playgrounds

3.3k · June 1, 2011

I thought there was something in the guidelines regarding playgrounds, but it seems like only schools are mentioned. Other than not being on/in the playground itself, is there any required/recommended distance away from non-school playgrounds for cache placements?

June 1, 2011

Sounds like it would be wise to avoid playgrounds. Sending lone adults into areas where children congregate is going to raise red flags. That being said, there's fairly large playground near where I grew up that I always thought would make a great place for a cache.

June 1, 2011

sorry ... this was posted in the wrong thread

Edited June 1, 2011 by justinmc

1.2k · June 1, 2011

I have found several caches that were on or in playgrounds. While it is usually not a good idea, it does happen and there isn't anything in the guidelines saying it isn't allowed. When I notice one, I just load the boys up and head out to play.

6.7k · June 1, 2011

I'd rather that caches weren't hidden on or near the playground equipment. But there is no rule against it. I usually just pass up these hides.

From what I understand there are some playground parks that prohibit adults from entering unless accompanied by a child.

19k · June 1, 2011

No, it is not a guideline issue, nor has it ever been. But most cachers that I know personally, as well as many that I know from these forums, agree with you about the dislike for playground hides.

1.5k · June 1, 2011

There are quite a few in my area, and if I look for them, it's only when it's raining and no one in sight. If there is just one person there, no matter what age, I pass it by.

1.2k · June 1, 2011

I have found 3 caches where there is a clue for the next stage on the playgorund, but the actually cache was no where near it. If you place a cahce on or near a playground the kids will find it and it will go missing.

I'm not a big fan of approaching playgrounds by myself so i usually save those for a rainy day when no one is out.

June 3, 2011

thats the good thing about a kid as your Caching partner !!!!!!!!!

10.2k · June 3, 2011

There are quite a few in my area, and if I look for them, it's only when it's raining and no one in sight. If there is just one person there, no matter what age, I pass it by.

Correct, that's what I do. They are of course a bad idea (in my opinion). I think I've found one playground equipment cache with my son with me, who was about 7 at the time. He's too old for playgrounds now. Reminds me though, there is a leg of a multi underneath this thing at an undisclosed location in the Mid-Atlantic region. First time I showed up, there was about 100 kids on it. I showed up about 5:45 AM the next morning, and found the leg.

June 4, 2011

I am thinking of making a multi using a local playground. It is bigger than Mr. Yucks picture above. It has a similar fence as above only it goes around the entire playground. It is also twice as big as the above one (I think). The fence has slats like above but has hundredof slats. The slats have peoples name on them. They donated/paid for these slats. My family has five slats with our names on them. I will probably have the cache seekers find our slats and figure out which slats and letters on them will show the finals coordinates. This playground is heavily used and peple can be seen reading the names all the time. I plan on putting the final a good distance away so there would be no cache near the playground.

1.9k · June 4, 2011

i HATE HATE HATE when its on or very close to the equipment.

June 4, 2011

I put a cache inside a nice spot on a bench on a playground (not on the equipment) and my mod rejected it. It may not be a written guideline, per se, but you can bet your bottom $ the mods (or at least some of them) are following it.

And before you hit me with "of course, why would he allow it," the benches are used by numerous adult males to change after a basketball game on the adjoining court, so it's not like the playground would be adult free.

Nonetheless, I learned. No playgrounds. As much as I don't like giving in to paranoia, I understand where it comes from and I respect the decision.

10.2k · June 4, 2011

I put a cache inside a nice spot on a bench on a playground (not on the equipment) and my mod rejected it. It may not be a written guideline, per se, but you can bet your bottom $ the mods (or at least some of them) are following it.

And before you hit me with "of course, why would he allow it," the benches are used by numerous adult males to change after a basketball game on the adjoining court, so it's not like the playground would be adult free.

Nonetheless, I learned. No playgrounds. As much as I don't like giving in to paranoia, I understand where it comes from and I respect the decision.

