The playgrounds of NY’s Central Park

My kids are “too old” for them now, but over the years, we have spent countless hours in the playgrounds of New York’s Central Park.

If you are visiting the Big Apple with kids, I highly recommend that you plan some stops in these well organized playgrounds to get the energy out.

Or, if you’re like me, they can serve as useful bribery …

… as in, “Be good at this museum/while seeing this exhibition, and I’ll take you afterwards to the playground.”

Worked wonders for me over the years.

Conveniently, one of their favorite playgrounds was located right next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Selective child bribery allowed me to enjoy many an impressive art exhibition back in the day…

As any parent travelling in cities with kids knows, they have way too much energy to keep up with many of the adult activities you’re there for – museum visits, monument visits, shopping, etc, – so it’s great to be able to squeeze in a little playground time to keep adults and kids happy.

It helps that Central Park now offers so many playgrounds, and most only have one entrance/exit, making monitoring much easier.

As you’ll see in the photos, during the summer months, the water spouts are working, making this a great cool down in the steamy summer heat. I always had bathing suits on hand in my bag, since my kids were always anxious to run through the cooling water.

Headed to NY? Accompanying young kids? No fear – check out all the great playgrounds dotting Central Park. Those playground interludes will help make your New York visit a success for the entire family. Enjoy!