Get Outside + Slide! with Campbell Park Adventures
Featuring: #CampbellParkAdventures, St. Louis
Do you wish for simpler family time with your kids? Have you started to lose hope somewhere between traffic, after-school pickup, dinner, bath and bed? Meet Kacie + Rodney Campbell. They feel you. They have a dual-income family of five, with all the challenge of work-life balance as many young families. But two years ago, a funny thing happened on their way home in traffic. They stopped at a local park...
...Their family, still dressed in work + school clothes, with no dinner plan in sight, played until dark. They had so much fun, they had an idea: find three new parks that Saturday. Could they pile into their Honda and play at all three? Yes! The next week, they adventured to three more parks, then three more on the weekend. Soon #CampbellParkAdventures began—a budding family legacy found in the vast parks of St. Louis.
Celebrating 50 park adventures
This July, we caught up to the Campbells as they celebrated their 50th local park adventure (plus over 350 repeat visits to favorite parks). And we have all the fun of telling their story. Get ready to be inspired, as they embark on their next adventure: 60 national parks!
Wanna know how they do it? Because we do. Hop to their Q + A, plus their Top 10 Favorite St. Louis Parks You’ll start craving a #parksadventure for your own family.
It’s the simple we all crave.
#CampbellParkAdventures (#CPA, for short) is about family time spent at a park. It’s really that simple, and really that awesome. Slides, splashes, swings, rings, and wood chips. Maximum giggles, maximum fun that’s FREE and accessible to everyone.
It’s also the stuff legacies are made of. Ask any of their three kids (Thrice, Gwyn + Callie) what they love most about their family. I guarantee they will answer Campbell Park Adventures. And there it is: the amazingness of this intentional approach family time. Kacie + Rodney are planting a family legacy that will grow up with their kids. They didn’t exactly plan it at the beginning, but it’s a natural benefit with each park adventure.
Now for our Q+A with Kacie!
Q: What’s the story behind #CampbellParkAdventures?
A: Since we had our first kiddo, Thrice, six years ago, we have loved going to the park. It’s a great way to burn some energy and get out of the house for a bit. But #CampbellParkAdventures officially got started the summer after we had our third baby. We went to a new park, Stacy Park on June 20, 2016 and that’s where it all began. I guess you could say it was a natural progression from our love of parks, but I think it was honestly more of a way to make sure everyone was having fun, getting outside, and giving mom & dad a small break. The slide is an amazing 4-5 minute babysitter. Our middle, Gwyn, was climbing rock walls and our baby was doing 9-foot slides before either one of them could even walk. And with my natural love of change and mixing things up, I decided we should try to hit up as many as we could that summer. And that’s how it all started.
Q: Wow, you’ve visited different 50 parks in St. Louis?
St. Louis is such an amazing place to live, especially for young families. With a vast array of FREE quality adventures, parks is top of the list for us. I started counting about halfway through and just knew I wanted to make #50 something extra STL special, so we went downtown to City Garden and the new Kiener Plaza Park right next to the Arch.
Jump to their Top Ten Favorite St. Louis Parks
Q: What’s next? How will #CPA grow up with your kids?
A: Two words: National Parks! I have traveled a lot in my life, but I still haven’t been to places like Yosemite or Yellowstone. I truly hope that I pass this love on to at least one of them and they continue the tradition with their own families.
That’s why #50 was so special. The Gateway Arch is technically a National Park, so what better way to celebrate our love of parks. And even though I live here, I am amazed every time I see it. Over the last year or two they have worked hard to renovate and beautify the park grounds, including a playground in Kiener Plaza Park and tons and tons of beautiful plants and flowers. It also hit at the perfect time, seeing as I had recently discovered Parks Project. Not only do they sell amazing apparel, they support our National Parks with each purchase. I was sold, inspired and motivated to keep our love of parks going even farther.
Q: How has your family benefited?
A: Our kiddos laugh a bunch while we’re there. They’ve made new friends. We’ve met people different than us, and it’s been an amazing learning experience. We’ve discovered new areas of our city. St. Louis has a ridiculous amount of parks, and libraries for that matter (that’s another one of our regular activities). And at the end of it, they are wiped out and sleep like sweet little babies.