Yeah, the volunteer reviewer system can be inherently non-consistent that way. But in this particular case, I like it. :laughing:

I am kind of shocked though. Do you have (or can paraphrase from memory) the wording of this rejection? And no, I don't mean post an email from your reviewer here if you still have it or anything.

19k · June 4, 2011

I put a cache inside a nice spot on a bench on a playground (not on the equipment) and my mod rejected it. It may not be a written guideline, per se, but you can bet your bottom $ the mods (or at least some of them) are following it.

And before you hit me with "of course, why would he allow it," the benches are used by numerous adult males to change after a basketball game on the adjoining court, so it's not like the playground would be adult free.

Nonetheless, I learned. No playgrounds. As much as I don't like giving in to paranoia, I understand where it comes from and I respect the decision.

Did the reviewer reject it outright, or did they insist on explicit permission?

6.7k · June 4, 2011

Yeah. That story just doesn't sound right. Is there a rule in the local parks that the reviewer was looking at? Perhaps the playground was at a school? Because there isn't anything in the guidelines that prohibits playgrounds.

1.4k · June 4, 2011

I am thinking of making a multi using a local playground. It is bigger than Mr. Yucks picture above. It has a similar fence as above only it goes around the entire playground. It is also twice as big as the above one (I think). The fence has slats like above but has hundredof slats. The slats have peoples name on them. They donated/paid for these slats. My family has five slats with our names on them. I will probably have the cache seekers find our slats and figure out which slats and letters on them will show the finals coordinates. This playground is heavily used and peple can be seen reading the names all the time. I plan on putting the final a good distance away so there would be no cache near the playground.

I'm not a fan of caches in playgrounds, but I do like this idea, if it is a stage of a multi and no actual box or micro to find there.

6.5k · June 4, 2011

Not a fan of using playgrounds for cache hides, but don't see anything in the guidelines preventing them. But I understand a reviewer discouraging them. As a player I have walked/driven away from more than a few that were in use, and found a few at ones that were not. And I'll share my dislike of the location in my log.

June 4, 2011

Did the reviewer reject it outright, or did they insist on explicit permission?

Rejected outright with no hope of it being approved.

Quote from the rejection:

"I'm sorry, but placing caches on playground equipment is not a good idea. Many cachers would look very suspicious looking for your clues when there are children present.
Think of this scenario: A single man is wandering around the playground, then stops to look under the slide. At the same exact moment a girl in a dress goes down the slide. To the parents watching this scene, the man is a pervert trying to look up her dress. They won't understand that he's looking for coordinates to an ammo box.

Far fetched? It's actually happened. The geocacher was almost assaulted by an angry parent.

I realize your cache is meant for people that go caching with their kids, but it should also be appropriate for adults caching by themselves.

If your cache is not actually on the playground equipment and hidden well away from where the children hang out and play please let me know with an enable note. If your cache is hidden well away from where the children gather and play please let me know with an enable note and I'll be happy to finish reviewing your cache for you.

As you hide geocaches in the future please keep in mind the world is our playground so lets let the kids have theirs.

I'm temporarily disabling your new cache to clear it from the review queue. Please respond by posting an 'enable' note to your cache page which will move your cache back into the queue where I'll find and gladly finish reviewing it for you."

Whether it "sounds right" or not, that's the story. Not at a school. It's a public park.

Doesn't matter really; I moved the cache to the opposite side of the park and all is well, but I just wanted to clarify.

June 4, 2011

For whatever reason, I haven't found any playground caches yet--and now that I think it about it--that seems pretty odd, considering that probably 70% of my finds are urban ones.

1.7k · June 5, 2011

Thanks so much for that picture!!!

When I saw it, I said... I'VE BEEN THERE. Then I realized I wasn't. I realized the playground I was at was 10X better.

Yep, I completely forgot about this playground, I visited it when I was 8 years old and never went back. It's a 5 story playground castle, approximately 18 miles from me...

