Playground Destination: Raleigh's Forest Ridge Park features 75-foot zip line

Back in late September, the city of Raleigh opened its latest park - Forest Ridge Park, which sits at the end of Old NC 98.

The park, which stretches across 587 acres, also features three miles of single track mountain bike trails, other hiking trails, large open spaces, picnic shelters and, the focus of this post, a fantastic playground.

Truly, this playground is great. Here are some main elements:

An area for younger kids, ages 2 to 4.

A play area for older kids, ages 5 to 12.

A big dinosaur bouncy ride.

This fantastic sand table with hidden "fossils."

But, the piece de resistance is this ... the zip line, which stretches 75 feet and truly gives a fantastic ride!

Check out the kick at the end!

It took my eight-year-old a few tries before she felt comfortable jumping up on the seat and doing it all on her own. Then, I couldn't get her off the thing (until another family showed up). That family included a three-year-old, who had clearly ridden it many times and was riding on it like a champ. His mom told me that there often is a line to ride the zip line. I'd love to see more of these in local parks.

The park has two picnic shelters right next to the playground. Bathrooms also are next door. And, there's a very short, 0.2 mile trail that connects from the playground to the welcome center.

Just south of the playground, you'll find a new wildlife garden, which was installed by volunteers and in cooperation with the Neuse River Hawks, the Wake Forest chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. It features a walkway and selected plant material to attract pollinators and wildlife. It's recognized as part of the federation's Butterfly Highway Program.

Coming soon, this spring, the park also will offer fun, informal pop-up programs that will include arts, crafts, activities or games that focus on nature and outdoor education. So be on the lookout for those!