HC4, HC5, HC7

We visited three tot lots in Harpers Choice on October 6, 2015.  One note about the Harper's Choice tot lots. When I looked on the CA Pathways app it only listed 2 tot lots, but there are many more. However, on my husband's app it does list all of the HC tot lots. (possibly a difference btwn using the app on an iphone vs. non-iphone?)
HC4 is right off of Harpers Farm Road, parking near 5525 Harpers Farm Road.  HC4 and HC5 are right by an apartment complex and serve more as tot lots for those in the apartments. HC4 has one adult swing and one baby swing. The baby swing is a bit high. There is also a small sit sandbox and one bouncy animal.  There is one bench to sit on.

HC5 can be seen from HC4. It has a slide about 4 feet high, with a bounce in it. There are steps going up to the slide. There is one baby swing and one adult swing. There is one bench to sit on.
HC3 is on the map as being right near HC5, but I did not see it there.

HC7 is about a 10 minute walk away. There is a nice square sandbox with toys. However, the sandbox backs up to a hill that goes down to a creek. So, keep an eye on your little one if they are in the sandbox. The plastic slide is about 4 1/2 feet high and has a couple of bounces in it. There are steps going up the slide, however, the steps are very narrow - my size 6 1/2 foot didn't fit fully on the steps. There is one baby swing and one adult swing.  One bench to sit on.

LR24

LR24 is right off of the circle at the end of Sea Water Path.  It is also accessible from both Tamar and Old Montgomery Road. The tot lot backs right up to Old Montgomery Road, there are a few feet of grass and then trees, then the road.
There is a small, square sandbox, about 8 feet by 8 feet. There are 3 adult swings, 1  baby swing, and 2 bouncy animals. The slide is metal, and only about 4 1/2 feet high, going straight down. A ramp goes up to the slide, and there are some tunnels underneath. There are 2 benches to sit on. The rest of the tot lot is pretty sunny, and since the slide is metal, it can get hot. (Visited on 9/1/15)

tot lot TC1

TC1 is on Vantage Point Rd. We found that it's closest and easiest to park on the road in front of the tot lot.  There's a nice sandbox with a lot of toys here. However, the edges of the sandbox are a good 8 inches or higher around. Keep an eye on your child getting in and out of the sandbox, as one of ours took a tumble when we were here. There is one bouncy car, with an opening on the side. There's a nice slide contraption with 2 plastic slides, about 3 feet high each. There are metal steps and ways to climb up as well. There are 2 baby swings. Everything here has signs that says these are meant for children ages 2-5 (like you often see in the parks). In a slightly separate area is another swing set with 2 adult swings and 2 baby swings. Near these swings is a gazebo with a couple of picnic tables. There's also a small Little Free Library box nearby! There are 2 benches to sit on near the main play area, and another bench near the one set of swings.  Both swing sets are pretty much in the sun, but the rest of the tot lot is nicely shaded. Visited on 8/14/15.

Little Free Library

tot lot WL4

WL4 is by the Wilde Lake Barn and Boat House, off of Hyla Brook Rd. The parking lot is a bit gravelly. There are 2 adult swings and one baby swing. The slide is about 5 feet high, and goes straight down. The slide was in direct sunlight. There are steps going up the slide. There are 2 bouncy animals here as well. There is no sandbox. There's a very nice view of Wilde Lake from here, and the tot lot is off the path that goes around the lake.
On the day we visited there was a camp in session, so it was a bit busy and loud. However, I suspect on non-camp days, it's pretty quiet and a nice place to stop as you walk along the lake.
As we didn't stay here very long, we went over to TC1, which is close by, but not walkable.

OM8 & OM9

OM8 is off of Mirrorlight Place, we visited on July 17, 2015. There's a short, plastic slide, which is only about 4 feet high. There are steps going up to it, and a little tunnel underneath. It has a small, square sandbox, which had a few weeds growing in it. There are 2 bouncy animals. It has 2 baby swings and 5 adult swings. There's a lot of green area around this tot lot for the kids to run around in as well. There's even a little hill that the kids could roll down. One bench to sit on. This is not a shaded tot lot, so go prepared with sunscreen and hats, or go on an overcast day.

We took the path to OM9. If you were to drive there, it's off Wandering Way Ct. There's a square sandbox here, which had a few dry leaves in it. There are 2 bouncy animals here, although they're a little high off the ground. It had 2 baby swings and 4 adult swings, which are on separate frames. There's a plastic slide about 6 1/2 feet high, with a bounce in it. There's a ramp going up to the slide, and a nice area to play up to the slide. There are 2 benches to sit on. There's also a lot of green area here for the kids to run around. This tot lot also wasn't very well shaded.