I'm hiding a geocache next time I go up that way (I have an appointment there in about a month)

I think it's going to be amazing... A nano cache, hidden on a 5 story castle, you'd never know what floor it's on, and it's a nano and could be anywhere. This is going to be a DEVILISH hide, I'll hide it insanely hard... This'll be my best cache yet!!!!!! B) B)

What do you guys think? Any way to make it any harder? I'm aiming for a difficulty 5 cache.

Edited June 5, 2011 by Coldgears

3.3k · June 5, 2011

What do you guys think? Any way to make it any harder? I'm aiming for a difficulty 5 cache.

Hide it on the roof so climbing gear is required, but don't mention it on the cache page. Adds to the difficulty and will be totally inconspicuous if anyone figures it out and attempts retrieval. :anibad: :laughing:

1.7k · June 5, 2011

What do you guys think? Any way to make it any harder? I'm aiming for a difficulty 5 cache.

Hide it on the roof so climbing gear is required, but don't mention it on the cache page. Adds to the difficulty and will be totally inconspicuous if anyone figures it out and attempts retrieval.

I'm serious about this cache, I'm ordering a nano online. No lie! At 16 I can (probably) get away with being on a playground still.

Edited June 5, 2011 by Coldgears

1.7k · June 5, 2011

Bump for my own purposes, I need other's opinions on my playground cache.

June 5, 2011

As others have said, I'm not sure that hiding a cache ON the playground equipment is the best idea as it's likely to go missing. You might think that no kid is going to stumble upon it, but you might be surprised at how quickly someone finds it or dislodges it. If you do hide a cache there, I would suggest being honest about what type of cache it is. Obviously there are plenty of people who don't appreciate this kind of hide; at least if you are up front about it on the cache page, they can't complain that they weren't warned. I would probably skip it, because I'm not very interested in public micros. But I'm not going to give the "parents will think cache seekers are perverts" excuse, as anybody who is uncomfortable in that setting should just skip it. Maybe there's a parent with a 3-year-old that would appreciate the diversion as he follows his little princess to the very top for the 23rd time in one hour!

June 6, 2011

Irony--found my first playground cache just this evening. Luckily, the area was completely empty. I still don't think it's a good idea. Most cachers would use common sense and avoid playgrounds full of children and watchful parents. But it only takes one cacher and either (1) the police are called, (2) the cache is compromised, (3) a cacher is assaulted by angry Moms (you never know), and so forth.

10.2k · June 6, 2011

Did the reviewer reject it outright, or did they insist on explicit permission?

Rejected outright with no hope of it being approved.

Quote from the rejection:

"I'm sorry, but placing caches on playground equipment is not a good idea. Many cachers would look very suspicious looking for your clues when there are children present.
Think of this scenario: A single man is wandering around the playground, then stops to look under the slide. At the same exact moment a girl in a dress goes down the slide. To the parents watching this scene, the man is a pervert trying to look up her dress. They won't understand that he's looking for coordinates to an ammo box.

Far fetched? It's actually happened. The geocacher was almost assaulted by an angry parent.

I realize your cache is meant for people that go caching with their kids, but it should also be appropriate for adults caching by themselves.

If your cache is not actually on the playground equipment and hidden well away from where the children hang out and play please let me know with an enable note. If your cache is hidden well away from where the children gather and play please let me know with an enable note and I'll be happy to finish reviewing your cache for you.

As you hide geocaches in the future please keep in mind the world is our playground so lets let the kids have theirs.

I'm temporarily disabling your new cache to clear it from the review queue. Please respond by posting an 'enable' note to your cache page which will move your cache back into the queue where I'll find and gladly finish reviewing it for you."

Whether it "sounds right" or not, that's the story. Not at a school. It's a public park.

Doesn't matter really; I moved the cache to the opposite side of the park and all is well, but I just wanted to clarify.

