Sometimes kids just need a safe place to run around. (And sometimes parents just need kids to have a safe place to run around.) When you’re a little one, it’s hard to beat a day climbing through a castle or racing down a slide. Lucky for us, there are plenty of places around the region to do exactly that. Below, we’ve organized our picks for a fun day outside by location.
St. Louis (City)
Forest Park’s Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape & Dennis & Judith Jones Variety Wonderland Playground
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Unlike traditional playgrounds, the Nature Playscape—a 17-acre natural playscape smack in the middle of Forest Park—features no metal equipment, just huge sandy areas for digging, logs to balance on, boulders to climb, and fun water features. The playscape is surrounded by gardens and boardwalks and is a great place to get hands on with nature. It’s located behind the World’s Fair Pavilion where there’s lots of street parking and plenty of bike racks. Elsewhere in Forest Park, located just outside the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center, the Dennis & Judith Jones Variety Wonderland Playground is fully accessible to children of all abilities and features sensory panels and a merry-go-round that can accommodate children who use wheelchairs.
In the summer, kids crave water. If you don’t want to pay for a pool pass, the spray ground in Fox Park is a free alternative. The splash pad has fountains, sprayers, and jets. The most popular is a suspended diamond-shaped bucket. It fills slowly, building suspense. Kids stand below, giggling nervously until the bucket tips, dousing them in a wall of water.
Located in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood, Francis Park is beloved by kids for its bright-colored playground, bouncy animal-shaped ride-on toys, picnic spots, and soccer field. Parents love it because steps away from the playground is Rockwell Beer Garden.
The swirly slide at this city park is aces—we really wish there were an equivalent for adults. For smaller kids, the other side of the playground features more gentle, closer-to-the-ground slides, a wobbly bridge, and swings. After you finish up there, head to the Victorian walking park and pond and watch the swans elegantly glide through the water.
Created by legendary City Museum founder Bob Cassilly, this southern slice of Forest Park features several concrete turtles, ranging from 7 to 40 feet in length. The space was renovated in 2021 to include separate play areas, including one catered to children ages 2 to 5 that features activity panels for counting and vocabulary development. There’s also a play space for kids ages 5 to 12.
Mid St. Louis County
The fenced playground near Shaw Park’s north parking lot has a treehouse theme, complete with a slide that appears to be made from a hollow log. Ramps make structures accessible. There’s a music area where kids can play xylophones. It’s the perfect place to pretend that you’re one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys (or Girls).
This playground is home to a challenging set of monkey bars. There are three distinct sections. In one, kids swing between metal triangles. In the next, they climb across a suspended spiral, and in the third, they dangle from wheels. It’s an ideal training ground for mini American Ninja Warriors.
Deer Creek Park (a.k.a. Rocket Park)
It’s actually called Deer Creek Park, but many know it as Rocket Park. With a space-themed playground that includes a rocket ship, this Maplewood park remains a favorite for kiddos. It’s also been updated with a sand volleyball court and walking trail, plus a new backstop, bleachers, and team benches for two of the baseball fields.
This destination playground has been the talk of the town since it opened in 2024 thanks to its accessibility, central location that connects to the Great Rivers Greenway, and insanely cool features such as a zip line, splash pad, waterfall, new climber, and more.
North St. Louis County
Angie’s Playground at Manion Park
Angie’s Playground is North County’s first-ever all-inclusive playground, with a cute flower theme, plenty of ramps, and—a great feature for young families—new bathrooms.
With two playgrounds and a fountain for fishing, Bella Fontaine Park is a little gem in the Bellefontaine Neighbors area.
This large park in Florissant has an orange-and-red playground with plenty of slide options, a climbing wall, a balance beam, and monkey bars, but the real draw here is the shaded splash pad with pop jets and a giant dumping bucket. For older kids, you’ll also find a sand volleyball court and an archery range.
South St. Louis County
The City of Crestwood features two inclusive playgrounds at Crestwood Park, designed with families and children of all ages and abilities in mind. The playgrounds feature an obstacle course, zipline, elevated bridges, spinners, and expansive climbing structures—all created to encourage active, imaginative play. Designed with community input, including votes from nearby Long Elementary students, the amenities promote accessibility, movement, and creativity.
The playground design at this Valley Park destination mimics one of the pavilions at Tower Grove Park with its green-and-red color scheme and cute sloping roof. The real draw are its three fast slides. Also in the park, find a field for flying model airplanes and drones.
