides, swings, firemen's poles, pretend phones to holler into and chimes to ring.

A big boat and a locomotive with steering wheels that turn let little imaginations run free. So do towers and catwalks and twisty-turny staircases that dare children to come find out where they lead.

The playground is also handicapped-accessible and has some nice features designed to appeal especially to physically challenged children.

It's a busy place.

Luckily, the designers of this volunteer-built playground thought of grown-ups, too. Parents can rest and still keep an eye on things from a number of shady spots - on benches, in gazebos and in little nooks and crannies tucked here and there inside the structure.

This extravaganza can be spied from the Norfolk-Virginia Beach Expressway. Otherwise, it's tucked off Edwin Drive behind the man-made mountain that looms over the whole park.

We took advantage of that element of surprise and had a quiet lunch first, sitting in the cool shade on the banks of - what else - Lake Trashmore.

The park gets its name from its purpose; it was created in the 1960s from a solid waste disposal site.

As we ate, an assortment of ducks and geese lurked offshore, beady eyes on our french fries.

No problem, we shared.

The view was peaceful and the 162-acre park full of joggers, bikers and strollers. The park has many picnic tables, basketball and volleyball courts and two skate ramps. The shrieking behind us came from a couple of dozen day campers who'd decided the fastest way down the 68-foot-high mountain was to lie down and roll. On windy days, especially in the spring and fall, the big hill is a popular kite-flying spot.

We cleaned up and headed for the other side of the mountain where we found all kinds of things in bloom. A few years ago a water conservation demonstration garden was planted right around the park's leisure events office.

We found ourselves looking for pen and paper. Bees and butterflies buzzed and flitted from flower to flower and entertained the youngsters. Meanwhile, we made mental notes of which drought-tolerant plants to try at home.

Then, finally, even though the park is dotted with small playgrounds that tempted us just because they were, well, playgrounds, we headed for the granddaddy of them all.

It was a good choice. Even on a hot, sunny day, the Kids Cove structure creates shade for youngsters too busy to worry about sweaty hair. Parched after running around the whole thing twice and trying out everything we could, we were thrilled to discover cold water fountains just outside a fairly new restroom building right next to the playground. It was big inside, clean, too. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

L. TODD SPENCER

Charles Freeman, 7, of Norfolk, has fun on some playground equipment

at Kids Cove in Virginia Beach.

Graphic

IF YOU GO

What: Kids Cove at Mount Trashmore Park

Where: 300 Edwin Drive, Virginia Beach

Hours: open daily, except Christmas, from 7:30 a.m. to sunset

Cost: Free

Local's tip: This playground can be mobbed on weekends. Try

weekdays for more elbow room.