NYC's 6 Best Playgrounds For Kids
Whether you're looking for swings, slides, sprinklers or the perfect park for children with disabilities, CBSNewYork has the five best bets. By Carly Sitzer.
Ancient Playground
East Side at 85th Street
The name Ancient Playground doesn't refer to the age of the playground—it's actually one of Central Park's most recently reconstructed areas—but rather to the theme of it. The playground features pyramids, sundials and other things inspired by the nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art collection.
Printers Park
Hoe Avenue near E. 165th St.
Printers Park offers a jungle gym complete with an educational lesson. The Park—which honors Richard March Hoe, the inventor of the lightning printing press—has a jungle gym that emulates a life-size printing press.
Playground For All Children
Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
This playground, which is on grounds at the site of the World's Fair and CitiField, is one of few of its kind in the country. The Playground for all children is completely accessible to be enjoyed by children with disabilities (and, of course, those without).
Playground at Pier 51
Horatio St. and W.12th St.
If you're looking to cool down on a hot day, look no further than the Playground at Pier 51. The water features, which are controlled by interactive play structures, include a replica of the Minetta Brook.
Nelson A. Rockefeller Park
Battery Park City (enter at Chambers St. and River Terr.)
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The pedal-powered carousel is just one of many attractions children will love in the playground at Nelson A. Rockefeller Park. In addition, there is a collection of bronze sculptures, The Real World collection by artist Tom Otterness, which kids and parents alike can enjoy.
Zucker Natural Exploration Area
Prospect Park
The city's first truly natural playground, the Zucker Natural Exploration Area was created out of the chaos of Superstorm Sandy. Using storm-damaged trees and other materials, the Prospect Park Alliance opened the playground in 2013. If you've got a kid in your life who loves to scuttle, root, climb, and wander in the wild, then this is his/her ideal playground. While it's a bit hard to find, tucked as it is in a leafy area off the park's Long Meadow, it's good for hours and hours of unstructured, self-directed play. Ah, to be 10 again.
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