Want to take your young kids to a playground they will want to stay at for at least an hour and will likely ask you to go back to time and time again? Here is a run-down of our favorite places we’ve visited over the years. I will be adding to this as we go because goodness knows there are so many more that we haven’t discovered yet!

NORTH

Jennings Memorial Park & Jennings Nature Park(Marysville)

This park was epic. If you make a trip specifically to come to this park (which you should), plan on budgeting at least an hour. Donated by the Jennings family in 1961, this previous farmland now has 51 acres of grassy fields, ball parks, trails, wetlands along the Allen creek and three separate playgrounds to explore. The main play structure is farm themed and is right next to the big red barn and some historical homestead and outbuildings; another is a short little walk across the creek and is dinosaur themed. It’s best to come in the summer because there is a WSU Master Gardner demonstration flower garden and veggie patch to check out and search for butterflies with the kiddos. But even more exciting is a large fishing pond with a fountain that you can walk around. If you go at the right time (we went towards the end of summer, in early September) you’ll get to discover tons of tadpoles and turtles!

Lyndale Park (Lynwood)

This is another one of those parks that is huge and just has it all. Lynwood’s biggest park, there are several baseball fields, a skate park, an off leash dog park, 3 playgrounds (one of them is part of the elementary school, so come in the summer or on the weekend during the school year) and 22 acres of forested trails to explore. We like to come here when we want to kill lots of time and tire our girls out for the day.

Miner’s Corner (North Bothell)

This 13 acre park has one of the best play areas you’re going to find. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this park is that it’s 100% ADA. There is a ramped three story structure with a long slide for the bigger kids, and plenty of smaller slides and climbing areas for those who are just getting comfortable on their feet. There are a variety of swings, a huge sand pit and several natural areas for kids to get creative and play with sticks and dirt. Sure, you can play with sticks and dirt anywhere, but it was interesting to see my kids gravitate to this natural play space to see what the other kids were doing and to try and join in the fun. A particularly nice feature for those watching more than one kid is that the play area is mostly fenced so it makes it a lot harder for anyone to wander off. This park also has a nice open field and some paved trails along the woods.

Bothell Landing Park (Bothell)

This park has a wonderful ship themed playground that is right on the Sammamish river. It’s got a few cool historical buildings on the site and currently there is even an off leash dog park on the other side of the parking lot. One of my favorite things about this park is that it’s situated along the Sammamish River Trail, so you can play on the playground a bit and then take the kiddos for a fun and easy walk along the water. To access the trail you have to cross the river on a really beautiful bridge. We plan on bringing bikes next spring and someone gave me a great tip that if you turn right off of the bridge and bike for about 10 or 15 minutes, you will get to Blyth Park which has some trails and another great playground. This sounds like the perfect way to spend an afternoon and get my girls nice and tuckered out!

Esperance Park (Edmonds)

This park is a little hidden gem. It’s compact but it packs quite the punch. It’s got a small trail that winds through a mature forest, a small basketball court, a ball field and open grassy area, swings, a climbing structure and a little slide built into the hillside. The jewel in the crown of this park for the kids is the epic zip line in the forest. We’ve been to a few different parks with zip lines, but this one is the longest we’ve seen so far. My kids can’t get enough of it! (sadly, it was out of service the last time we went – October 2021. Hopefully it’ll be repaired soon) Best of all (for me as a mom of kids and a big dog ; ) is that there is an off-leash dog area right next to the play area. I honestly don’t know why all parks don’t do this. It’s amazing to be able to get the dog and the kids all tired out at the same time!

Edmonds City Park (Edmonds)

This park is great any time of year, but if you come in the summer you can enjoy the fantastic splash pad that is right next to the large playground. This park is truly setup for large groups or families to have fun. There are several large sheltered areas with each having at least six picnic tables and benches, and each has power outlets and food prep areas with sinks. Aside from these amenities, there is also a large playfield with a covered theater stage at one end, and the surrounding park grounds are dappled with huge, beautiful old trees and native plants. This park isn’t particularly big, but it’s one we go to quite often because the kids always have fun there.

