Maze Craze? Castlemania? Who Else Misses the Old-School Wooden Playgrounds in Maine?

When nostalgia hits, it often hits hard with fond memories that flood in recalling moments of the past that you long for once again.

Sure, times change, and sometimes those changes can be good things, but it still doesn't take away from missing something that once was.

So when the wooden playground at the former Longfellow School in Brunswick, Maine, was recently torn down for a new remodeled one, it made me miss that old school structure with the big tires, the metal slides, the wiggly bridge, and the expansive-feeling castle I played at as a kid.

Granted, this new one does use some natural wood pieces throughout and aims to provide better safety and accessibility for all types of kids.

And yes, getting kids outside and onto a playground to run around on something that's going to be less likely for them to get hurt is a good thing.

In fact, there are some good newer-design playgrounds in Maine: many schools throughout the state have them, and then there are places like Dougherty Field Playground in Portland or Hayford Park playground in Bangor.

Wooden Playgrounds in Maine

But remember in the '80s and '90s when Hayford Park in Bangor had the iconic wooden playground? The Bangor Daily News said that over 3,000 volunteers helped put together the "one-of-a-kind creative playground."

You can see a great black-and-white picture of it from the Bangor Daily News here.

Or what about the Maze Craze in Falmouth? The Shipyard in Yarmouth?

On Reddit, users shared a number of memories of some of the old-school wooden playgrounds throughout Maine, including Maze Craze.

One user said "I remember Maze Craze vividly. Always a treat when I could convince my mom to make the trip up to Falmouth."

Some of the other most mentioned memorable playgrounds of the past on the Reddit post included Castlemania in Farmington, some playgrounds in Dexter, Belfast and Ellsworth, and even one at Village Elementary in Gorham.

Are There Any Wooden Playgrounds Still in Maine?

Someone on the Reddit thread did mention the Bronwnfield Community Center in Brownfield still has a wooden playground but it's in rough shape.

One person shared some photos online of the structure in 2024 that you can see here.

But are there any other wooden playgrounds still around or have they mostly been torn down?

If you feel like making a trip, there is one in Wareham, Massachusetts.

It seems you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find anything still around in Maine when searching on Google, but if anyone knows of ones that haven't been torn down, let us know!

READ MORE: Do You Remember These 13 Stores That Were Once at the Maine Mall?

Again, it's great that there are some fun new playgrounds kids can enjoy today, and maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but there's nothing quite like those old-school wooden playgrounds.

For many of us, nothing will truly compare to the maze-like structures, the creaking of the boards when you ran across, the occasional bump on the head as you forgot to duck, and the few splinters you might have gotten with all the good times with your friends.