"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." –Mr. Rogers
We are having unseasonably warm weather-it is a great time to get outside!
We are lucky to have so many great playgrounds and parks in Lincoln, NE and the surrounding towns. From swings and slides to ziplines and tunnels our parks and playgrounds keep my kids active, and are a great place to meet old friends — and make new ones!
Following is a list of some of our favorite parks in Lincoln, NE as well as a few outside our local area that we like to visit at least once a year. A couple have splash pads, making them the perfect destination for summer's hottest days! Locations are listed alphabetically.
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Antelope Park
A St & 33rd
What we love: This playground is enormous. There are two play structures. The smaller playground is designed for younger kids. There are several benches situated around the playground for caretakers to sit down or for kids to take a break.
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Belmont Park
Judson & 12th St
What we love: While not a large playground, this play area has something that most parks don't have-a dinosaur skeleton! As soon as my kids saw this, they all got excited. Along with the prehistoric addition, there is a playground and two slides. The park has sand and concrete, bring your sand toys and chalk along with you.
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Bennett City Park
605 Monroe Street, Bennett NE
What we love: Bennet, NE is home to a large city park that has the best of both worlds: new playground equipment and (drumroll, please) old-school equipment!
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Bethany Park
66th and Vine St
What we love: The t-rex bike sculpture at Bethany Park is my favorite! I love that the dinosaur tail has his own wheel. Bethany Park is a large park and is unique with its outdoor and enclosed shelters that you can book for parties and special occasions.
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Bill Harris Iron Horse Park
7th St & Q St
What we love: This is not a normal park. There is no playground. Instead there is an iron climbing train. My kids can spend hours on it! There is also a retired train, which has signs all over it stating, “Do not climb”; however, it is usually being climbed when we are there. Additionally there is a fountain and a train mural that kids also adore touching and climbing.
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Copple Family
8700 Yankee Woods Dr Ste B (84th and near Old Cheney)
What we love: The climbing wall octagons are great! Multiple kids can use these at a time and they are a unique structure that you don't see in other parks.
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Crete City Park
E 12th St and Linden Avenue
What we love: This park would be fun for all ages. There is so much equipment and I loved the mix of old and new equipment. Plus, there is an amazing lion drinking fountain.
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Densmore Park
6701 S 14th St
What we love: 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.
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Denton Community Park
7115 Lancaster Avenue, Denton NE
What we love: 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 and the climbing wall is great for older kids.
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Hazel Abel Park
1716 E St, Lincoln, NE
What we love: It is a small manicured park with brick sidewalks, a fountain, benches, a small play ground and is reminiscent of a bygone time. It is beautiful! We visited on a cold, spring day; I can't wait to see it in the summer in full bloom.
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Fire Truck Park
S. 33rd St and High St in South Antelope Park
What we love: Technically, this park is called South Antelope Park but it is such a fun park and I don't think that reflects it well at all so we call it Fire Truck Park. It is a fun park with swings, lots of sand, a pretend fire truck and an old school merry go round. They recently added a new playground to it as well. The rock island trail runs parallel to it. Perfect park for younger kids!
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Gene Leahy Mall
1001 Douglas St in Omaha, NE. It is next to the Old Market.
What we love: The Mall is almost 10 acres with a reflecting pool, a slide area (with several kids of slides including the giant ones!), a big open space and an incredible climbing structure that fits teens and adults!
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Hickman Park
Southwest corner of Hickman, just west of railroad tracks on 2nd St.
What we love: The interactive nature of this playground is great with multi-person ride-on equipment, a zipline and a climbing wall!
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Hickman Park#2 (I wish they would give their parks names)
Intersection Oakview Dr and 10th St, Hickman NE
What we love: What's not to love? It is incredible. Slides, zip lines, obstacle course for tweens/teens, swings. We couldn't find a name for this park anywhere so we have temporarily nicknamed it "Best Park Ever" because that is what the kids kept telling me!
Holmes Lake Park
Normal Blvd & 70th St
What we love: 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.
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Johnson Park, Fremont NE
Military & Johnson Rd in Fremont, NE.
What we love: So many great things about this park! There is a "tot lot" and a large playground so kids of all sizes can play. My kids spent the majority of their time playing on the "Christmas tree. This park is handicap accessible which more parks need.
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Mendoza Park
Blackstone & Benziger
What we love: 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 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. 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.