Horizon View Park (Lake Forest Park)

This is a wonderful hidden jem perched atop a hill among the forested homes of Lake Forest Park. The playground itself is great for younger aged kids and has a train structure that is particularly fun. There are also a few swings, a sport court, some winding paved trails next to the forest and grassy areas for picnics. A nice bonus is there is a gravel trail that goes around the huge reservoir right next to the park, so you can take your kids or your dog for a fun little walk that has lovely views of the mountains and Lake Washington.

EAST

Lake Sammamish State Park (Lake Sammamish)

We visited this park for the first time in October of 2020 for my daughter’s 4th birthday. We had taken her on a hike that morning and she hated it and was super grumpy. We stopped by this park on a whim on the way home and it completely saved the day! Located right on the lake, it’s a gorgeous setting that is perfect for picnics and play. The playground has a small zipline, various types of swings, and a whole bunch of cool nature and mining themed play structures that kept our girls occupied for well over an hour. Though we have visited a few times, we still haven’t made it there in the summer. I’m sure it’s packed with people then since it has a large sandy beach and roped swimming area, but it would be totally worth braving the crowds as you’d be basically guaranteed to have a great time.

St. Edwards State Park (Kenmore)

If you have young kids and want to get them into hiking, this is the perfect place to start. There are various different trails you can take in the 326 acre forested park. We have hiked down to the water with our young girls and they managed to walk the entire mile and change with no complaints. It’s always fun to check out the Grotto and if there’s a bit of wind the vast open fields are a great place to try out a kite. Of course, the playground is what it’s all about for the kids. This park has an enormous wooden castle-like play structure that kids absolutely love. The historical building there was recently renovated into a hotel called The Lodge, which boasts restaurants, bars, a pool and a spa so could be the perfect place for a fun little family stay-cation (or weekend getaway for the parents ; ).

North Rose Hill Woodlands Park (AKA: Castle Park – Kirkland)

This park is so fun for so many reasons. You have to hike on a little trail to get to it, so as you approach you see this fantastic castle just suddenly appears out of the woods and the kids got so excited and of course had to run to get there as quickly as possible. The entire structure is made of wood so is a fun departure from the metal and plastic structures they get at nearly every other playground. Additionally, it’s pretty darn big so it keeps them quite busy just exploring it all. One of the nicest features for parents is that there are specific fenced zones for bigger kids and little kids so it’s easy to keep the little ones safer and feeling more secure away from the more frenzied activity of the big kids. Additionally, the entire structure is surrounded by a wooden fence with only one way in, so no kiddos will be wandering off without someone noticing. The surrounding park has some beautiful nature preserve areas with trails. The only strange thing is that there is no parking lot, so come prepared to park on a side street and bring a backpack or stroller to cart in everything you might need.

Kelsey Creek Farm (Belleview)

This is another one of those parks where you need to plan on spending at least an hour because there’s just so much to do and see. This park has 150 acres of forest, meadows and wetlands with plenty of pathways to take for exploring. Of course there is the farm site itself to see, with two beautiful historic white barns, lots of animals to see and interact with, and there’s even an old historic Fraser Cabin to check out. We visited this place with our girls primarily to see the animals and were very pleasantly surprised with the really cool playground we discovered there. The structures are farm themed and have lots of fun interactive elements as well as slides and climbing features. It’s nice and close to the parking lot so is a perfect way to end the visit to this wonderful park.

Juanita Beach Park (Kirkland)

We visited this park on a nice hot day in July and it was absolutely perfect. There is an amazing playground right next to the sandy beach. Additionally, there are boat and SUP rentals, a little snack shack and there’s an overflow parking lot across the street so you should be able to park and not have to walk too far get to there. The swimming beach is surrounded by a fishing dock so it’s completely safe from any boat traffic. It’s also a really shallow swim beach so is ideal for little kids just getting comfortable with the water. Our kids had a blast and we’ll probably make it a habit to visit once a summer at least.

