Central Park Family Friendly Meeting Spot

July 18, 2024 12:31 PM

Planning on meeting folks (10-20 folks, half with little kids under 5) in a trip back to the city in Central Park on a summer Saturday. Pre kids we would just go to Sheep’s Meadow, but don’t remember any playgrounds/kids stuff nearby plus even pre covid it was super packed. Where would you go in CP? Any other non Central Park picnic/play spots in Manhattan you’d recommend?

Fine with that but wanted to see if there’s a better option out there. We will be entering Manhattan from a ferry’s or PABT bus so west side is probably ideal. If there’s a spot in lower Manhattan with nice grassy setup and accessible that’s also a possibility too. (Ie how’s Wash Square park nw corner lately? Last time I went last summer it was less ideal).

posted by sandmanwv to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (5 answers total)

Best answer: There are two playgrounds directly west of the sheeps meadow (north of tavern on the green). I haven't been down there in a while but the playgrounds in the 80s are nice so I assume the ones 10 blocks south are just as nice.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:37 PM on July 18, 2024

Hekscher Playground is a good option (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckscher_Playground) for this, south of Sheep's Meadow.
posted by slide at 12:42 PM on July 18, 2024 [1 favorite]

Oh and Bryant Park is lovely and near the PABT if you need a place to meet but is probably one of the most crowded parks in the city. You could go hide in the NYPL main branch but might not be great for kids as it's more a research branch. Though the original pooh animals in the museum part are neat.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:45 PM on July 18, 2024

How about going all the way downtown to Battery Park? It has a playground that looks unique and amazing!
posted by mareli at 2:07 PM on July 18, 2024

Here is a list of all the playgrounds in Central Park, from the Central Park Conservatory's web site.

Also, there's the zoo.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:33 AM on July 19, 2024