How PlayPatio lists places

Where listings come from

Most public-park playgrounds start as OpenStreetMap data. We run an Overpass query for playground features near Texas metros, then merge named places into our venue file. OSM is volunteer-mapped: names, fences, and bathrooms can be wrong or out of date.

Restaurant and café play yards are rarely tagged on the map. Those rows are curated by hand or sent in by parents through Suggest a place. Submissions are stored for review; they do not go live automatically.

We do not claim a mystery-shopper visit, health-department check, or weekly phone call to every venue. Amenity flags (high chairs, misting, toddler zones) are directory signals from OSM tags, owner sites, or a submitter — not a guarantee they will be true on your visit.

How often data is refreshed

The live site reads a static venue file (no database for this MVP). OSM scrapes run when we choose to expand coverage — not on a fixed daily cron. Editorial updates (new Hat Creek locations, closed play areas) land when someone notices and edits the file.

Venue pages show a “Checked [Month Year]” date when we have a last verified timestamp. If that line is missing, treat the listing as older than our last pass and confirm playground status on-site.

Editor's Pick vs Featured Partner

Editor's Pick is an unpaid editorial highlight — a parent staple we want people to notice. It is not proof someone paid us. Too many of these flags are still on (tighten that list by hand before treating it as a scarce mark).

Featured Partner is reserved for paid placement. That product is scaffolding only today — no billing is wired up. When it goes live, paid listings will keep this distinct label so they are not confused with unpaid picks.

Questions or a correction? Send an update.