I am looking to get one for the spring and have no idea where to start. I need a bigger one since my daughter will be 5. Thanks!
Over the years we have bought 3 swing sets at Toys R Us, all were on sale in the spring. The first one was tiny and the kids eventually outgrew it. The second one was bigger and the third one was even bigger, the second and third are now connected into a giant swing set. They definitely are not of the highest quality but they have held up well over the years and my kids love them all.
We got a really nice wooden one at Sam's Club, it is one they don't outgrow as fast as some. It has monkey bars, climbing ramp, rope ladder, big slide, little playhouse on the top with stairs, a place underneath for sandbox or table. 2 swings, bars and a riding thing. DH added a wooden roof and floored the bottom part to make a second "room". Rainbow has the nicest playsets but this was DD's second (she was around 4) and we didn't want to spend quite that much, looking back I probably would have. 2 of our neighbors went and got the same set at Sam's, so on our corner there were 3! I think we paid $549.00 and that was 6 years ago. They have a slightly different model every year. We spent about $250.00 in upgrades: extra handles, wood for the roof and deck, stain, a periscope and steering wheel and a blow up ball type swing to replace one of the regular swings, which we got at Lowe's.
We picked up a swing set this past spring at Home Depot. With 9 pressure treated 8' 4x4's I think it was around the $700 range. Assembly took 2 afternoons. It's definately large enough our 3 y.o. and her new brother won't out grow it and it's very sturdy. So, the local HD's or Lowes are good places. Sam's Club get some nice ones for around the same price as well. But, if you see it, like it and the price is right, GET IT! They usually only keep 1 or 2 in stock. But Craigslist is a good place also! Many people moving out give away sets that don't look bad. Usually they only want you to come out and disassemble it. Of course I tried the CL option, but nothing good came up until we bought one.
Costco or Sam's. I know Costco's are made by Rainbow, but they are much less expensive than buying from Rainbow. Not sure who makes the Sam's sets, but they seem to be very good quality for the price.