If you want a farm animal experience without having to pay a cent, head to Suson Park, which houses giant pigs, goats, horses in mini and regular sizes, sheep, geese, turkeys, ducks, chickens, and more. Elsewhere in the park, there’s a playground with a big swirly slide and climbing wall, and a pond for fishing.
Whitey Herzog and Rainbows for Kids teamed up for a major overhaul of this Sunset Hills park. The result is a truly ADA-accessible playground with a swing and merry-go-round that can be ridden while in a wheelchair. The park includes a variety of swings, metal and plastic slides, challenging climbers, and musical play areas.
West St. Louis County
Yes, the big draw to this park is the 320-acre lake with beach area and sailboat cove. But don’t miss the three playgrounds in the Upper Creve Coeur area, one of which is right next to Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park.
Known for its classic carousel and the Butterfly House, Faust Park is also home to a wonderful playground and fairy forest. It boasts a large undulating climbing wall for older kids, with a shorter section for littler tykes. It’s a free, outdoor, kid-sized version of a rock-climbing gym.
Little kids will like the voyager-themed playground at this Wildwood park; bigger kids will get a thrill from its challenge course and alpine climbing tower. This park also features a number of different campsites if you’d like to introduce your tot to tent camping.
One of the best spiral tube slides around can be found at Millennium Park. Kids climb up a set of steps, crawl through a gray tube, then up through an orange one to the top platform. The slide is blue, which makes it pretty dark inside. It’s thrilling without being too scary—though the tubes on the way up are narrow enough to prevent all but the thinnest parents from accompanying a nervous youngster on the ride. Millennium Park also has an excellent teeter-totter, with thick shocks for softer landings.
Central Park in Chesterfield introduced a new playground in 2025, and it’s shaping up to be a favorite destination for families across St. Louis. The playground is nestled alongside the family-favorite scenic walking path, tranquil lake, and natural creek, but will now feature inclusive play structures, a zipline, shaded swing areas, and climbing elements designed to spark imagination and active fun for kids of all ages and abilities.
Teddy and Friends Inclusive Playground
Teddy and Friends Inclusive Playground in Queeny Park is a vibrant, game board-themed destination designed for kids of all abilities to play side by side. Built by Unlimited Play in summer 2025, the space features accessible climbers, sensory-rich activities, and wide, easy-to-navigate pathways that prioritize both fun and inclusion. Inspired by a local child, the playground goes beyond basic accessibility to create a joyful, imaginative environment where every kid can fully participate.
St. Charles County
The highly anticipated recreational renovation in Dardenne Prairie’s Kinetic Park was finally completed in 2025 at 7801 Town Square, offering families an 80,000-square-foot adventure. The playground features a custom-designed cave with towering stalagmites and stalactites, four interconnected towers linked by rope bridges and metal platforms, a seated zipline, spinner huts, embankment slides, swings, hammocks, and interactive musical instruments—all set in a lush, greenspace-focused environment. With inclusivity at its core, the park is accessible to all ages and abilities. Additional amenities include a rock climbing system, pickleball courts, concession stands, party rooms, and free access to a skate park, bike skills course, pump track, and a new vertical ramp. Look out: A 17,000-square-foot splash play area and eight outdoor pickleball courts are planned in Phase 3.
Installed in late 2021, Broemmelsiek’s newest playground has all the good stuff: ramps, slides, swings, towers, bridges, a teeter totter, and more. The playground is covered in cushioned turf and has shaded benches.
Trike around the paved trail at this lakeside playground, say hi to one of Bob Cassilly’s many wandering frogs, then climb to the top of a new three-story modern play palace. The playground here underwent a major overhaul in 2021 and is now 13,000 square-feet of accessible fun on a cushy, astroturf pad.
Ready for adventure? O’Day was built with older kids in mind, incorporating lots of challenging climbing areas, a full rope course, and group swings. Parents of little ones need to stay alert around the naturescape water features, which are made of slippery-when-wet concrete. Bring grippy water shoes for good traction.
This playground meanders around a hillside and is scattered with equipment for all abilities. Be sure to check out the shady and elevated boardwalk: Kids can skip across the wooden path, then launch down a slide to explore the rest of the playground. The music area has a big set of chimes that are really fun to bang on, too.
Zachary’s Playground at Hawk Ridge Park
Located in Lake Saint Louis, Zachary’s Playground is worth the trip. There’s an “octa-net climber,” a web of red ropes tied between blue poles that’s the next best thing to climbing a tree. The castle-themed playset has a variety of slides and climbing structures, including stairs, ropes, ramps, and rocky cliffs. A nearby ship has a popular roller slide, and a large “sway fun” toy is like a cross between a restaurant booth and a teeter-totter. With several play structures specifically designed to accommodate wheelchairs, this is not only one of the region’s best playgrounds but also one of its most accessible.
