Created as a collaboration between artists and playground designers, Margate Park Playground is stunning. The park has a lakefront theme, brought to life by public art integrated into the design. A swarm of stainless-steel butterflies greets visitors at the entrance, while bee, dragonfly, and butterfly sculptures mounted on flexible poles sway and create moiré patterns with their shadows. A community-made mosaic depicting a fantastical aquatic scene adorns a bench that snakes its way around the playground, adding color and whimsy.
1421 North Marine Drive

This Santa Monica playground's structures go far beyond the ubiquitous ordered-from-a-catalog play equipment. Ladders, climbing walls, ropes, and pulleys with buckets give children a rigorous and fun physical challenge while engaging their imaginations. A seesaw for 20 makes for a squeal-inducing communal play experience that will ensure a meltdown when you attempt to leave the park. Try luring the kids away with a brick-oven pizza from the nearby Whole Foods.
2439 Wilshire Boulevard

As one local dad puts it, Shane's Inspiration is a "riot of children." Located in Griffith Park, the playground offers armchair swings for Mom and baby, tire swings for older tikes, and a driving area for tots riding bikes and scooters. Your kid will especially enjoy taking a space adventure on the Lucky Star Chaser, where he can man the flight deck and communicate with the crew through talk-tube radios, or just peer out into the galaxy through the bubble windows.
4800 Crystal Springs Road

Known to kids as "Monster Park," La Laguna de San Gabriel is a menagerie of large-scale concrete aquatic creatures. Created in 1956 by little-known artist Benjamin Dominguez, the park is adored by children, who love climbing around the animals as much as inventing and sharing stories about them. When it was recently threatened with demolition, residents rallied together to save the cement critters from extinction. Happily, the park lives on.
300 West Wells Street

Set under a canopy of verdant foliage, this is an ideal setting for happy childhood memories. A stone bridge, sand-carpeted ground, and wood-built playground equipment give it a rustic vibe that will make you forget the bustling city outside the park walls. The star of the playground is a 45-foot-long slide cut directly into an enormous boulder. When the kids are ready to move onto the next activity, hop over to the Central Park Zoo (less than a block away) to visit the penguins and sea lions.
Central Park, near East 67th Street

This Battery Park City playground is surprisingly idyllic for NYC. It's known for its wooden structures, hiding places, and moveable parts—unusual in new parks, due to safety and cost concerns. The pedal carousel delights younger children, and the giant net suspended high above the park provides a unique thrill for older kids. In summer, the animal-themed sprinklers provide a welcome and cooling respite. Next stop after the park? Board the NY Water Taxi at the World Financial Center and ferry up to Christopher Street to check out another gem—the maritime-themed Pier 51 Water Park in Hudson River Park.
Chambers Street, at the Hudson River

Leave the crowds in Central Park and explore the urban oasis of Riverside Park. Meander along the windy, tree-dotted paths and discover a string of 14 distinctive playgrounds, including a series of endearing animal-themed ones: Hippo, Dinosaur, Beaver, Camel, and Elephant. And don't miss River Run Playground, where a replica of the Hudson River (complete with plaques listing the cities that line its banks) bisects the park and provides a tranquil water-play experience.
Riverside Drive, between 72nd and 125th Streets

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