Best Playgrounds in New Jersey: 12 That Are Worth the Drive | MommyPoppins

The best playgrounds in New Jersey go above and beyond, with design features offering way more than the basic park down the block.

If you’ve been to your neighborhood playground so many times the slides and swings have lost their thrill, now’s the perfect time to switch up your kiddo’s routine. Spring has sprung, and these 12 amazing playgrounds are worth the trip.

From awesome jungle gyms to zip lines, a carousel, and even a zoo, these stellar rec areas allow kids to slide, swing, splash, climb, and imagine the day away. Pile into the car and visit each at least once—but we bet you’ll want to return again and again. 

For a comprehensive rundown on playgrounds with water features, check our rundown on 35+ sprinkler parks in New Jersey, and be sure to bookmark our Guide to Playgrounds & Parks in New Jersey.

Subscribe to our newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox.

Best Playgrounds in New Jersey With Special Equipment

Berry Lane Park – Jersey City

The Tony-Hawk-inspired skate park at Berry Lane Park is perfect for pint-sized daredevils. Funded in part by a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, the 12,000-square-foot, poured-concrete skate park and pavilion features half-pipes, curbs, a backyard bowl, multiple ramps, and A-frames perfect for little shredders. It’s also home to a playground and splash pad, basketball and tennis courts, and a baseball and soccer field. Berry Lane Park is located just 5 minutes from Liberty State Park, a great jumping-off point for more family adventures.

Community Park Playground – Montville

Renovated a few years ago, this sprawling playground offers plenty of swings, as well as slides that are twice as wide, allowing special-needs children, or toddlers, to slide with an adult. We love the playground’s adorable farmer theme, as well as the flexibility it offers with so many play structures for kids of all ages. Relax and recharge in the picnic area, where you can keep an eye on your kiddos as they run about. But, don’t worry, the entire playground is fenced in, too.

Regatta Playground – West Orange

Ahoy, mateys! You’d be forgiven for thinking this waterside playground is called “Pirate Ship Playground” since it’s anchored by a grand sailing vessel. Beneath the towering masts, pirates-in-training can climb rock walls, zip down slides, and peer through portholes. The playground was recently refreshed with a cushy new surface to prevent scrapes, and we also love that there are tons of swings, which means no waiting. The playground is a destination unto itself, but the South Mountain Recreation Complex, home to the Turtle Back Zoo, Essex County Treetop Adventure Course, and more, also make it worth the drive.

RELATED: Get Merry and Go Round on Unique Carousels With NJ Kids

KidStreet Playground is home to a cool wooden play village. Photo by Kaylynn Ebner

KidStreet – Bridgewater

This is not your average playground. Here, you’ll find lots of wooden structures and special equipment you won’t come across just anywhere else. Obstacle courses, rope swings, and zip lines are the highlight of the bigger-kid attractions. Little ones make a beeline to the enormous climbing structure with a police and fire station, cars, and more—all with interconnecting tire climbs, slides, and bridges. Worked up an appetite? Grab a bite a nearby Bridgewater Commons Mall.

RELATED: New Jersey Playgrounds Cool Enough for Big Kids

A day at Tony’s Place Playground is a beachside treat for kids. Photo courtesy of the park

Tony’s Place Playground – Long Branch

It’s only natural that a beachside playground offers an ocean-themed place to romp. Seal statues, a shoreline-inspired surface, boat structure, sea cave-like rock structures, and a fishing shack take this universally accessible play area to the next level. The surfaces are wheelchair-friendly, and all signage includes Braille. Picnic on the grass or picnic tables with a picturesque ocean view. Located just a few steps from Seven Presidents beach, the playground is also close to Skateplex skate park, making it perfect for families with multi-age kids.

Van Saun Park – Paramus

This Bergen County park is the golden ticket to a day-long visit filled with fun. The huge playground features climbing structures for big kids, small slides for toddlers, plus lots of balance beams, swing sets, and rock walls galore. Even more, the entire play area is ADA accessible so all kids can play. Not to mention, it’s next door to a spectacular splash pad, old-fashioned carousel, soccer field, and miniature train ride. Need more? How about a trip to the Bergen County Zoo, which is home to lions, reptiles, and farm friends? There really is something for everyone here.

