Boston is a great, family-friendly city. A big part of this is due to the hard work of the Boston Parks & Recreation Department, which has strived to provide Bostonians and their kids with clean parks and updated playground equipment. Below are eight of the best playgrounds in the Boston area.
Fort Independence Park
William J. Day Boulevard & Farragut Road
Boston, MA 02127
This park is beautifully situated on the shore of Pleasure Bay, with a nice playground for kids and large green spaces for flying kites or kicking around a soccer ball. It’s a local favorite with a lot of history – many Bostonians who came here as children are now bringing their kids! One selling point for regulars is its proximity to Sullivan’s Restaurant, known to have some of the best burgers around. Not only is this park a fun local favorite in itself, but you can make a night of it with dinner if you don’t feel like cooking!
Dana Park
74 Magazine Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Located near Central Square, this park and playground gets rave reviews from kids and adults alike. Their swing sets are awesome, and the ground is covered with the springy rubber mulch to minimize injuries! Kids (and parents) can even play in the sandbox, complete with a fountain in it, so kids can make rivers and sandcastles galore. They also added a relatively new feature to the already popular playground – a fountain! If you’ve got kids, you should definitely try out this unique playground.
Barry Playground
74 Summer Street
Medford, MA 02155
This park is big fun, and has some really original playground equipment that you won’t find elsewhere in the Boston area. For the full experience, don’t miss the hand-held zip line, a two-arm digging crane, “general store” play set-up and great slides. Adults seem to enjoy this park almost as much as the kids!
Alden Park
Oxford & Sacramento Streets
Cambridge, MA 02139
Located near the Oxford Spa and the Baldwin School, this park is known for it’s huge “Climbing Web” – an ultra-fun tangle of ropes, knots and platforms for kids to climb, hang and jump off of. Ahhhh, the dangers of childhood! This park also features other great playground equipment and a fountain for keeping cool during summer play.
Johnson Playground
Amory & Lamartine Streets
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
This little playground is the most popular in the Jamaica Plains suburb of Boston. The focus is definitely on kids here. They offer regular and infant swings, jungle gyms and twirling play chairs that kids love!
Charlesbank Playground
Charles Street at Longfellow Bridge
Boston, MA 02108
To local Bostonians, this favorite playground is known as the Esplanade. It’s a great spot for the entire family, as kids can enjoy the playground and parents can enjoy the scenic riverview of the St. Charles. A big safety plus: the large play area is fenced in! It’s also within sight of the Museum of Science, so if you’re feeling ambitious, you can tour the museum before or after visiting the park.
The Kids Playground is a great option for parents on rainy days, when outdoor parks just aren’t an option. This Boston-area indoor playground offers an enormous series of indoor mazes, slides, ball pits and other play activities. It’s a bit pricey – $8.99 per child under 18 years and $3.00 per accompanying adult – but an option to consider for keeping kids busy on dreary days.
Boston Common Spray Pool
84 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: (617) 635-2120
From June 27th through Labor Day, the Boston Common’s Frog Pond offers children a super-fun spray pool. The spray pool is open daily during this period from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. So take a towel and some sunscreen, and have fun!
