As a parent of three young children (all boys) and someone who can’t stand being indoors for long periods of time, I find myself wanting to get outdoors or get out of the house at any chance possible. I love my current city of Winston-Salem because it is an old industrial town that lost its way and jobs and has since pivoted to become a center for innovation, technology, and the arts. Because of this, our city has access to wonderful museums, playgrounds, art centers, symphonies, film festivals, and anything a kid or parent of a kid could want.
But as I took my passion for Google Maps and Local Guides out into the city as a parent for the first time, I realized how non-parent-friendly my city was. Playground locations with no photos or accessibility information, museums with no photos or descriptions of how well they were suited for children of different ages and ability levels, and no mention of how safe a location is for single parents (especially moms) at certain times of the day. This is where my passion for adding kid-friendly information for Winston-Salem, NC kicked in.
Playgrounds: Kid-Friendly Step 1
My first plan of attack to help parents and guardians in Winston-Salem was playgrounds. I realized that the city mainly relied on ‘park’ listings to showcase features like ball courts, picnic shelters, and playgrounds. If necessary, I would create an individual playground listing on the map because, like me, most parents planned trips to the park to enjoy the playgrounds. The playgrounds themselves had little to no reviews or mentions in reviews. I also noticed very few actual photos of the playground structures, features, benches for adults, or photos of the surroundings to know if the playground had a dirt bottom, mulch, or was rubberized.
I took it upon myself to showcase all the features of the playgrounds (are there slides? are they for all abilities? Is the playground accessible? Are there swings? Accessible swings? Is the playground safe after a rainy day when the structure is wet?) All of these factors would play into the wording of my review and I also tried to effectively capture these questions and answers in my photos and 360 photos. I also made a point to try new playgrounds, get out of my comfort zone and even go across town so I could add to the richness of Google Maps for playgrounds in my city. You can see some of my additions below.
Museums & Attractions: Kid-Friendly Step 2
My second step on making Winston-Salem more kid-friendly was to visit all of our wonderful museums and attractions geared for families. Stay-at-home parents and even working parents who want to challenge their kids intellectually and physically have a plethora of options in our city and the surrounding cities as well. Even though most of these locations have rich websites and even write-ups in local blogs, most of them were lacking photos, reviews, Q & A, and the ‘quick answers’ on Google Maps. Even though museums have a list of exhibits and elements on their sites, they lack imagery. That is where I came in.
For our major museums and attractions (such as bounce houses, indoor amusement centers, trampoline parks, etc.) I devoted my time while exploring with my kids to take individual photos and 360 photos of each exhibit, hallway, restroom, water fountain, and even changing table to help the public navigate the museum and plan out their trips ahead of time. This content is also instrumental for kids who are homebound but can explore destinations via Google an interact with 360 photos and videos to take a virtual tour of these facilities. You can see some examples below of additions I have made to these attractions in my city to help educate and inform guardians and parents.
Restaurants: Kid-Friendly Step 3
The last way I strive to make my city more kid-friendly on Google Maps is to highlight restaurants, doughnut shops, ice cream parlors, and even coffee shops that are kid-friendly or have made specific choices to include children into their space. I have twin boys. They are 4-years-old. That should tell you enough. I also have a 10-month old son as well. When I take the whole gang out in public by myself or with my wife, we get a lot of either nasty or sympathetic looks because to put it lightly…they are a handful. This reception can make any parent want to stay in and never try and eat out or visit a restaurant ever again. Trust me, I’ve been there. This is why I have committed the last 2-3 years to finding kid-friendly restaurants where parents with rowdy kids can feel accepted and maybe even enjoy the food they spend hard-earned money on.
Google Maps is great place to highlight how friendly a restaurant is by posting photos of your family enjoying a meal in a photo to maps, or writing a review that details that the restaurant is great for noisy kids, maybe they have a playground, a kid’s corner, public toys, high chairs, outdoor or open-air seating, and of course changing tables. I know for me, finding restaurants like Dairio or Chick-Fil-A near my home really opened my eyes to better parenting and exposing my kids to more than just our dining room table. It gave us a chance for our kids to interact with other children, learn to-dos and don’ts of public behavior, and lastly giving mom and dad a much-needed escape. Google Maps can be a great place to highlight kid-friendly features through the Q & A section or quick answers. (Do they have kids eat free nights? Do they have high chairs? Kids Menus? Kids portions? Is it accessible? ) The photos can also highlight features by taking photos of the playgrounds, high chairs and booster seats, kids meals, and photos of the menu that features kid’s items and kid-friendly aspects.
Step 4: A New Kid-Friendly Hobby
As I went down this path and discovered my passion for adding to Google Maps for kid-friendly destinations, I started to fall in love with my city again. It made me want to visit more new places with my family, re-visit locations and highlight another kid-friendly feature, and I even turned my new hobby into a website. I can’t thank Google Maps and the Local Guide program enough for helping me realize this passion, get to attend ConnectLive 2018 and make so many new friends, and learn to think differently as I visit a new place. I feel as if I am no longer selfishly exploring these destinations, but instead trying to give back by educating and informing other residents like myself.
If you are interested in learning more about my contributions feel free to click below and if you want to see my new blog that grew out of this passion, feel free to visit Kid-Friendly Triad.
Here Are A Few Kid-Friendly Lists I Have Created In My Hometown
