The weather is perfect for outdoor activity. It's cool and sunny with bright fall colors and a crispness in the air that gives everyone an added bounce to their step. But where should you go to wear that bounce out so your children will sleep a solid 11 hours at night?

Del Ray is a playground of playgrounds. There are so many outdoor places to choose from for spending a fall afternoon that it can be difficult to determine the best place to take your children.

The park at the YMCA is one of my tried and true favorites. With a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, it can be difficult to find a place that meets both their needs, but the park at the crux of Leslie and Duncan meets all their requirements. Monkey bars for my daughter and a tunnel slide for my son, swings for both infants and big kids and a mini merry-go-round and even a smaller version of the big structure for the tinier visitors.

Underneath a large tree are two benches, perfect for picnic lunches or snack time. In the summer months when the heat is so suffocating you consider walking around in your bathing suit, appropriate or not, the shade of the tree offers a welcome relief. And in the colder months, the sun shines down onto most of the playground, warming rosy cheeks and cold little hands.

One of my favorite points of the park: The latches on the gates at both entrances. Children can run free without feeling their parents are constantly guarding them because the gates offer comfort to caregivers, knowing that the children cannot run out into the street or across to the YMCA parking lot.

Go enjoy the day and the glorious fall weather. One thing I wouldn't mind seeing at the park (or any of the parks in the area) would be a hot chocolate or latte cart. Seems like a steamy cup of hot something would be delicious while watching your children run in circles.