Believe me, as a mean-looking 6' 200 Lb. guy with a military brush cut, I'm not a fan of playground caches. But they are not against the guidelines. Someone is just running their own little fiefdom there in the Eastern half of New York State. Whoops, did I just say that out loud?

3.3k · June 6, 2011

Believe me, as a mean-looking 6' 200 Lb. guy with a military brush cut, I'm not a fan of playground caches. But they are not against the guidelines. Someone is just running their own little fiefdom there in the Eastern half of New York State. Whoops, did I just say that out loud?

You could always appeal to Groundspeak if you were really dead-set on getting your playground cache approved.

But really if the Reviewers reject your cache, while sometimes it may be a misunderstanding on the details, I think most of the time you really should stop and ask yourself "should I really put a cache here?" Because often times the answer is NO even if it's technically allowed by the Guidelines. (And I'm not even talking about the "lame caches" debate - I'm talking muggle/security/safety issues.)

19k · June 6, 2011

Bump for my own purposes, I need other's opinions on my playground cache.

I think you have already had about two dozen of them. Just read the thread.

Beside... you say that, at 16, you think you might be able to get away with it. So... who is going to find it? And how are you going to maintain it when you turn 17?

June 6, 2011

You could always appeal to Groundspeak if you were really dead-set on getting your playground cache approved.

Not really interested in having a pissing match with Groundspeak and then having to work with the same mod I threw under the bus on a future hide because he's the only one in my area.

But really if the Reviewers reject your cache, while sometimes it may be a misunderstanding on the details, I think most of the time you really should stop and ask yourself "should I really put a cache here?" Because often times the answer is NO even if it's technically allowed by the Guidelines. (And I'm not even talking about the "lame caches" debate - I'm talking muggle/security/safety issues.)

Then, honestly, why have the guidelines in the first place if everything is just going to be up to the subjective judgment of one volunteer reviewer? Unless the reviewer has specific knowledge of a site, shouldn't they defer to the hider?

You mention muggle / security / safety issues, and that's fine, but again, I think that's the prerogative of the hider. An obvious safety issue to him might not be to me. I went hunting for one in the worst part of the South Bronx yesterday. It doesn't get much worse (see the Documentary "Hookers on the Point") and you know what? I don't care because I know the area and what to do. For someone from a farm in Iowa, that cache location might be crap-your-shorts material. For me, not so much. Who's right? Is it a safety issue or not?

I understand that you have to let the mods do their job, and I understand what they're out to do, and that's not allow people to blackeye the "sport" and not allow people to run rampant and ruin the geocaching name. I get that, and it's noble. What I don't get is the creation of ones own guidelines on top of the guidelines in place already. If playgrounds are that bad because all adults are presumed pedophiles until proven innocent, then add it to the guidelines and let's move on. If that's not the case, then approve caches there and move on. To have it not within the guidelines AND have it be grounds for a rejection of a cache is just flat-out stupid.

Someone is just running their own little fiefdom there in the Eastern half of New York State.

Ya think?

Edited June 6, 2011 by vincenzosi

June 6, 2011

I have looked for 2 playground caches. I found one that was beyond the playground and hidden inside a tree. The other was apparantly near a sidewalk next to a basketball court. I felt too creepy to give a decent search so I left. Neither one left me with a "wow, that was a cool cache" feeling. FAR FROM IT!

June 6, 2011

I agree it ain't easy hanging around a little kids play area acting odd but is it really an issue where ya'll live? I have 2 kids and I'll only do a playground if they're with me and ya' know what? They're always the only kids there. The rest, I assume, are at home on their gaming systems or facebook crap wasting away. I have not seen ONE single kid, other then my own, at any playground visited yet.

2.1k · June 6, 2011

Did the reviewer reject it outright, or did they insist on explicit permission?

Rejected outright with no hope of it being approved.

Quote from the rejection:

"I'm sorry, but placing caches on playground equipment is not a good idea. Many cachers would look very suspicious looking for your clues when there are children present.

