Deadhead parents of Chicago, get pumped! The city has recently opened a Dead-inspired park called Sunshine Daydream Playground, on the city’s West Side in Douglas Park.

Named after the Grateful Dead song, the park is filled with interactive musical elements for children to play with. There’s a xylophone, an upright bass, an interactive fountain with dancing bears, and a lot more fun elements that are all built into the design of the park. Kids are encouraged to play with the instruments and interact with the park to help expose them to music.

The goal is to “…introduce these kids to something that expands the horizons of their imagination,” according to Arthur Richardson, central regional manager for the Chicago Park District. “Music is a universal language, whether it’s the Grateful Dead or ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,'” Richardson said. “I think anything that we can introduce these kids to something that expands the horizons of their imagination is a good thing.”

The project is in direct response to last summer’s Fare Thee Well concerts that took place at Soldier Field. While 327 parks have been refurbished under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “Chicago Plays” initiative, this park was specifically funded by AirBnB, who reached out to the city last summer in an attempt to add a permanent reminder of the Dead’s legacy to the city of Chicago.

Well, thanks to the Chicago Park District, Mayor Emmanuel, and AirBnB, it looks like that Sunshine Daydream has become a reality!

In honor of the opening of Sunshine Daydream Playground, watch this video of the Grateful Dead performing the namesake song at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ on 11/24/1978

Watch the Grateful Dead perform “Sunshine Daydream” at the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey on 11/24/1978, Courtesy of Music Vault’s YouTube channel.

[H/T to dnainfo.com for the 411; Photo credit Alex Nitkin]