The 10 best playgrounds in Manhattan for kids
Our 10 favorite playgrounds in Manhattan, famous and lesser known, with ages, restrooms, spray showers and the nearest subway, including the nearest station the MTA lists as accessible.
The short answer
Our top playgrounds in Manhattan are Heckscher Playground, Ancient Playground and Imagination Playground. For water in summer: Heckscher Playground, Ancient Playground and Imagination Playground. Less famous but worth the trip: Hippo Playground, Sol Bloom Playground and Seward Park Playground.
Heckscher Playground
The Central Park playground at the south end, and the one on every list, so expect company on a dry weekend. NYC Parks lists a wheelchair-accessible restroom and water-based play, and the spray shower runs on days the temperature hits 80 degrees or higher. I'd call it a July playground first and an October one a distant second.
- Ages
- Mixed ages (Parks lists accessible swings for ages 5 to 12)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- A/C/B/D/1 to 59 St-Columbus Circle (accessible), about 0.2 mi; also N/Q/R/W to 57 St-7 Av (accessible), about 0.3 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- 59 St-Columbus Circle (A/C/B/D), 0.2 mile, about a 5-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Ancient Playground
Central Park again, this time on Fifth Avenue at 85th Street, a few blocks north of the Met, which makes a museum morning followed by a proper run-around easy to plan. Parks lists a wheelchair-accessible restroom and water-based play, and flags it as having sensory-friendly spaces for children with autism. It is a Central Park name, so queue your expectations accordingly.
- Ages
- Mixed ages (Parks lists accessible swings for ages 5 to 12)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- 4/5/6 to 86 St (partly accessible, check the MTA), about 0.3 mi; also 6 to 77 St (not accessible), about 0.5 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- 86 St (4/5/6) (Uptown local only), 0.3 mile, about a 7-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Imagination Playground
Not a slide-and-swing job. Parks describes it as a space designed by David Rockwell where children build their own play with sand, water and loose parts such as giant foam blocks, mats, wagons and crates. Hand a six-year-old a pile of blocks and a four-year-old a bucket, then sit down and enjoy the rare quiet. Parks lists a wheelchair-accessible restroom.
- Ages
- Young children; NYC Parks does not list age bands for this playground
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- J/Z/A/C/2/3/4/5 to Fulton St (accessible), about 0.3 mi; also 2/3 to Wall St (not accessible), about 0.3 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- Fulton St (2/3), 0.3 mile, about a 5-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Hippo Playground
A Riverside Park playground at 91st Street, on the Hudson side of the Upper West Side rather than inside Central Park. The name at least gives a four-year-old something to look for. Parks lists ground-level and water-based play, a public restroom (not wheelchair accessible) and sensory-friendly spaces.
- Ages
- Mixed ages (Parks lists accessible swings for ages 5 to 12)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks (not wheelchair accessible). Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- 1/2/3 to 96 St (accessible), about 0.3 mi; also 1 to 86 St (not accessible), about 0.3 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- 96 St (1/2/3), 0.3 mile, about a 6-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Sol Bloom Playground
A small neighborhood playground between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West at 91st and 92nd Streets. Parks says its distinctive feature is a sunflower-themed spray shower, a nod to Sol Bloom's name and its suggestion of sun and flowers. It lists ground-level and water-based play and a public restroom that is not wheelchair accessible.
- Ages
- Young children; NYC Parks does not list age bands for this playground
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks (not wheelchair accessible). Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- C/B to 96 St (not accessible), about 0.2 mi; also C/B to 86 St (not accessible), about 0.3 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- 96 St (1/2/3), 0.3 mile, about a 7-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Seward Park Playground
Parks says Seward Park has the distinction of being home to the first permanent, municipally built playground in the nation, which is a good fact to deploy on a seven-year-old who is complaining about the walk. It lists a spray shower, ground-level play, accessible swings for under-5s and a public restroom (not wheelchair accessible).
