What is Tot Lot?
1.
1) This term is commonly used by residents of Columbia, MD. It refers to the many expensive, well-maintained, and well-designed playgrounds installed in the community's recreational parks and along its paved paths. Since they are often partly secluded or located in the woods, they also serve as sites for teenage indulgence.
2) Additionally, "tot lot" occasionally acts as a subtle signifier that the speaker lives in or is familiar with Columbia, MD as the term is rarely used elsewhere. This can be surprising to long-time residents.
1) "The cops nearly busted us for drinking last night at the tot lot."
2) "I hadn't realized that Dr. Jones grew up in Columbia until he told me he took his kids to the tot lot last weekend."
See
2.
Another term for a playground.
Go visit a tot lot when you get bored.