SOUTH

We live in Shoreline, just North of Seattle, so we don’t venture South very much in order to avoid getting stuck in the ever-present traffic through the city. The girls are getting better at being patient in the car though, and there are SO many great parks South of Seattle, so I will make it our goal to check some of them out in the coming year.

Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls

While driving to the coast for a little family vacation, we decided to break up the journey by stopping by a playground on the way there. We wanted to stop in Olympia since it’s roughly halfway between Seattle and the Coast. A friend recommended we stop at this park because of its easy access just off the freeway and also because it is perhaps the tallest kids slide they’d ever seen at a park (we agree!). The slide has a winding staircase the kids have to climb, and there are several slides at different levels so kids can work their way up to the big one. Aside from the noteworthy slide structure, there are also swings, a little kid play area and several other toys for little ones to play on. When we stopped, my husband hung out with the kids at the playground and I took our dog for a walk along the lovely little lake and up a paved trail. To my delight the path took me to an awesome waterfall and there was lots of signage explaining the recent history of this space (I love a good info panel). Currently there is still an old building left over from when the property was devoted to brewing beer, and if you have more time to explore there is a hatchery and historical center to check out too. If we are ever in the Olympia area again in the future, we will definitely be stopping here again.

SEATTLE

Maple Leaf Playground

This park is another small but mighty one on the list. The playground was redone in 2013 and still feels fresh and fun. The play structures cater a little bit towards younger kids, but there is a good sized zip line that older kids will love. There is also a cool sand pit surrounded by a pollinator garden to attract butterflies and bees to the space. Aside from the playground, you can walk up to the upper section of the park where an old reservoir was covered and there is now a lovely paved loop trail that is great for taking a stroll or having your kiddo do some biking, triking or scootering. The only downside is that this park can get REALLY crowded since it’s situated amongst a very densely populated part of the city.

Discovery Park Playground

Discovery Park is Seattle’s biggest park, boasting 534 acres of forest, open fields, trails, a lighthouse, a beach, and of course a playground. This playground was renovated in 2017 and it has a great play structure that is suitable for kids of all ages. There are also some swings and a short zip line. Pretty much any park with a zip line makes the “favorites” list for my family, lol. The other thing I like about this park is that it’s tucked away into a forest, so it’s nice and shady during the hot summer months, and there are usually some forts that kids have built there are fun to check out, or you can usually join in with other kids to build a new one. The down side to this park is that every time we have gone it is quite crowded.

Mathiews Beach

This is our go-to place in the summer if we want to swim in Lake Washington. There is a wonderful sandy beach that has an underground walking mat in one section that my girls loved running down into the deeper water. Neither of my girls swim yet, so this was a wonderful activity to get them more comfortable with and excited about being in the water. There is a lifeguard on duty in the summer and a roped swim area. But this park is great any time of year. The playground is a short walk from the water and it has a lot of varying types of play structures for kiddos to play on. There are also a ton of swings, so you’re almost always going to be sure your kid will get a turn. The other cool thing about this park is it’s situated right on the Burke Gilman trail, so when my kids were little it was fun to take them on a little stroller jog first and then come back for some fun playground time. Now that they’re older, we will likely incorporate some trail biking into our day before we go play on the playground. Much like the other Seattle parks, this one can get very busy and be nearly impossible to find parking in the hot summer months.

Meadowbrook Park Playground and Pond

This is a wonderful playground with lots of swings and separate play structures for big and little kids. There is also a really cool, artistic mosaic “grotto” climbing space with a sand pit in front. There are a lot of playfields near it so it’s great for playing ball or running around with the kids too. But our favorite part about this park is there is a little walking path that winds alongside the brook that you can follow across the street and it takes you to Meadowbrook Pond. This space is truly a magical little oasis right inside the bustling city. There are various trails and even a boardwalk that takes you across the pond. You will see all kinds of wildlife and there are some beautiful art installations to gaze at as well. This is the perfect park experience to keep your kiddos’ imaginations (and their little bodies ; ) running wild.