Kid-Friendly Fun: Hadley School Area

in Swampscott has been around for over a hundred years and there’s a lot of things and a lot of space surrounding the school for residents of all ages to have some fun.

Hadley, on the corner of Redington and Humphrey streets, has a playground, open space, a basketball hoop, great swings, benches to take five and a gazebo to sit in and look out on the Atlantic Ocean.

“We come here all the time, to play basketball and go on the swings,” 11 year-old Joel Lopez said last Tuesday. Joel is headed into the fifth grade and was playing one-on-one with 13 year-old Caesar Lopez who’s headed into the eighth grade.

“It’s a great place to play ball,” Caesar said. “Even if it’s really hot, like today, the basketball net’s usually in the shade.”

The basketball hoop is next to the swing set in Linscott Park, (raise your hand if you still call the Chick Estate) which features open space for a workout, the Gazebo and many benches to sit and enjoy a  or an ice cream from .

Linscott park was dedicated in 1992, in honor of Judge Andrew R. Linscott, a selectman in town from 1950-1952, and a man who was instrumental in getting the Swampscott Public Library up and running.

18 year-old , a track co-captain, who just finished up his senior year at Swampscott High School, was doing calisthenics and stretching out to stay in shape before he heads off to Sacred Heart University for his freshman year.

“I come here a lot, there’s a lot of open area, and it’s right near the beach, so I can head out there for a run when I'm done stretching,” Gadman said.

Several moms with carriages full of kids just wrapped up a swing session on a recent Tuesday afternoon, and Paula Camelo and Julia Isenberg hopped on the swings as soon as they opened up.

“I love this, I always have,” Camelo said as she swooped higher and higher on the swing set.

Isenberg is heading back to Simmons College in the fall, and Camelo graduated from high school in June.

On the playground next to Redington Street there are slides, good old-fashioned monkey bars, a rock climbing wall and a climbing rack, for fun times in the summer and a great way to spend recess during the school year.

The baseball field is busy with softball, baseball and kickball most of the time, and for many years there was a sign on the right field fence, that said: “NO ONE OVER 12 YEARS OLD ALLOWED ON FIELD.”

I said I was 12 until I was at least 16 when I played baseball there every day in the 1970's.

Check out Your Passport to Swampscott.