Westchester is well-known for its natural beauty and abundant community resources like parks and nature preserves.
So it should be surprise that Westchester county has some truly excellent playgrounds set amidst incredible scenery — perfect for family fun any time of year.
The competition for this list was heated, but these are the best playgrounds in Westchester (according to our editor and readers).
Note: If you have a favorite playground that didn’t make the list, let us know in the comments below.
1. Kensico Dam Plaza (Valhalla)
Kensico Dam Plaza has been a community hub as long as I’ve lived in Westchester, especially in the summer. Almost every weekend there is a festival, free concert, or some other event taking place.
The new playground installation here takes a great venue and makes it even better. It’s a perfect spot to play with your kids on a weekday evening or get out some energy mid-concert during their summer music series.
The playground is huge, modern, and has a wide variety of equipment. There are separate structures for different age groups, making it safe for kids of all ages.
There’s also a public restroom, walking trails, and plenty of paved paths for young kids to ride bikes or scooters in a traffic-free environment.
Parking is free and there is plenty of it, making this playground an all-around pleasure to visit.
2. Crawford Park (Rye Brook)
Crawford Park is one of my absolute favorite playgrounds and I routinely visit with my son on weekday evenings during the summer.
The park itself is quite large and long with plenty of green space to run and ride. There’s a soccer field, basketball court and softball field, but the real highlight is the playground.
Crawford Park’s playground has a number of unique features you won’t find at many other area playgrounds.
Playground Features:
- Musical structures like Drums, Xylophone and Bells
- Dual side-by-side slides
- Double-decker swings
- Self-propelled merry-go-round (ala Disney Teacups)
- Dragonfly teater-totter
And of course there are plenty of of more standard playground features to slide, climb, bounce, jump, swing and more.
Parking is free and there’s even some EV charging stations right in the parking lot.
3. Louis Engel Playground (Ossining)
There’s something special about waterfront playgrounds, and Louis Engel Playground in Ossining, NY is a great example.
Here you’ll find separate play structures for different age groups as well as some unique features like climb-able train.
The real highlight, though, is the new Splash Pad complete with dump buckets and interactive water cannons (Iookout parents). This park is insanely popular on summer weekends and for good reason.
Parking is plentiful (it shares the commuter station lot) but it’s not always free. You can pay at the available pay stations or the town’s parking app on your smartphone.
If you work up an appetite, take a short walk upriver towards Bigfoot Ice Cream for a tasty treat with a spectacular view.
4. Saxon Woods (White Plains)
Saxon Woods is one of Westchester’s largest green spaces. The facilities include sports fields, a pool, golf course, mini golf, hiking trails and a top-notch playground.
Despite its size, the playground is suitable for kids of all ages and is almost entirely enclosed so there are few points where a child could fall.
Standout features include huge double slides, which my son absolutely loves.
Parking is free and plentiful. I also appreciate that there are a number of benches and picnic tables surrounding the playground, several of which are shaded.
5. Larchmont Flint Park (Larchmont)
Flint Park in Larchmont is my favorite ‘old school’ playground. Instead of fancy modern play equipment and a spongy play rubberized play surface, you get wooden play structures atop a wood-chip floor.
Sure, your kids might get the occasional scrape or splinter, but you’ll love the throwback vibe to when you were a kid yourself.
There are some really cool features here including:
- Multi-child circular swing
- Three Dimensional climbing wall
- Obstacle course-like setup
- Large sandbox
- Waterfront setting with abundant Wildlife (especially shore birds).
6. Hyatt Park (Scarsdale)
Hyatt Park and playground is one of the best-kept secrets in Westchester and a personal favorite of mine. I love the unique (and diverse) array of play structures. You’ll find a neat hammock-style swing, a zip line, netted climbing area, and traditional play structures.
There’s also a really nice basketball court.
This park is a community favorite and usually quite busy on weekends (even in colder seasons).
Hyatt Park is more of a local community space than a destination. As such, there’s no dedicated parking area and nearly everyone walks here. You can, however, usually find free street parking nearby.
Other Hudson Valley Playgrounds
If you venture outside Westchester county, you’ll find even more spectacular playgrounds in the surrounding Hudson Valley area.
Here are some great ones to check out:
- Rockland Lake State Park – This recreation complex has a brand new playground and a huge pool (complete with multi-story water slides).
- Tiny Tots Park (Cold Spring) – This compact community park is a hidden gem. It’s basically a huge sandbox filled with sand-friendly toys (bikes, vehicles, construction trucks) donated by the community. It’s great for younger kids.
- Grasshopper Grove (Cornwall, NY) – This ‘natural’ playground at the Hudson Highlands museum is an DIY play area complete with sand, stumps and wooden logs. It’s chaotic enough to make some parents (me included) a bit nervous, but kids absolutely love it.
- Julie’s Jungle (Hopewell Junction, NY) – New York’s first fully-accessible playground has something for everyone. There are more than 10 different free standing play structures here, designed with safety and accessibility as priorities. Free and open year round.