Newsweek’s June 18 issue has a great article about kids’ playgrounds around the country. Since it’s always great to find a cool playground during a family vacation, especially if you’re staying in a hotel without one, we thought we’d give you a headsup. Although it’s in the Health section, it’s more about mental than physical health – the featured playgrounds go beyond seesaws and swings; they include very cool stimulating and interactive features that kids (and parents) will love. If you happen to be in any of these areas, give these a go:

• Berkeley Marina Adventure Playground, Berkeley, CA (pictured below)

• Clemyjontri Park, McLean, VA
• River Play Discovery Village, Eugene, OR
• Guadalupe River Park, San Jose, CA
• Rockefeller Park Playground, New York City (in Battery Park City, not Rockefeller Center)

To help you craft the full family vacation, here are some luxury hotels in the cities above:

copyright The Sainte Claire Hotel

• Many of the 279 rooms at The Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley have fabulous views of the San Francisco Bay. The resort also has a kids club; check out their current Family Classics package for $369 a night
• The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, McLean, VA is more of a business hotel than a family resort, but you can still indulge in leisure activities here, including shopping at the adjacent upscale Tysons Galleria mall.
• Most of Eugene’s lodging options run to motels, but you can find something a tad more resort-like at the Valley River Inn, which has large suites as an option, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, and nearby activities including biking and whitewater rafting.
• The Sainte Claire in San Jose is more of a business hotel but you’ll find luxurious accommodations; it’s a great home base from which you can branch out to explore wineries, Silicon Valley and San Jose’s museums and parks.
• Although we wouldn’t normally put an Embassy Suites in the luxury hotel category, the downtown New York property meets NYC standards of style while maintaining the 2-room suite/free breakfast scenario that Embassy is known for – which makes it a great choice for a luxury family vacation.

Embassy suites living room in NYC, copyright Hilton Hospitality