<snipped for brevity>

If your cache is not actually on the playground equipment and hidden well away from where the children hang out and play please let me know with an enable note.

It sounds like you could easily have had the cache published in your original location.

June 6, 2011

Thanks so much for that picture!!!

When I saw it, I said... I'VE BEEN THERE. Then I realized I wasn't. I realized the playground I was at was 10X better.

Yep, I completely forgot about this playground, I visited it when I was 8 years old and never went back. It's a 5 story playground castle, approximately 18 miles from me...

I'm hiding a geocache next time I go up that way (I have an appointment there in about a month)

I think it's going to be amazing... A nano cache, hidden on a 5 story castle, you'd never know what floor it's on, and it's a nano and could be anywhere. This is going to be a DEVILISH hide, I'll hide it insanely hard... This'll be my best cache yet!!!!!! B) B)

What do you guys think? Any way to make it any harder? I'm aiming for a difficulty 5 cache.

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

2.1k · June 6, 2011

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

Because playground owners love nothing better than having random people come around and start removing bolts from the equipment. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

10.2k · June 6, 2011

Did the reviewer reject it outright, or did they insist on explicit permission?

Rejected outright with no hope of it being approved.

Quote from the rejection:

"I'm sorry, but placing caches on playground equipment is not a good idea. Many cachers would look very suspicious looking for your clues when there are children present.

<snipped for brevity>

If your cache is not actually on the playground equipment and hidden well away from where the children hang out and play please let me know with an enable note.

It sounds like you could easily have had the cache published in your original location.

I re-read his first post to the thread, and he said on a bench on a playground (not on playground equipment). Perhaps he could elaborate?

June 6, 2011

I re-read his first post to the thread, and he said on a bench on a playground (not on playground equipment). Perhaps he could elaborate?

The impression that the mod created was that the fact that it was on a playground would cause cachers to snoop around and arouse suspicion, so I don't believe that it would've been allowed to have been published where it was because you do have to enter the playground to find it (and that, from what I gathered from the rejection note) is the actual problem: entering the playground.

Doesn't matter. It was moved. New location. Couple of finders, one of the usuals got the FTF, and no worrying about paranoid parents. I only shared the experience because it rubbed me the wrong way, not because I'm losing any sleep over it.

10.2k · June 6, 2011

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

Because playground owners love nothing better than having random people come around and start removing bolts from the equipment. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

I don't want to quote A & J's pics, but nice playground indeed. Mine was in Suburban Scranton, Pa. Not like I named the cache or anything.

June 6, 2011

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

I refuse to believe you said that seriously.

10.2k · June 6, 2011

I re-read his first post to the thread, and he said on a bench on a playground (not on playground equipment). Perhaps he could elaborate?

The impression that the mod created was that the fact that it was on a playground would cause cachers to snoop around and arouse suspicion, so I don't believe that it would've been allowed to have been published where it was because you do have to enter the playground to find it (and that, from what I gathered from the rejection note) is the actual problem: entering the playground.

Doesn't matter. It was moved. New location. Couple of finders, one of the usuals got the FTF, and no worrying about paranoid parents. I only shared the experience because it rubbed me the wrong way, not because I'm losing any sleep over it.

Oh, absolutely. I'm sure no one thinks you're ranting, or losing sleep over it. I just think it would have been approved most places that aren't in the Eastern Half of NY. :lol:

2.1k · June 6, 2011

I re-read his first post to the thread, and he said on a bench on a playground (not on playground equipment). Perhaps he could elaborate?

The impression that the mod created was that the fact that it was on a playground would cause cachers to snoop around and arouse suspicion, so I don't believe that it would've been allowed to have been published where it was because you do have to enter the playground to find it (and that, from what I gathered from the rejection note) is the actual problem: entering the playground.

Doesn't matter. It was moved. New location. Couple of finders, one of the usuals got the FTF, and no worrying about paranoid parents. I only shared the experience because it rubbed me the wrong way, not because I'm losing any sleep over it.