- Ages
- Toddlers and up (Parks lists accessible swings for under-5s)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks (not wheelchair accessible). Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- F to East Broadway (not accessible), about 0.1 mi; also M/J/Z/F to Delancey St-Essex St (not accessible), about 0.3 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- Canal St (6), 0.6 mile, about a 12-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Catbird Playground
Tucked into Carl Schurz Park on the East River, where the promenade looks out over Roosevelt Island's lighthouse, the Triborough Bridge and Gracie Mansion, per Parks. The playground side has a spray shower, ground-level play and accessible swings for under-5s, and the park has a public restroom (not wheelchair accessible at the playground, per Parks). Handy if you are on the Upper East Side.
- Ages
- Toddlers and up (Parks lists accessible swings for under-5s)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks (not wheelchair accessible). Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- Q to 86 St (accessible), about 0.5 mi; also 4/5/6 to 86 St (partly accessible, check the MTA), about 0.7 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- 86 St (Q), 0.5 mile, about a 9-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Washington Market Park Playground
Parks describes a spacious, tree-covered playground with several smaller play areas, including one shaped like a ship called the S.S. Fun. It has a spray shower and a wheelchair-accessible restroom listed, and the park also has tennis and basketball for the grown-ups who still think they are twenty-five. A solid Tribeca option away from the Hudson River Park crowds.
- Ages
- Young children; NYC Parks does not list age bands for this playground
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- 1/2/3 to Chambers St (accessible), about 0.1 mi; also R/W/A/C/E/2/3 to Chambers St (partly accessible, check the MTA), about 0.2 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- Chambers St (1/2/3), 0.1 mile, about a 3-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Vesuvio Playground
A small playground on Thompson Street between Spring and Prince, named (Parks says) after the Italian bakery on Prince Street that has been family run since 1920. Parks lists a spray shower, a wheelchair-accessible restroom and an outdoor pool in the park. A little corner of SoHo that is not a shop.
- Ages
- Young children; NYC Parks does not list age bands for this playground
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- C/E to Spring St (partly accessible, check the MTA), about 0.1 mi; also 1 to Houston St (not accessible), about 0.2 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- Spring St (C/E) (Downtown only), under 0.1 mile, about a 2-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Pearl St Playground
A downtown playground on Pearl Street between Fulton and Beekman that NYC Parks reconstructed at a reported cost of $2.1 million, with a spray shower to cool off in. There is no restroom listed here, so plan your snack and bathroom timing accordingly.
- Ages
- Young children; NYC Parks does not list age bands for this playground
- Restrooms
- No restroom listed by NYC Parks at this playground.
- Subway
- J/Z/A/C/2/3/4/5 to Fulton St (accessible), about 0.2 mi; also 2/3 to Wall St (not accessible), about 0.3 mi
- Nearest accessible station
- Fulton St (2/3), 0.2 mile, about a 3-minute walk
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
All 204 Manhattan playgrounds on the map Things to do in Manhattan
The best playgrounds in the other boroughs: Brooklyn · Queens · The Bronx · Staten Island
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Questions people ask
What is the best playground in Manhattan?
Our pick is Heckscher Playground in Central Park South. The Central Park playground at the south end, and the one on every list, so expect company on a dry weekend.
Which Manhattan playgrounds have sprinklers?
On our list: Heckscher Playground, Ancient Playground, Imagination Playground, Hippo Playground, Sol Bloom Playground, Seward Park Playground, Catbird Playground, Washington Market Park Playground, Vesuvio Playground and Pearl St Playground. NYC Parks lists 175 playgrounds with spray showers in Manhattan, usually on from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Which of these Manhattan playgrounds are near an accessible subway station?
Heckscher Playground, Ancient Playground, Imagination Playground, Hippo Playground, Sol Bloom Playground, Catbird Playground, Washington Market Park Playground, Vesuvio Playground and Pearl St Playground are within a 10-minute walk of a station the MTA lists as accessible. Check the MTA's elevator status before you go.
How many playgrounds are there in Manhattan?
NYC Parks lists 204 playgrounds with children's areas in Manhattan. They're all on our map.
Sources
- Heckscher Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Ancient Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Imagination Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Hippo Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Sol Bloom Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Seward Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Catbird Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Washington Market Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Vesuvio Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Pearl St Playground: nycgovparks.org
- MTA: Subway Stations (data.ny.gov)