For me, it’s also been an amazing way to document them growing up. I know Social Media can seem like a bad thing to some. Not this girl! I LOVE it! It’s an amazing way to remember these special moments, share it with our family and inspire others to do their own type of adventure!
Q: How do you make it all work, especially after work?
A: Naturally we have our favorite local parks on stand-by. This is an easy way to make an evening of it at the park. A few snacks or dinner to-go and a picnic blanket make for a full, fun evening at the park. I get off work much earlier than my husband, so we try to do as much outside as we can before he meets up with us. Naturally park time is fun and dirty, so we split up helping the kids with bath so it goes super fast.
Q: Do your park adventures go year-round?
A: There’s a saying in Missouri that if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes. While that may be true for the most part, we have never let weather stop us. My kids will slide and swing whether it’s 30- or 100-degrees. We just dress the part. On those 100-degree days we either go early in the morning (here’s to 6AM wake-up calls with these three) or try a park with a splash pad. In the winter, it’s big coats and hats! Nothing stops us from a good park outing!
Q: Do you suggest any gear?
A: I’m the worst planner when it comes to my kids, so I’d definitely recommend snacks & drinks. You could bring a small cooler but not too much stuff that you have to lug it around with you. A stroller is awesome, even if the kids are a little bigger because you can store all your stuff in it. Don’t forget the sunscreen. And make sure to check what type of surface the playground is on. If it’s mulch or pebbles, tennis shoes are a must!
Q: What advice do you have for families starting their own park adventures in their city?
A: Try as many places as possible. The drive is so worth it. Google Maps has been our biggest friend. Contributor photos and reviews help so much. Also, don’t think you have to make a big day of it. Even 30-45 minutes at the local park or school playground can do wonders. Take lots of pictures, but don’t forget to enjoy the time with them. This is something I have to remind myself of often. Go down the slide when they ask. Let them push you in the swing. Just enjoy every minute.
Now for their Top Ten!
Q: For those local to St. Louis, what are your Top Ten 10 favorite parks?
Twin Oaks Park - You have to hike down a hill to this beautiful community park, so no car traffic. In addition to an amazing playground, it also has a gorgeous catch + release pond and walking path.
Love Park - This is Gwyn’s favorite park. The playground is simple but so much fun. We also took a 1/2 mile hike with all three kiddos through the woods last July. Lots of green space too for your animals.
Beirne Park - This hidden park is nestled in a beautiful neighborhood in Creve Coeur. It’s a little hard to find but so worth it. We once spent an entire Good Friday at the playground, and I still had to drag them away.
Westside Park - This is a local neighborhood park just minutes from our house. We love everything about it. Small playground, zipline, pond and walking path.
Millenial Park - Crazy fast slides, large pavilions and splash pads for all!
Zachary’s Playground - It took about 45 minutes for us to get to Zachary’s Playground, one of the Unlimited Play parks in the area. It’s a universally inclusive playground for children with all abilities and it is one of the most thought out, beautiful playgrounds I’ve ever seen.
Vago Park - In North County, this park has two play areas, including a super fast zip line and a work-out area for grown ups. My son begs to go back to this one.
Conway Park - One of my favorites, hands-down. It has a small playground but a giant green space and walking path.
Watson Trail Park - You can play at the playground, fish at the large pond or try out your ninja warrior skills. Plus it’s super close to Chick-Fil-A!
McDonnell County Park - Near Lindbergh and Olive, this park has 2 playgrounds, lots of trails, picnic sites and more.
Thanks, Campbells!
Families like the Campbell family are the reason we began a blog. They pour their love for life, family + Jesus into everything they do. Plus, they are great friends of ours, both in our St Louis days, and now in our DC days. You might even recognize them from another post: Disney’s “Paperman” + Planes-at-the-Park Contest. They folded, swooshed and zoomed airplanes to help our blog takeoff! Reciprocally, we’ve had fun watching #CampbellParkAdventures grow up with their kiddos, and it's a privilege to share this story. Keep an eye out for the national parks sequel—plus images of the Campbells climbing mountains, sliding down waterfalls and swinging on ziplines. Yasss! #everykidinapark
Check out these other outdoor-lovin’ posts:
Disney’s “Paperman” + Planes-at-the-Park Contest
Pixar, Puddle-Jumping + Our Favorite Spring Rain Gear
Organic Summer Skincare for Outdoor Play