Oh, absolutely. I'm sure no one thinks you're ranting, or losing sleep over it. I just think it would have been approved most places that aren't in the Eastern Half of NY.

And I think it would have been approved where it was originally placed, if you had told the reviewer what you told us. His email invited you to do so.

June 6, 2011

And I think it would have been approved where it was originally placed, if you had told the reviewer what you told us. His email invited you to do so.

I doubt it, though...

If your cache is not actually on the playground equipment and hidden well away from where the children hang out and play please let me know with an enable note.

The whole playground is maybe 50 ft x 50 ft. It's impossible to be in the playground at all and be "well away" from the equipment. Of course, the hangup is "how do you define well away?"

Like I said; it's a moot point, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought it was a little strange.

Edited June 6, 2011 by vincenzosi

3.3k · June 6, 2011

I don't have a problem with playground hides. If a cacher thinks s/he looks suspicious, s/he can just not search for that cache. There is no rule or guidline saying you have to find every cache, or your cache should be findable by everyone.

Or even better, come back when it is raining. No kids around in the rain.

I do think it would be nice for the CO to mention that it is in a playground in the description.

June 6, 2011

I don't have a problem with playground hides. If a cacher thinks s/he looks suspicious, s/he can just not search for that cache. There is no rule or guidline saying you have to find every cache, or your cache should be findable by everyone.

Or even better, come back when it is raining. No kids around in the rain.

I do think it would be nice for the CO to mention that it is in a playground in the description.

I agree with all of that. That's how it should be handled in a reasonable non-paranoid world.

3.3k · June 6, 2011

I don't have a problem with playground hides. If a cacher thinks s/he looks suspicious, s/he can just not search for that cache. There is no rule or guidline saying you have to find every cache, or your cache should be findable by everyone.

Or even better, come back when it is raining. No kids around in the rain.

I do think it would be nice for the CO to mention that it is in a playground in the description.

I agree with all of that. That's how it should be handled in a reasonable non-paranoid world.

I forgot to mention that you can come back with children. I often cache with my kids, so they are good cover when searching for playground caches. If you don't have children, you could borrow your friend's or family's kids, or meet up with a chacher who does have kids.

19k · June 6, 2011

I don't have a problem with playground hides. If a cacher thinks s/he looks suspicious, s/he can just not search for that cache. There is no rule or guidline saying you have to find every cache, or your cache should be findable by everyone.

Or even better, come back when it is raining. No kids around in the rain.

I do think it would be nice for the CO to mention that it is in a playground in the description.

I agree with all of that. That's how it should be handled in a reasonable non-paranoid world.

I forgot to mention that you can come back with children. I often cache with my kids, so they are good cover when searching for playground caches. If you don't have children, you could borrow your friend's or family's kids, or meet up with a chacher who does have kids.

That's what I do. You can almost always find a group of kids playing somewhere in the neighborhood. They're usually more than happy to help me out if I ask nicely. :lol:

June 6, 2011

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

I refuse to believe you said that seriously.

Why? There is one here that they did that to. It ain't a 5 either. Man, you guys got to lighten' up.

Edited June 6, 2011 by A & J Tooling

1.7k · June 6, 2011

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

I refuse to believe you said that seriously.

Why? There is one here that they did that to. It ain't a 5 either. Man, you guys got to lighten' up.

They didn't do it on a 25 long 5 story castle either. :anibad:

19k · June 6, 2011

Take one of the bolts out, drill the hole a half inch deeper, drop in the nano and replace the bolt.

I refuse to believe you said that seriously.

Why? There is one here that they did that to. It ain't a 5 either. Man, you guys got to lighten' up.

Oh, the irony!!! :lol:

June 7, 2011

I forgot to mention that you can come back with children. I often cache with my kids, so they are good cover when searching for playground caches. If you don't have children, you could borrow your friend's or family's kids, or meet up with a chacher who does have kids.

And what would you hunt for?

playgrounds

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