Metro East
The “Airplane Playground” at this larger Edwardsville Park is an aviation lover’s dream with plenty of propellers, slides, places to climb, and shaded areas to sit for Mom and Dad. Nearby is the ADA-compliant Mabel’s Playground, with a slide, climbing wall, and climbing poles, where kids of all abilities can play side by side.
Moody Park in Fairview Heights is a sprawling 90-acre community park packed with amenities for all ages. In addition to its playgrounds, families can enjoy a large lake, walking, and jogging trails, sports fields, and plenty of picnic areas and pavilions. With so much space to explore and a wide mix of activities, it’s an easy go-to for a full day outdoors.
Swansea Kingdom at Schranz Memorial Park
The builders of this Metro East playground took the castle theme seriously. There are several towers to climb, where your child can pretend to be a princess, or perhaps Rapunzel, and there are several dragon paintings for young knights to tame. For imaginative lords and ladies, this is fertile ground.
Accessible Playgrounds
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act passed more than 30 years ago, “accessible” often still means different things to different people. As a result, an activity sometimes doesn’t go as planned. Getting left out is terrible, but watching your child get left behind—or not even able to play at all—is the absolute worst. Luckily, there’s a growing number of accessible, inclusive playgrounds in the metro area that consider sensory needs, wheelchair accessibility, and so much more for the 50,000 St. Louisans who live with disabilities. We visited a few local “accessible” parks to share intel about what works and what doesn’t to help plan a fun outing for the entire family.
Brendan’s Playground
810 Sheppard Drive, O’Fallon, Missouri
The City of O’Fallon partnered with local nonprofit Unlimited Play, Inc. to build this park in 2010. The playground is named after O’Fallon resident Brendan Schmitt, who has a rare genetic disease that impacts his bone and skin, but he says he feels “powerful” when he’s playing on playgrounds. Brendan’s Playground is for kids (and parents) of all ages and abilities. Park in the parking lot, where you’ll find 11 front-row handicapped spots, take the level path to the park, and you’ll pass the bathrooms and a splash pad, both of which are fully accessible. The playground’s theme is “bug’s life.” Low-lying musical chimes, drums, shakers, games, and nooks and crannies are perfect for small children. Interlocking tiles make up the soft, easy-to-roll-on surface below. The equipment is split into sections for both toddlers and ages 5–12. There are three play sets with slides, tunnels and activities, all of which are wheelchair-accessible via cleverly placed ramps behind the equipment. There are also plenty of nooks and crannies in the treehouse level, which wheelchair users can access. Everything is fenced in, and most of the playground is under umbrellas and tarps, which keep it cooler on a hot day. There are nearby pickleball and tennis courts, a skate park, walking trails, and baseball fields in the surrounding Westhoff Park.
Features:
- Two ADA-accessible swings, two toddler swings, two traditional swings, two saucer swings
- A fully accessible splash pad, open from spring through fall, is located next to the playground. (Check the O’Fallon website for specifics.)
- A climbing net with custom full-back seats
- Roller slides and metal slides are available for those with cochlear implants.
100 William Dierberg Dr., Wentzville
The sports-themed park is named after Jacob Tyler Vollmer, who loved sports but had weak muscles because of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Jake died in 2012, at age 19, but his legacy endures. Local nonprofit Unlimited Play Inc.. helped raise funds for the park, which opened in 2018 near the WREC recreation center. The sports-themed park was built with accessibility being top of mind. The park has ample handicapped parking, an accessible bathroom nearby, and the playground’s terrain is composed of interlocking foam tiles, rather than mulch or pea gravel, making it easier for wheelchair users to get around. The designers also intended for caregivers and adults with disabilities to be able to play alongside the children, so all of the equipment (including a rocking zamboni, a baseball complex resembling a mini Busch Stadium, and smaller equipment) have ramp access. Games are spread out, both up high and on the ground, and such spaces as a child-size ticket booth provide space for the imagination.
Features:
- Transfer stations, hand holds, slanted climbing systems, and specialized seating
- There’s a “slide” into home plate station in front of the ballpark complex.
- There are both a roll-on and a netted merry-go-round.
- There are several “obstacle courses,” and rules can be adapted for all abilities.
- The MVP of this playground is the zipline, which has a rope plate (to sit or stand on) and a seated swing.
