Best Brooklyn Playgrounds in the Summer
Kids are out of school and the sun sets later. My kids love to spend this extra time outside of our apartment. With humidity and temperatures climbing the past two weeks, here’s my biased opinion on the best Brooklyn playgrounds on hot days (in South Brooklyn).
I think there are 3 factors that make an NYC park a good fit for a hot day. I biked around to all the contender Brooklyn playgrounds during peak heat times the week of July 12th to see how the play structures stacked up. My ratings are based exclusively on these three criteria.
Shade (heavily weight as its the most important factor)
Sprinklers or splash pad
Apparatus (ie metal vs plastic slides in the play space)
1. St Mary’s Playground | Carroll Gardens
This playground is built underneath the overpass of the F, G train. I was there at 2:45 pm on a 93-degree day and most of the climbing structure and benches for a parent were in the shade. For big kids, they also have basketball courts that are covered by the shade. That’s pretty hard to beat! I also like that they don’t have metal slides.
St Mary’s Playground has two large separate gated sections. The southernmost area has baby swings and then is close to a jungle gym for 2-5-year-olds. My children love the climbing structure for older children as it has a ton of rope to climb on and some really fun slides. I’ve found that this playground doesn’t get too crowded so it can be a great playground for a meetup as well if you have friends who live close by.
2. Fort Greene Playground | Fort Greene
Fort Greene playground has lush trees that provide nice, sporadic shade coverage throughout the entire play area. There are nice water features and plenty of benches for caregivers. The only downside here is that if you have more mischievous children, it’s easy to lose sight of older kids because the playground equipment is so big!
Fort Greene playground can be hard to locate within the park if you’re not familiar with it. It’s on the Northwest corner near Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street. If you enter the Park from Dekalb be prepared to walk up a big hill!
This playground has a separate area for little kids but I do find it can be a bit stressful (as mentioned above). It is a great option for my 6 year old though as I trust her to run around when I don’t have eyes on her every single second. One other note about Fort Greene playground, because it is known as one of the best playgrounds in Brooklyn and it’s close to so many schools in Downtown Brooklyn, it can get quite crowded!
3. Water Lab @ Pier 6 Playground | Brooklyn Heights
They’ve done a nice job of tucking this playground in behind the trees. There is so much water in the spray shower, it mists on the caregivers in a very pleasant way. When I was there on Monday, I also took my shoes off and got in the water. The biggest downside is that it’s small and can get quite crowded.
Pier 6 Playground has several different sections and it is a bucket list playground in New York City. There is a huge sand lab, a slide hill, and a lot of unique structures that you won’t find at most playgrounds throughout Brooklyn. The Sand area gets quite hot though and I rethink of it as one of the best playgrounds on a cool day.
4. Underhill Playground | Prospect Heights
I’m a bit biased as this is my go-to playground. It has tree coverage for benches for the parents but I wish that the playgrounds had more shade coverage during peak heat time. There is also a metal slide which can get dicey during these really bad days.
Underhill Playground is known as the “toy playground” around a lot of families. The history of why this playground started to accumulate toys is unknown to me but I certainly support it. The Playground has a pretty classic infrastructure with a smaller kids’ section and a bigger kids’ section. There are also a few baby swings. To me, one of the other great parts of this playground is that it is fenced in and very secure. If you have two children who like different activities this is a great place to take them because you can let your guard down (a bit) versus some other local options.
Honorable Mention: Pacific Park Playground | Prospect Heights
This family-friendly playground is new and should open towards the end of July. I’m excited because it is on the windiest block. Because it’s surrounded by all the new high rises here, the playground will either be in full shade or full sun. I like that I’ll know what I’m getting instead of having to relocate as the sun moves every 15 minutes.
I had a huge laugh when I saw this sign at Main Street Playground (aka Pirate Ship Playground with the nautical theme). I knew it was not going to be a contender on this list!
Did I miss any other playgrounds you like in the heat?
Stay cool!
Katie