Best Brooklyn Playgrounds in the Heat
A highly subjective, potentially definitive list
Kids are out of school and the sun sets later. If your children are like mine, they want to spend this extra time outside of our apartment. With humidity and temperatures climbing the past two weeks, here’s my biased opinion on the best playgrounds on hot days (in South Brooklyn).
I think there are 3 factors that make a playground a good fit for a hot day. I biked around Brooklyn during peak heat times this week (7/12-7/13) to see how playgrounds stacked up. My ratings are based exclusively on these threee criteria.
Shade (heavily weight as its the most important factor)
Sprinklers
Apparatus (ie metal vs plastic slides)
1. St Mary’s Playground | Carroll Gardens
This playground is build underneath the overpass of the F,G train. I was there at a 2:45pm on a 93 degree day and most all the playground equipment and benches for a parent were in the shade. That’s pretty hard to beat! I also like that they don’t have metal slides.
2. Fort Greene Playground | Fort Greene
Fort Greene playground has lush trees thats provide nice, sporadic shade coverage throughout the entire apparatus. There are nice sprinklers and plenty of benches for caregivers. To me the only downside here is that if you have more mischievous children, it’s easy to lose sight of them because the structure is so big!
3. Water Lab @ Pier 6 Playground | Brooklyn Heights
They’ve done a nice job of tucking this playground in behind the trees. There is so much water it mists on the caregivers in a very pleasant way. When I was there on Monday, I also took my shoes off and got in the water. The biggest downside is that it’s small and can get quite crowded.
4. Underhill Playground | Prospect Heights
I’m a bit bias as this is my go-to playground. It has tree coverage for benches for the parents but I wish that the playgrounds had more shade coverage during peak heat time. There is also a metal slide which can get dicey during these really bad days.
Honorable Mention: Pacific Park Playground | Prospect Heights
This playground is new and should open towards the end of July. I’m excited because it is on the windiest block. Because it’s surrounded by all the new high rises here, the playground will either be in full shade or full sun. I like that I’ll know what I’m getting instead of having to relocate as the sun moves every 15 minutes.
I had a huge laugh when I saw this sign at Main Street Playground (aka Pirate Ship Playground). I knew it was not going to be a contender on this list!
Did I miss any other playgrounds you like in the heat? Comment Below!
Stay cool!
Katie