RELATED: 10 Great Picnic Spots for Families in Northern NJ

Verona Park offers colorful equipment and enhanced safety features. Photo by Margaret Margrove

Verona Park – Verona

Reopening on June 3 with a new rubberized safety surface, Verona Park playground offers tons of cool play apparatus and enhanced safety features. There’s plenty of wide-open space for kids to run, and the playground itself is enclosed by a fence for security. Round blue climbers built into the hillside challenge kids both big and small, while the disc swing is a definite crowd-favorite. A mister provides a quick cool-down on hot days, and after complaints about the sun baking the playground’s metal slides, an awning was installed to provide shade and prevent the equipment from getting too hot for kids to play on.

Watsessing Park – Bloomfield

Designed with the needs of kids with physical and developmental disabilities in mind, Watsessing Park’s all-access playground is truly a special place. Nestled in one corner of the 69-acre Essex County park, this playground boasts inclusive features such as wheelchair-friendly surfacing and ramps, a seated merry-go-round, special swings, and much more—all in delicious candy-colored hues. The adorable fairy house is popular with the pint-sized preschool set, while older kids gravitate toward the sky-high tower, which invites thrill-seekers to scale the outside. A misting water tent provides the perfect respite on a warm day.

Overpeck County Park – Ridgefield Park

This Bergen County park stretches out over four towns, but it’s the playground inside the Ridgefield Park section that your thrill-seekers will want to visit again and again. You can’t beat a playground with a trampoline, and you’ll find one in the middle of a massive spider web climbing structure that soars up to 15 feet high. A sprawling play structure allows kids to monkey around on the monkey bars, slide down slides, and navigate their way across wobbly drawbridges to their hearts’ content. The location is a bit remote, so pack a lunch or snacks, because we bet your kiddos will want to stay awhile.

RELATED: 25 Spring Day Trip Ideas for New Jersey Families

The Community Park Playground is entirely enclosed. Photo courtesy of the park

Best Playgrounds in New Jersey With Water Features

Dorbrook Recreation Area – Colt’s Neck

While other splash pads have sprinklers a plenty, Dorbrook’s sprayground is practically a full-on water park, with sprayers, water troughs, and cool “raining leaves” to keep your crew cool on a warm day. Reservations are required for admission. Don’t forget your beach toys for the sand area! Just beyond the fenced-in splash area is Challenger Place, one of the first universally integrated playgrounds in New Jersey, featuring wheelchair-accessible soft surfaces and signs in Braille. Home to tennis and basketball courts, an inline skating rink, athletic fields, and 2.5 miles of paved trails for bikes or scooters, this 535-acre site makes a fantastic day trip.

Newport Green – Jersey City

Where else can you find a playground, splash pad, and a sandy beach, all with amazing views of the Manhattan skyline? A trip to this urban oasis is a must for families. After working up a sweat on the playground’s rope climbing dome, rock walls, and steep slides, cool off at the park’s vibrant splash pad, complete with sprinklers and dumping buckets. No need to fight shore traffic for a beach excursion! Dip your toes in the sand at the playground’s small, human-made beach. Before heading home, enjoy an easy, scenic stroll to downtown Hoboken along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.

RELATED: Best Water Playgrounds and Splash Pads in New Jersey

Ponderosa Farm Park has separate play areas for younger and older kids. Photo courtesy of the Scotch Plains Township Recreation Department

Ponderosa Farm Park – Scotch Plains

Two adventures in one? Done and done. With both dry and wet features, Ponderosa Farm is the perfect park combo. Separate play structures for toddlers and school-aged kids help little ones feel more secure. Equipment for the more mature crowd includes a climbing wall, twisty tube slide, tunnels, and a rope bridge. A supersized rope tower and spinning contraption add to the adventure. When you need to cool off—and you will, since the playground doesn’t get any shade—water lovers can get wet in the motion-activated spray fountain at the center of the play area.

This post, originally published in 2019, has since been updated.