Columbia tot lot information

I've written a lot of blog posts about our visits to the tot lots over the summer. I thought I'd write one post with some links to maps and information about the tot lots, in case you're looking to adventure out on your own.
My husband found this google map that pinpoints a lot of the tot lots on a map. It doesn't have the tot lot numbers, but it does have street names.
If you have a smartphone you can download the CA Mobile app. It has a map of all of the paths in Columbia. This is the app I have used to find all of the tot lots, and to figure out how to walk from one tot lot to the next. It has lots of other information and some fun tools too. If you use the paths a lot, I definitely recommend downloading it!
You can also download the map onto your computer, or go to your local Village Center to get a print version of the map.

I recently found this page on the Columbia Association website. It lists all of the tot lots, by village, then by number and street name.

Here's a short article about the tot lots. Someone on one of the Columbia mom facebook groups actually found it, and made me aware of it.

In June 2018 River Hill announced that in the next couple of years they will be updating and improving a couple of their tot lots.

A couple  of the Villages list the tot lots on their Village page:
Long Reach
Kings Contrivance

On his blog Chao Wu has listed all of the tot lots in Columbia, with information about what village they are in, the closest street entrance, the year it was built and when it was last updated. His blog post is from 2017.

Lastly, while it doesn't list the tot lots, the CAMOM website, does have a list of area playgrounds. The group is currently in the process of re-visiting and updating the listing, so it may not be complete.

As of July 2018 the Columbia Association did a safety check at all of the tot lots. Many swings were removed at the time and are in the process of being updated, repaired and replaced. Here is a list of the tot lots with missing swings.

Columbia has 165 tot lots. As of this writing, I've visited and blogged about 94. That's over a 3 year period. I'm hoping to continue on and visit all of them! I am thankful and grateful to all of the friends who have joined us over the years. It is so much more fun for my children and for me when we have company.

If you are aware of other resources, please let me know. I'd love to add more to this list!

Updated 8/3/18

KC17 and KC18

KC17 is off of First League in Kings Contrivance. The plastic slide is about 5 feet high, with a couple of bounces in it. There are steps going up the slide, but they are narrow, for small feet. I walked up with my daughter, and my size 6 feet did not fit on the steps! There is one baby swing and one adult swing. There are also 2 bouncy animals. There's one bench to sit on, and it's very nicely shaded here.

KC18 is larger, and a bit more spread out.  It was a 5 minute walk from KC 17. There's a sandbox, but no toys. The two bouncy animals are a bit high off the ground. There are 3 adult swings in one area, and 2  baby swings in another area. The plastic slide is about 6 1/2 feet high, with a bounce going down. The slide structure is a nice size, and big steps to climb up. There's a chain link to climb as well as monkey bars on the back end of the slide structure. The monkey bars are high - too high for me to even hold my daughter and let her try to go across. There's a balance structure. There are also 2 benches here to sit on. It's nicely shaded here.  On a side note, we saw a family of 4 deer cross the path about 20 feet from the tot lot.  Visited 7/31/15

Tot Lots OB15 and OB16

OB16 is a very nice tot lot, very spread out. The path is off the circle of Deerpasture Dr, we went on July 2, 2015. There are 4 different sections. There's a slide and a balance beam in one section. The slide is about 4 feet high, with a couple of bounces in it. . There are steps up to the slide, and tunnels under the slide area for kids to run. The sandbox and bouncy animals are in another section. In a third section are the monkey bars and a a balance platform. The swings are in yet another area. There are 2 adult swings and 2 baby swings. The structures all looked fairly new and are in good shape. There are 3 benches spread throughout as well. We were here on a cloudy day, but it didn't appear that there was a lot of shade. This may be one of the tot lots that is in more direct sunlight.
From here we walked to OB15, it was a 5 or 6 minute walk. 

sandbox and bouncy animals

OB15 is pretty small. There is NO slide here. It does have a couple of bouncy animals, a sandbox, and 2 swings, 1 adult and 1 baby. It is more shaded here.
One side note. we visited these tot lots the day after rain, and it was a bit cloudy and still a bit damp. We discovered ticks on both of our kids after our visit here. Although you're likely to find ticks anywhere, especially on the paths, we wanted to mention it.