Best Playgrounds in the World! | chosen by travelling families
Must Visit Playgrounds Around The World!
Wondering where the best playgrounds in the World are…? We’ve asked seasoned family travelers to share their favourites.
We love playgrounds! I’ve written before about the most useful parenting hack ever that will help you to find playgrounds near you, anywhere in the World!
(It really has saved us sooo many times so do read it and share it with your friends 😁)
So, let’s take a look at what this adventurous bunch of world travellers think are the best playgrounds in the world…
1. Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world to visit with kids and it’s largely because of its incredible parks within the city center.
The French value outdoor fun for children and it really shows in the pride they take in their green spaces.
It’s also one of the best free things to do in Paris!
You can wander through Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Jardin des Tuileries, and Jardin des Plantes, but the real jewel of Paris, in my opinion, is the Jardin du Luxembourg, or Luxembourg Gardens in English.
The gardens were created by Marie de Medici in 1612 as part of her new Paris residence.
Today you can still see the Medici Fountain which was built in 1620! The park sits on 23 hectares of beautifully manicured landscape where kids can run freely.
Not only are the Luxembourg Gardens a beautiful place to take in nature, but also a children’s wonderland full of amusement made just for them.
They can rent sailboats on the famous Luxembourg pond, play at the gated playground, ride the giant double swings, attend the children’s theater, ride the old fashioned carousel where you attempt to “joust” your way through the ride, and even take a pony ride!
Learn more about the Luxembourg Gardens and Paris with kids here.
2 Lazy Dayz Outdoor Children’s Playground, Kentucky, United States
The amazing thing about this playground is that it has been designed to be accessible to all.
Just watch this…
3. Darling Harbour Playground, Sydney Australia
The Darling Harbour Playground is renowned as one of the best playgrounds in Sydney.
It has a good selection of slides and swings, a sandpit and plenty of room to run around.
There is also a 21-metre flying fox, a rope balance course and a fun water play area for cooling off in the Summer.
The highlight for many kids here is the Octanet, a 10-metre high rope net, which poses a really fun challenge. A smaller rope net is available for little children.
The Darling Harbour playground is well located for visiting other popular family tourist attractions in Sydney, being just a short walk from the Maritime Museum,Wildlife Sydney Zoo and Sealife Aquarium.
For refueling, the Danieli coffee shop kiosk is located right in the middle of the playground, with a selection of healthy snacks and good coffee for parents.
The area surrounding the playground is also filled with cafes, restaurants and ice cream shops, and all the restaurants of Darling Harbour are just on the doorstep too.
4. Container Park – Las Vegas Nevada
by Laudy and Jerome Shaw for Travel Boldly
Las Vegas has long been a playground for the rich, famous, and wannabe rich and famous.
But now Vegas offers up a playground for families and children in Downtown Las Vegas just a block off famous Fremont Street.
Container Park is a park, playground, and group of shops and restaurants designed to be family friendly during the day and into the early evening but also is a thriving nightspot as the sun recedes.
Container Park was constructed from 43 shipping containers that once plied the high-seas taking goods all over the world.
Now in their retirement, the containers are home to unique and some one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants and bars. Many of which were created here in Container Park.
The playground and interactive area are designed specifically for children and one of the shipping containers was crafted into a treehouse 30-foot-tall with 3 unique slides.
There is a NEOS Playworld System, which is an electronic game full of flashing lights that is guaranteed to tire even the most energetic of kids as they race about bopping lights when they flash.
The park also contains a natural grass area, train tracks with a real caboose and boxcar and an outdoor stage.
But, the star of the show every night is the giant, fire-spewing praying mantis at the entrance to the park.
At 9 pm each night the female mantis comes to life with lights and fire to draw the children out of the park to watch the show.
After 9 pm the park becomes adults 21+ only.
5. KLCC Playground, Kuala Lumpur
6. Wright Brothers Playground, New York City, United States
The Wright brothers are generally accredited with building the first successful airplane so it makes sense that this playground has airplane-inspired play equipment.
7. Gardens By The Bay, Singapore.
The whole of this stunning place is like a playground for the whole family, from plant covered super trees, to the worlds largest indoor waterfall to seeing meat eating plants.
