Playground Paradise

Every kid has his or her favorite playground to play in. And, if you're lucky, you might have a great one in your neighborhood. But if you don't, don't sweat it: there are plenty of fantastic playgrounds just a train ride away. Some of these are so good, you can spend a whole day there. (Just make sure to bring some water.) In fact, there are so many great, new playgrounds that have opened up recently, NYC DADS took one lucky kid to field test many of them in order to create a guide to the most special playgrounds around the city. We couldn't get to all ten of the following playgrounds, but word of mouth assures us that the little ones won't be disappointed.

Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Furman Street (the end of Atlantic Avenue) Brooklyn Heights
You won't believe your eyes. There's the sand playground with a giant rock fountain. There's the playground with the giant slide coming out of a wooden teepee. And then there's the rolling hills spotted with swings, including Tarzan-like vine swings. And then there's the massive water park, featuring more water spouts, gizmos and gulley than you could imagine. And that's just you. Imagine how your kids will feel. The biggest downside is that this playground is right by the water, which means it's a hike from the subway, it's unprotected (despite the new, young trees) from sun and wind, and it's far from food and other services.

Rockefeller Park
Battery Park City , Chambers St at River Terrace
While the playground at Pier 6 may be brand new, the one at Rockefeller Park has had a few years to prove its one of the best places to play in the city. There's more to do here than your kids could dream of. There's a (small) water play area, there are swings, there is a giant sand pit covered in a series of bridges and bouncey nets. And, wait, there's more: a self-propelling merry-go-round and a grassy area where you can take out on loan (you just need to give a proper ID) giant balls, Frisbees, ping pong paddles and much more. And you're less than a five minute walk away from Teardrop Park (see next).

Teardrop Park
River Terrace, near Warren Street
Tucked away amidst the Battery Park City buildings is a tropical world of rocks steaming with water and a giant slide that descends into a sand pit. The slide often ends up filled with both sand and water so make sure to pack a bathing suit for this one.

Heckscher Playground
Central Park at 62nd Street
Prepare for biggest swarm of kids you've ever seen. They are running into tunnels, over bridges, up holes, and through a giant moat and over giant hills. Plus, there's slides, swings, and sprinklers. All of that, and your inside the (relatively) cool realm of Central Park. The biggest downside is that it's so crowded, you regularly hear parents frantically searching for their children.

Ancient Playground
Fifth Avenue at 85th Street
The ramparts, pyramids, chutes, and tunnels at this newly spiffed-up, Egyptian-themed playground make for one atmospheric game of hide-and-seek. It helps that real-deal King Tut artifacts are just a block away at the Met.

Union Square Playground
16th Street at Union Square West
Too cramped? Yes. But you'll rarely hear a kid complain. They're having too much fun trying to climb the weird metal mound, slipping down slides, and spinning around on those giant saucers. The playground is broken up so that toddlers can have full reign of their domain without fearing getting crushed by the bigger kids.

(The following playgrounds have not been field tested by NYC DADS. . . yet.)

Imagination Playground
Burling Slip, near South Street Seaport
The playground hasn't even opened at the time of posting this story, but we're just too excited about it to not keep it on the list. This innovative playground will sport a slide, sand and water, but also a whole cornucopia of loose parts: wheelbarrows, giant blue foam pieces, rope and sheets; all to play with. Imagination Playground is slated to open at the end of July. We'll be there!

Gantry Plaza State Park
47th Road at Center Boulevard, Long Island City
There's a giant, two-story climbing structure for the kids and plenty of good seating for the parents.

Printers Park
Hoe Ave. near East 165th Street, the Bronx
There's a super cool orange-and-white jungle gym with a slide, a climbing surface and the all-important monkey bars to toughen up those little kid hands.

Hippo Playground
Riverside Park at West 91st Street
The little ones will love to climb and canoodle with the hippo statues while more standard playground fare (swings, sandbox) should satisfy the rest of your brood.