Oneida St Playground

The equipment here is noticeably new and well-maintained — someone’s actually keeping an eye on this place, which you can’t say about every Utica playground. Kids ages 3 to 12 get slides and swings, and the setup has enough challenge to keep older kids from getting bored after five minutes. Benches mean you’re not standing around the whole time, and there are young trees planted around the perimeter that’ll make a real difference once they fill in. For now it’s on the sunnier side, so a hat in the summer isn’t a bad idea. Still, it’s one of the cleaner spots in the area and worth the trip.