The 10 best playgrounds on Staten Island for kids
Our 10 favorite playgrounds on Staten Island, 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 on Staten Island are Willowbrook (Carousel) Adventure Station, Clove Lakes Park Playground and Wolfe's Pond Park Playground. For water in summer: Willowbrook (Carousel) Adventure Station, Clove Lakes Park Playground and Wolfe's Pond Park Playground. Less famous but worth the trip: Wolfe's Pond Park Playground, Silver Lake Park Playground and Walker Park Playground.
Willowbrook (Carousel) Adventure Station
In Willowbrook Park, one of Staten Island's most popular Greenbelt parks, per Parks. The park is also home to the Carousel for All Children, a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round with 51 hand-carved wooden animals, so check the carousel's current hours before you set off. Parks lists a wheelchair-accessible restroom at the playground.
- 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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: New Dorp (accessible), about 3.0 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- New Dorp (SIR), 3.0 miles, about a 60-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Clove Lakes Park Playground
Clove Lakes Park is a protected Forever Wild site with lakes and ponds, per Parks, so there is more to do than swing. The playground has a wheelchair-accessible restroom, water-based play and accessible swings for under-5s.
- Ages
- Toddlers and up (Parks lists accessible swings for under-5s)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Grasmere (not accessible), about 1.6 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Dongan Hills (SIR), 2.1 miles, about a 43-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Wolfe's Pond Park Playground
Wolfe's Pond Park is a beach, a wildlife preserve and a recreation area, per Parks, so it suits a day with a mixed-age group. The playground has ground-level and water-based play and a public restroom (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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Prince's Bay (not accessible), about 0.8 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Arthur Kill (SIR), 2.7 miles, about a 54-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Silver Lake Park Playground
Silver Lake Park was created as Staten Island's answer to Central Park and Prospect Park, per Parks, with a lake loop to run or push a stroller around. The playground has a public restroom (not wheelchair accessible) and no water play listed.
- 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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Stapleton (not accessible), about 1.2 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- St George (SIR), 1.7 miles, about a 34-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- No
Walker Park Playground
A plain neighborhood playground on the north shore. Parks lists a public restroom (not wheelchair accessible), sensory-friendly spaces and no specific play features, so it is a modest pick for a quick stop rather than a destination.
- 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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Tompkinsville (not accessible), about 1.9 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- St George (SIR), 1.9 miles, about a 39-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- No
South Beach Playground
On the FDR Boardwalk and Beach, so it fits easily into a boardwalk walk. Parks lists ground-level play and a public restroom (not wheelchair accessible). Check the beach season before planning a swim.
- 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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Old Town (not accessible), about 1.3 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Dongan Hills (SIR), 1.7 miles, about a 35-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Midland Beach Playground
Another playground on the FDR Boardwalk and Beach, with water-based play and a wheelchair-accessible restroom listed by Parks. A reasonable stop between boardwalk strolls.
- 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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Dongan Hills (accessible), about 1.2 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Dongan Hills (SIR), 1.2 miles, about a 23-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Seaside Wildlife Nature Playground
Parks calls it one of the city's most inventive playgrounds: entirely nautical, with a lighthouse, a shark to climb on, play units that resemble the Staten Island Ferry and a large shipwreck feature, surrounded by nearly 20 acres of salt marsh and native plants. No restroom is listed at the playground, so plan around that. Of the fifty playgrounds on this list, it is the one I would most like to see.
- Ages
- Young children; NYC Parks does not list age bands for this playground
- Restrooms
- No restroom listed by NYC Parks at this playground.
- Subway
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Great Kills (accessible), about 0.8 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Great Kills (SIR), 0.8 mile, about a 16-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Schmul Park Playground
Parks describes a brightly colored playground with a spray shower, swings and a sandbox, at the Travis entrance to Freshkills Park. It lists a wheelchair-accessible restroom and accessible swings for under-5s.
- Ages
- Toddlers and up (Parks lists accessible swings for under-5s)
- Restrooms
- Public restroom listed by NYC Parks, wheelchair accessible. Park restrooms can have set hours, so check before you go.
- Subway
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Great Kills (accessible), about 3.3 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Great Kills (SIR), 3.3 miles, about a 67-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- Yes, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day
Blue Heron Tot Lot
A tot lot inside Blue Heron Park, which Parks lists with natural areas and a nature center. Parks shows a wheelchair-accessible restroom and a Sway Fun play feature, so it suits the youngest children best.
- 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
- Staten Island has no subway. Nearest Staten Island Railway (SIR) station: Annadale (not accessible), about 0.7 mi. A bus or car is usually easier.
- Nearest accessible station
- Great Kills (SIR), 2.0 miles, about a 40-minute walk (more than a 10-minute walk)
- Spray shower
- No
All 61 Staten Island playgrounds on the map Things to do in Staten Island
The best playgrounds in the other boroughs: Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens · The Bronx
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Questions people ask
What is the best playground on Staten Island?
Our pick is Willowbrook (Carousel) Adventure Station in Willowbrook. In Willowbrook Park, one of Staten Island's most popular Greenbelt parks, per Parks.
Which Staten Island playgrounds have sprinklers?
On our list: Willowbrook (Carousel) Adventure Station, Clove Lakes Park Playground, Wolfe's Pond Park Playground, South Beach Playground, Midland Beach Playground, Seaside Wildlife Nature Playground and Schmul Park Playground. NYC Parks lists 43 playgrounds with spray showers on Staten Island, usually on from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
How many playgrounds are there on Staten Island?
NYC Parks lists 61 playgrounds with children's areas on Staten Island. They're all on our map.
Sources
- Willowbrook (Carousel) Adventure Station: nycgovparks.org
- Clove Lakes Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Wolfe's Pond Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Silver Lake Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Walker Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- South Beach Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Midland Beach Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Seaside Wildlife Nature Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Schmul Park Playground: nycgovparks.org
- Blue Heron Tot Lot: nycgovparks.org
- MTA: Subway Stations (data.ny.gov)