Best playground worth traveling to

Best playground worth traveling toRockefeller Playground

Photo: Michael Rogol, courtesy of Johansson Design Collaborative Inc.

Winner Rockefeller Playground
When Sonja Johansson and Donna Walcavage began planning Battery Park City’s Rockefeller Playground, they had one goal in mind: to make it a true all-ages spot. “We wanted to provide different things for different-age kids so that they wouldn’t get in the way of one another,” says Johansson. The result is an extraordinary playground that grows more challenging as you walk from one side to the other. The northern end—which features mini slides set near shade-covered benches, as well as small steps for playing on—provides tiny tots a space where they can safely teeter in close proximity to their parents. Head south, and the slides gradually become taller, while bridges, nets and sliding poles offer big-kid adventures. The final hurrah: a supercool pedal carousel from Denmark. Also on-site are sprinklers (including Tom Otterness’s gurgling dodo bird) and a sandbox. What’s more, this BPC playground has something that most don’t—a huge maintenance budget.

Battery Park City, enter at Murray St (212-267-9700, bpcparks.org)

Runner-up Pier 51
Especially in warm weather, when the park’s elaborate sprinkler system provides kids with a thorough soaking (as well as a canal to paddle in), this riverside playground is a paradise.

Pier 51, Jane St at West Side Highway (212-627-2020, hudsonriverpark.org)

And don’t forget…Harmony Playground
We love themed outdoor play areas, and this is one of the coolest. Look for musical notes etched everywhere, playable xylophones integrated into the structure and—our favorite element—an oversize golden-harp sprinkler, set almost dead center. Kids also love the tunnels and chain bridges at the southern end, and the elevated play spaces propped up with faux house siding (windows included).

Prospect Park at 9th St, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-965-8951, prospectpark.org)