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Peterson Park
Hwy 2 and 22nd
What we love: This park has a playground, swings, a pond/lake, pickle ball courts and two dog parks. It is perfect for a family that has a four legged friend 🐕
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Pocras Park
Bradfield & Sewell
What we love: It has an average size play structure with two slides, four swings (two are "baby" swings) and a see-saw. The ground covering at Pocras is black mat and is usually covered with chalk drawings. We bring chalk with us to add to the art work. The play structure is a good fit for young children; there aren't too many ladders or openings that they can fall through.
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Pioneers Park
3201 S Coddington
What we love: This is a big park, I don't even think park is the right word. It is over 650 acres and there is something for everyone. If you are looking for a quick break from the city, drive over to Pioneers Park. Nature is your playground at Pioneers but if you are looking for an actual playground, there is one. It has swings, ride-ons, slides and monkey bars. There isn't much shade on the playground, I don't recommend on hot days.
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Platte River Playground
Platte River State Park
What we love: You told us to go to the new playground at Platte River and wow! It is one of the biggest playgrounds that I have ever seen with a zipine, multi-level playgrounds, swings, imaginative play areas and more. This is an ENORMOUS playground. I can't even begin to describe how big this playground is; there are multiple levels of it going on and on and on.
Roper Park
N 3rd and Fairfield St
What we love: If we are on this side of town, this is our go-to park. My kids love to throw sticks into the water under the bridge and have “races.” They also really enjoy this playground, which is partially shaded at the right time of day. There are two disc golf courses at this park as well.
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Rotary Park and Bicentennial Fountain
27th St & Antelope Parkway
What we love: This "park" (a beautiful rose garden and fountain) is located in central Lincoln.
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Rudge Park
Lake St and Harrison Ave.
What we love: The playground area was completely redone and now there is a small playground, swings, a viper swing, climbing equipment and more.
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Stransky Park
17th St & Harrison St
What we love: The stairs, water feature and boulders are a magnet for children and I often hear our kids playing, "Pirates and hidden treasure." It isn't as relaxing a park for parents because you have to watch them closely around the water feature but it is fun to go somewhere different and see where their imagination takes them.
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Tierra Briarhurst
27th St and Hwy 2
What we love: One of my family's favorite parks to visit is Tierra. It has something for everyone. My husband plays disc golf, the kids play on the playground and our dog and I go on a walk but that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of things to do at Tierra.
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Timber Valley
3031 W Peach St
What we love: Timber Valley, a neighborhood park with a fun and engaging playground. My kids loved all the climbing equipment and I loved the mature trees and shade. This is a good playground bigs and littles and good sightlines.
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Trago Park
N 22nd & U St
What we love: I love the splash park because it offers something for kids of all ages. My baby can hang out in the swing or play in the grass while my older ones climb, climb and climb one of the many structures at the park. This park is really fun in the cold months too!
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Trendwood Park
A St and 77th St
What we love: I love the large open field next to the playground. When we arrived, a group of kids were having a picnic and another group were kicking a soccer ball. My dog and I walked and walked at this park. There are sidewalks running throughout it. This park can accommodate toddlers through elementary aged-it is big.
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Union Plaza
21 St & Q St
What we love: One of our family's absolute favorite parks! There is no "playground." Instead, it there is the climbing structure, paths, hills and statues. Despite the fact that it does not have a playground, my kids could and have stayed for hours. It inspires imagination and independence. Kids love to follow the trails, track the giant turtle and imagine themselves the king of the castle.
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Van Dorn Park
High St and 10th St
What we love: We checked out the biking trails at Van Dorn Park this week and we were excited to find a great climbing structure too! It is definitely a park worth checking out. It was quiet when we were there; the trails are so much fun and you can bring your four-legged friends as well.
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Village Meadows
Nashway Rd & Blanchard Blvd.
What we love: Village Meadows is a good park for young kids (2-5 years of age). Anyone older would be too big for the playground equipment.
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Wilderness Park
Large parking lot off of 14th St near Good Life Fitness
What we love: -Wilderness Park is Lincoln's largest park with over 1,400 acres. We like to go to Wilderness Park during fall through early spring (no bugs). There are many different parts of this park with several entrances. Wilderness Park is very wooded with some meadows and a stream running through it along with walking, biking and horse riding trails.
