AFIELD
f Peaceful by CC PARKER
PLAY
A day at Prairie Ridge Ecostation
words and photographs by ADDIE LADNER
F
inally, we’re out of the house. I’ve packed up my 3-year-olddaughter for a day out – outside and out of our routine. Our destination is Prairie Ridge Ecostation. The Ecostation opens at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon on Sundays. It offers undistracted, interactive, nature-inspired play. We can hike the trails and identify plants and wildlife throughout 45 pastoral acres. While Prairie Ridge has been part of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences since 2004, the Nature PlaySpace, which is really why we’re here, opened less than 6 years ago, in September 2013. Wanting a relaxing, fuss-free day outside, Prairie Ridge immediately came to my mind. After a minor outfit debacle of the usual toddler type (rather than a dress and ballet shoes, we agree on a frilly lace top over overalls with Converse sneakers), I’m frazzled before we finish loading into the car. But the drive through open rural land on Edwards Mill Road is calming. We’re less than five miles outside of Raleigh proper, but it’s a stark contrast to the major construction, parking decks, and apartment high-rises that surround our home.
IMAGINATIVE PLAY Addie Ladner’s daughter, Grace, plays dressup and pretend at Prairie Ridge Ecostation’s PlaySpace.
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