A children’s playground doesn’t have to be a boring flat area of safety surfacing with a couple of climbing structures plopped the middle. Interesting elements can be included that don’t add a lot to the cost of the project. Below are examples of a few fun features that enhance play environments by providing more of a variety of activities, fostering creative play, and adding visual appeal.

Two-dimensional brick/turf maze (Dunham Park, Cary, NC)

Slide situated on a mound (Colombo Park, Worcester, MA)

Slide on a hillside, surrounded with plants; and interesting series of archways along a walk (North Cary Park, Cary, NC)

Water trough and rocks in a sand play area (Forest Hills Park, Durham, NC)

Play houses add fun to this sand area, and a blue “river” flows from a water trough (Forest Hills Park, Durham, NC)

An original dragon sculpture used for climbing (Marla Dorrel Park, Cary, NC)

Playful planters (MacDonald Woods Park, Cary, NC)

Photos by Alice Webb