Playgrounds are indispensable in family life. They’re a place to burn off energy, build physical skills, and make friends. They offer a moment of sanity for parents. And as the kids are saying these days, sometimes you just have to get out and touch grass! Whether you plan a quick visit to your local playground down the street or pack a picnic and enjoy an afternoon adventure at a ‘destination’ playground across town, check out our list of the best playgrounds in Calgary!
Bridgeland Community Association Playground | Centre Ave & 9 St NE
This modern playground is installed on a rubber floor and adjacent to fields. Plus, it’s near coffee shops.
Cityscape Music Park | Northern end of Cityscape Drive NE
This playground has many oversized musical instruments that make noise and double as play structures.
Renfrew Playground | 811 Radford Road NE (Beside the Renfrew Community Association)
This playground was designed exclusively for children 5 and under. It’s great for early walkers (and even crawlers) with soft flooring, ramps, and a wide variety of equipment just the right size.
Rotary Challenger Park | 3688 48 Ave NE
This accessible playground has lowered play structures and low-grade ramps to make this accessible park fun for everyone.
Rotary Park Playground | 617 1 St NE
Rotary Park has a big toddler play structure with some of the best musical panels anywhere and a ‘telephone’ that works amazingly well. There are also plenty of climbing features for older kids, including a large climbing wall.
St. Patrick’s Island Park | 1300 Zoo Rd NE
This playground combines both natural and traditional playground materials. There are logs to climb and walk across and slides built into the hill, with areas to explore.
Bowness Park Playground | 8900 48 Ave NW
Located in one of Calgary’s best parks, this large playground has soft flooring and a wide variety of equipment for both younger and older kids.
Carrington Playground |140 Ave & 14 St NW
This large playground boasts a zipline and a rollerslide, plus lots of climbing options and a saucer swing.
Confederation Park Playground | 24th Ave & 14th St NW to 30th Ave & 10th St NW — towards the east side
This playground is set into the hills, beautifully landscaped, and strewn with wood chips, with a natural feel. Plus, there is a sand and water play area for some mud-pie fun.
Helicopter Playground | 5 Ave & 27 St NW
This large playground is about half on rubber flooring and includes the eponymous helicopter climber that kids love. It’s also adjacent to a large playing field.
Shouldice Park | 4900 Monserrat Dr NW
Built with accessibility in mind, this playground has a rubber floor and multiple types of swings, climbers, and spinners.
Shouldice Park Playground
Applewood Park Playground | Applewood Drive & Applegrove Crescent SE
This enormous playground offers a wide variety of equipment for kids of all abilities and ages, tennis courts, and an outdoor exercise circuit near the playground.
East Village Playground | 7 Ave & 6 St SW
This playground has interesting playground equipment, including a natural-wood climbing structure, a fun roller slide, and an oversized xylophone. It has solid surface rubber flooring, fantastic downtown views, and beautiful community gardens.
‘Elsa’s Tower’ Playground | Seton Gardens SE
An inclusive playground with soft flooring and loads of space to run, this playground features a climbing tower with slides.
Nellie Breen Playground | 14th St and St. Monica Ave SE
This park has a community space with a playground that extends throughout the entire park. The playground equipment is accessible to children of different ages and skills.
Prestwick Pirate/Castle Playground | 1 Prestwick Manor SE
This playground may be in a modest park area, but with a pirate ship play structure on one side and a castle play structure on the other, it provides an amazing opportunity for imaginative play.
Ralph Klein Park | 12350 84 St SE
This natural playground is designed to represent the mountains, foothills, and prairies as part of the water-cycle story. It includes many climbing features, including a rope net. It also offers a zip line and a loose parts play area.
Currie Barracks Airport Playground | 2953 Battleford Ave SW
This unique airport-themed playground includes an airport control tower with a huge slide, rubber flooring, and a beautiful setting amongst mature trees. It boasts equipment suitable for a large age range and a sit-in spinner.
Haultain Park Playground | 225 13 Ave SW
This is a large playground with rubber flooring, lots of seating and picnic tables, gorgeous landscaping, tennis courts, and a great urban setting with the historical Haultain School on site.
Prince’s Island Playground | Prince’s Island Park, just north of downtown.
As one of Calgary’s largest playgrounds, this beautiful park has something for everyone. There is no parking on the island, however, so you will have to park and walk across one of the bridges.
Radio Park | 775 78 St SW
This playground has the tallest playground slide in Calgary, plus interesting structures, zip lines, and swings.
Soft Landings Playground | North Glenmore Park, 7305 24 St SW
This playground is the first one from the west entrance, and is great for older kids, with a large merry-go-round.
South Glenmore Playground | 90 Ave & 24 St SW
This large playground has accessible flooring throughout and includes preschool and school-aged play structures. There are many accessible features here, too.
Stanley Park Playgrounds | 4011 1A St SW
While the playgrounds here may not stand out, there are three of them in a beautiful park location, with picnic areas and a path system along the river.
As Moms who spent a lot of time at playgrounds, we also came up with our Top 5 Playground Rules here! And if you’re looking for interesting parks, check out Beyond the Playground.