- There are calming stations to the back of the playground.
8392 Orf, Lake Saint Louis
Nestled in Hawk Ridge Park, Zachary’s Playground was the first build for prolific accessible playground nonprofit Unlimited Play. It’s named in honor of Zachary Blakemore, the founder Natalie’s son, who has a rare genetic central nervous system disease (Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease). After being frustrated that Zachary not only couldn’t play on playgrounds but also that the equipment was a barrier to interact with other kids, Natalie teamed up with Zachary’s speech therapist in 2003 to form Unlimited Play, with a mission to make playgrounds accessible for all kids to play together. The nonprofit partners with communities to crowdsource funding and build accessible playgrounds around the country, though mostly in Missouri and Illinois. Unlimited Play partnered with the city of Lake St. Louis and the St. Charles Developmental Disabilities Resource Board to create this truly inclusive playground, where all equipment meets or exceeds ADA standards. The equipment (meaning all of the up-high stuff that usually requires climbing to get to slides) is wheelchair-accessible via a path around the playground—a win for kids and parents with mobility limitations. There’s even a roll-on merry-go-round that’s fun for all. The playground is fenced-in and mostly shaded, and it offers pavilion rental for parties and family gatherings. Everyone can climb (or roll) onto the castle-themed playstation, where kids can make believe they’re a beautiful princess, knight in shining armor, or havoc-wreaking dragon. And smaller kids will enjoy the boat-themed playground, with size- and ability-appropriate equipment.
Features:
- Traditional, toddler, and ADA-accessible swings
- A fully accessible splash pad for hot summer days
- Music for audible stimulation and creativity
- Fully ramped and accessible sections for both toddlers and ages 5-12
- Padded, poured-in-place surfacing
- A climbing net with seats
- Roller slides for those with cochlear implants
5601 Grand, Forest Park, St. Louis (next to World’s Fair Pavilion)
Built in 2005, Variety Wonderland Playground was one of the first accessible parks in the St. Louis area. In 2021, it received a $280,000 makeover that included new surfacing, replacing aging equipment, adding a merry-go-round and a sensory play wall, refreshing the path, and adding new plants, including a butterfly garden. There’s a play set for little kids, which has slides, age-appropriate ladders, steps, and two steering wheels for small drivers. Caregivers in wheelchairs can access both levels of equipment via a paved path, as well as a roll-on merry-go-round with a crank turn inside that wheelchair users can operate. The newly replaced surfacing is thick and squishy, which is great for littles and kiddos who aren’t steady on their feet, though it’s akin to a thick, dense carpet for wheelchair-users. Roll past the sensory wall and around the long path to find the upper deck of the big-kid’s playground. Every inch of it is thought out for accessibility and inclusion, from the sensory walls to the three levels of equipment, which are all shaded and accessible to wheelchairs. There’s wheelchair-specific equipment, such as two arm bikes on the ground level, with Braille nearby, and roll-up driving stations for kids who are staying seated.
Features:
- Two ADA swings, two baby swings, and a sled swing
- Sensory play wall
- A roll-on merry-go-round
- Soft surfacing
- Three wheelchair-accessible levels of equipment
- Water fountain
15025 Faust Park Dr., Chesterfield
Faust Park boasts the Butterfly House, St. Louis Carousel, Thornhill Mansion and grounds (where Missouri’s second governor lived), a historic village, and walking trails. And in the middle of it all is the playground. While it’s sometimes touted as an accessible playground in online searches, the equipment is not wheelchair-accessible, and there are no ADA swings. The land for the park was donated in 1968, so perhaps the age of the build is one reason that accessibility and inclusion aren’t as well-thought-out as some of the newer parks on this list. Still, the equipment is spaced apart and on an interlocked foam surface, so there’s room to roam while playing in a wheelchair. For example, you can play hide-and-seek near the massive rock wall, which has several breaks that are large enough for wheelchairs. The play area is also very shaded, mostly by trees, and there are plenty of paved walkways around the park. The playground isn’t fenced in, but it is tucked away from the parking lots and nearby streets. And if the playground isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, then check out the creatures at the Butterfly House, or visit the carousel, both of which are within walking and rolling distance.
Features:
- Playground with nearby restrooms and shaded picnic tables
- Pavilion located near the playground with additional picnic tables
- The carousel located across the parking lot from the playground in a climate controlled building
- The Butterfly House
- The Historic Village, with a total of 16 structures representing different architectural styles. (Note that the historic village has gravel paths.)
