How do I find a playground near me?

Use the search box and allow location access, or open your city page and browse every playground we list there. Search works on playground and park names as well as city names.

Are these playgrounds free and open to the public?

Every listing is a public outdoor playground as far as the map data shows. 10,454 of 10,804 listings carry direct evidence — an access tag, a public park boundary, or a parks department as operator. Anything mapped as private, members-only or customers-only is withheld, and indoor commercial play centres are out of scope.

How do you know whether a playground is fenced or shaded?

From the tags mappers add in OpenStreetMap. Where a fence, shade, surface or restroom is recorded, the profile shows it and links to the source record. Where nothing is recorded, the profile says so instead of guessing.

Why is my local playground missing?

Either it is not mapped yet, it has no name and is not inside a named park, or its city is outside the metro areas covered so far. Adding it to OpenStreetMap is the fastest fix, and it reaches this directory at the next refresh.

Public · outdoor · sourced

Find a playground near you and know what to expect

A map pin tells you a playground exists. This directory tells you whether it is fenced, whether there is shade, whether there is a restroom — and says plainly when nobody knows.

or use my location to sort by distance

10,804: playgrounds listed
10,454: with public-access evidence
953: cities covered
23: states and territories

Built from 31,654 playgrounds mapped in OpenStreetMap across 30 metro areas, retrieved 2026-09-23. Everything a source does not record stays unknown on the page. Sources and limitations.

Sourced filters

What the map actually records

Each list holds only the playgrounds where that detail is recorded by a mapper. The bars are small on purpose: this is how much is known, not how much exists.

Search everything

10,274of 10,804 listings sit inside a named public park — the strongest simple signal that a playground is open to everyone.

Accessible playgrounds199 Playgrounds with restrooms110 Splash pads and water play81 Fenced playgrounds74 Playgrounds with swings62 Shaded playgrounds51

Why another playground map

Unknown is an answer, not a blank

Most playground listings show a name, a pin and nothing else, which leaves you to drive over and find out whether the gate faces a road, whether the slide bakes in full sun, or whether the nearest restroom is a mile away.

Every profile here separates two things: what a source records, and what nobody has recorded. That second list is deliberate. It is the honest version of a directory built on open data, and it tells you exactly which question to ask before you load the car.

Where the facts come from

Open map data, with the receipts

Playgrounds and their details come from OpenStreetMap, where local mappers record surface, fencing, shade, equipment and accessibility. Official websites and phone numbers come from Overture Maps Places where a record matches. Each profile links to the exact source record and the date it was retrieved.

Private, school-only and customers-only sites are withheld. Indoor commercial play centres are out of scope. No ratings, no reviews, no “best” lists, and nothing copied from other services.

Read the method and licences

From “is there a playground nearby?” to “is it the right one?”

Start with a city

Open a city page to see every playground we list there, with the details that decide a trip.

Check what is known

Fencing, shade, surface, restrooms, accessibility and hours — each one sourced, each gap named.

Go, or ask first

Use the map and directions. Where a detail is missing, the operator link is right there.

Cities with the most listings

Coverage follows the map, not population: a well-mapped suburb can beat a bigger city.

Playgrounds in ChicagoIL493 Playgrounds in HoustonTX361 Playgrounds in BrooklynNY239 Playgrounds in PhiladelphiaPA191 Playgrounds in ManhattanNY186 Playgrounds in Los AngelesCA182 Playgrounds in San DiegoCA179 Playgrounds in QueensNY172 Playgrounds in PhoenixAZ158 Playgrounds in SeattleWA158 Playgrounds in AustinTX156 Playgrounds in San FranciscoCA156 Playgrounds in JacksonvilleFL129 Playgrounds in San AntonioTX121 Playgrounds in DallasTX118

Browse by state

Coverage grows metro by metro. 23 states and territories are represented so far.

Common questions

How do I find a playground near me?: Use the search box and allow location access, or open your city page and browse every playground we list there. Search works on playground and park names as well as city names.
Are these playgrounds free and open to the public?: Every listing is a public outdoor playground as far as the map data shows. 10,454 of 10,804 listings carry direct evidence — an access tag, a public park boundary, or a parks department as operator. Anything mapped as private, members-only or customers-only is withheld, and indoor commercial play centres are out of scope.
How do you know whether a playground is fenced or shaded?: From the tags mappers add in OpenStreetMap. Where a fence, shade, surface or restroom is recorded, the profile shows it and links to the source record. Where nothing is recorded, the profile says so instead of guessing.
Why is my local playground missing?: Either it is not mapped yet, it has no name and is not inside a named park, or its city is outside the metro areas covered so far. Adding it to OpenStreetMap is the fastest fix, and it reaches this directory at the next refresh.

Public Playgrounds is independent of the parks and agencies listed, and is not a source of safety or accessibility advice.