Lincoln is chock full of playgrounds and parks, but these parks are our favorite for swinging, sliding and playing in the sand. Click on the name of the park to learn more about it including the location, playground equipment, bathrooms, etc. If you aren't comfortable playing on a playground, we have some parks without playgrounds on this list too!
Antelope Park- One of Lincoln's largest parks! Located in central Lincoln, Antelope offers a HUGE playground, sandbox, swings, bathrooms, plenty of parking and walking paths.
Belmont Park-Great sight lines for parents, a dinosaur skeleton to climb on for kids and lots of green space in Northwest Lincoln.
Bill Harris Iron Horse Park-This park is in the heart of the Haymarket in downtown Lincoln. It is an untraditional park-no swings or playground here but there are other
structures to keep kids engaged. If we go here, it is almost impossible for us to not get ice cream from Ivanna Cone.
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| Mendoza Park | Bill Harris Iron Horse Park |
Densmore Park-Located next to the Cooper YMCA and the Walt Library, this park has one big perk: line of sight. Densmore is a on a hill and there aren't many trees near this park meaning little shade but it has a great line of sight for parents watching more than one kid or parents of a "runner." This park offers swings, playground, merry-go-round, ride-ons, tire swing, see-saw and more. Tip: This park can be very windy. If it is a little windy at your house, it will definitely be windy at Densmore. Public restrooms available. Lots of parking.
Denton Community Park-The set-up of this park makes it great for young kids and big kids with good sightlines for parents. There are two separate playgrounds to accommodate a wide range of playing skills.
Hickman Park-The interactive nature of this playground is great with multi-person ride-on equipment, a zipline and a climbing wall.
Holmes Lake Park-Located in Southern Lincoln, Holmes Lake is one of Lincoln's biggest parks with a beautiful trail, lake, playground, Hyde Memorial Observatory, sand volleyball courts and more.
Irvingdale Park-Large park adjacent to middle school located in central Lincoln. There are two play areas, bathrooms (far from the playgrounds), plenty of parking, lots of grass and picnic tables, and there is a pool on the other side of the park.
Lincoln Mall-Plenty of green space to run in. It is on J St; 10th - 14th.
Mendoza Park-Mendoza Park offers a "break" from the standard playground structure that is often found (tunnel slide, twisty slide, bridge connecting the two with some steps and ladders leading up to the bridge). Their play structure is long with lots of slides, ladders, bridges, monkey bars and different climbing obstacles. There are also swings, a couple of different ride-ons and great greenery surrounding this park. There are no trees surrounding the playground so this is not a good park in the middle of summer but on a cool day in the fall or spring, this place is great. Mendoza is located in South Lincoln (near Sam's Club) and is a neighborhood park. There are no restrooms and the parking is hard. Tip: If you live near Mendoza, you can take one of the trails over to the park. But if you don't, you'll want to park at Blackstone & Benziger and take the trail down from there.
Pocras Park-This is a neighborhood park with street parking, no bathrooms, lots of grass, swings, playground and see-saw.
Pioneers Park-Pioneers Park is more than a park. There are ponds, statues, a Nature Center, a playground, a concert venue, rolling hills, trails, trails and more trails.
Roper Park-One of Lincoln's largest parks. Located in North Lincoln. It includes trails, a playground, swings, a disc golf course, a baseball diamond, tons of green space and tennis courts.
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| Belmont Park | Pioneers Park |
Rotary Park and Bicentennial Fountain-This "park" (a beautiful rose garden and fountain) is located in central Lincoln.
Stransky Park-Another favorite unconventional park, Stransky Park has a small playground, ride-on and swings but they also have a large water feature that is a like a moth to a flame for kids.
Trago Park-Lincoln's only public spray park, Trago Park offers a fun splash pad for kids and doubles as a playground in the off-season months. The splash pad is open Memorial Day thru Labor Day from 11:00 AM-7:00 PM.
The sprayground has some shade covering but it can get very hot in the summer months. There is shade surrounding the area and we've enjoyed many picnic lunches before/after playing on the splash pad. Make sure your little ones are wearing shoes. Tip: This park is really fun in the cold months too! Public restrooms are available. Parking can be hard to find as Trago is near UNL and the Clyde Malone Center.
Union Plaza-A non-traditional park with a climbing structure, hidden animal statues and trails galore! This is probably my favorite park, if I had to choose one. I love the wildflowers,the turtle statue and trails.
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Hickman Park | Denton Park |