There are also lots of fun designated play areas for the kids to play in though and they are FREE.
The Far East Organization Children’s Garden is best for kids aged from 1-12 years old. Set amongst beautiful and cool gardens it is a great place to let the children burn off some energy.
There are two water play areas. One for younger children then one for 6-12 year olds.
Here you will find fun music and water features set off with sensors so they follow your children. There is also a small cafe and lots of seating for the parents to relax for a bit.
If you are able to get them away from the fun water park then there is a cool adventure tunnel that has some great challenges and equipment like balance beams and rope bridges.
At the end of the trail is a Rainforest Tree House. This has lots of climbing fun and slides. It is perfect for kids aged 6 upwards.
For younger kids there is a special toddlers play area too that looked fun for any children under 5.
8. Keith, Adelaide
9. Queens Park, Australia
Another awesome park you’ll find in Australia.
10. Gathering Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma
11. Sensapolis, Germany
As the largest indoor adventure playground in Germany, Sensapolis is a must see when visiting Stuttgart in southern Germany. It’s made not only for children but adults as well!
The massive playground is located inside a reconstructed warehouse with an interior that amazes even the most thrill-seeking child!
A huge white spaceship from floor to the top of the warehouse greets visitors after they enter. The ship has multiple levels and includes slides, a movie room, several game rooms such as riding mini spaceships and destroying asteroids, and numerous space creatures scattered throughout.
Areas for older kids include a rock-climbing wall, a zipline, a netted treehouse, a high ropes course, several steep slides, and the Sensadrom, and indoor electric go cart track where kids 8 and older can reach speeds over 30mph (50km per hour).
Sensapolis boasts an amazing science center for children of all ages where you can experience how tornadoes form, volcanoes erupt and optical illusions are created.
A wheelchair ramp and a spinning optical tube as well as numerous test stations and experiments make this one of the most enjoyable areas for kids.
Smaller kids can experience running around a pirate ship, spraying water at the dragon waterpark, riding ponies at Ponycycle Ranch, running around the Fun Shooter kids play yard or playing with roll toys.
An area especially for babies is also a great way for the youngest to enjoy their time.
And finally, the Fairytale Castle is made for all, to explore the lives of kings and queens, ride on a magic carpet and dance in the ballroom, and even play the invisible harp next to the royal chair.
A children’s art center is also open throughout the week for arts and crafts. Sensapolis has a café and restaurant with seating areas scattered throughout so that adults can relax while the kids roam the massive complex.
12. Maggie Daley Park, Chicago
by Gofamgo – Family Travel Blog
Maggie Daley Park is a 20-acre park located just across from the BP Pedestrian Bridge from Millennium Park in Chicago, IL.
It is easily one of our favorite family-friendly things to do while in Chicago. Aside from being a venue for family-friendly events throughout the year,
Maggie Daley Park has at least 3 acres dedicated play space for children under 12 years.
What we love about this space called The Play Garden, is the division of activities or equipment by recommended age groups.
Each area is a sizeable and appropriate play activity for the suggested age. This allows the younger children to explore and play at their own area without bumping into the faster and older kids.
There are plenty of seating for parents and the equipment could accommodate parents or grownups who want to assist their children.
The cleanliness is remarkable for a public playground. The variety of equipment is also another thing to like.
If everyone wants to try the slide, there are a couple to choose from, each a different curve and speed than the others.
There are also children gyms, mirror mazes, a bridge, a boat and a lighthouse.
Outside of the play area, picnic benches are available for families to enjoy a meal together while surrounded by plenty of plants and trees in the busy city of Chicago.
Other amenities are available as well such as the climbing wall, skating park, mini golf, and tennis courts.
13. Parque Gulliver, Valencia, Spain
This is most definitely on our Must See im Europe List.
Parque Gulliver is as the name suggests a giant sprawled Gulliver laying on the ground.
It’s cleverly based on the well-known story where the children become the Lilliputians playing on Gulliver body.
Do you have any other suggestions for best playgrounds in the world? We’d love to hear about them!