My Favorite Charlotte Area Playgrounds
The Charlotte area has some awesome playgrounds and I love visiting and reviewing them for you guys. After years of visiting playgrounds in our area, these are our favorites.
Here is a recent reel on our favorite playgrounds.
Airport Overlook Playground (West Charlotte)
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The New Airport Overlook at Charlotte Douglas Airport
The highly anticipated Airport Overlook in Charlotte is now officially open and we went to check it out on opening day.
The 600,000-square-foot space has skyline and runway views, a playground, fighter jet, a USAir Flight 1016 memorial, picnic areas, and green space.
📍Address: 5130 Airport Overlook Dr. Stay on Old Dowd Road until you see the large blue sign reading “CLT AIRPORT OVERLOOK.” Once you’ve made this turn, the airport overlook will be a little further up on your left.
⏰ Hours: 8am-10pm Daily
🚽 Onsite restrooms are near the fighter jet
☀️ There isn’t much shade so I recommend planning a morning or evening visit this summer. More shade would make this so much better in the summer!
🍔 There are lots of picnic tables or you can bring a blanket for a picnic on the grass turf. There is also a shaded picnic area near the restrooms. There will be a food truck schedule announced soon so you’ll be able to grab some food on select days.
✈️ Plane viewing: The runways a little further away compared to the previous overlook. The landing strip has the best views to see planes up close.
Overall we really love this new addition to the Charlotte community and this will definitely be a hot spot for families!
William Davie Park (South Charlotte/Arborteum Area)
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William Davie has always been one of our favorite playgrounds in Charlotte and it was actually the very first activity that I shared when I started this account! I was so excited when I heard that it was getting a new play structure and turf because it was in need of a revamp. These additions were added a few months ago but I was just able to get some videos to share.
✨What I love about this park:
☀️ The playground is fully fenced
☀️ It has three different structures, two of which are great for toddlers
☀️ it offers several different swing options
☀️ There are soccer fields at the park and when games aren’t going on, we love to play around there
☀️ Convenient parking and on-site restrooms right next to the playground
☀️ If you turn right when you pull into the park there is a dog park at the end of the drive
Park Road Park (Southpark Area)
Park Road Park located a few miles south of downtown is an awesome park for a wide variety of ages. There are two main playgrounds close together (one for older kids and one for young toddlers) plus a boat structure, sand box, and walking trails around a fishing pond.
The larger playground is one of the few in the area that is partially shaded which makes a huge difference in the summer months.
The toddler playground is probably one of my favorites in CLT due to its size and options for play. Both playgrounds have a cushioned turf underneath which helps with absorbing falls and shoes not getting so dirty.
The biggest downside is that the bathrooms aren’t that conveniently located to the playground. They are down by the pond so it makes for a couple minute walk for a potty break. I really wish they were closer. It’s also one of the more popular parks in town so can get crowded on the weekends especially late morning and early afternoon.
Even though there isn’t a fence it’s set far enough off the parking lot to still feel safe. I’d give it a B- for being able to keep an eye on your kids easily.
The pond is nice and has walking trails and picnic tables all around. It’s a nice area to have lunch after a playground visit.
Freedom Park (Myers Park/Central CLT Area)
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Freedom park located in central Charlotte near the Dilworth and Myers Park areas is probably one of the most popular parks in Charlotte. With a large playground, Panthers Football Activity area, and a beautiful pond with walking trails it has so much to offer and can easily take up a whole morning or afternoon.
The playground has a good mix of larger slides and rock walls for older kids and then smaller slides and climbing areas for young toddlers. There is also an old steam train engine that kids can walk into and an area with lots of swings.
There are a few large trees and canopies that provide some shade which is really nice during the summer months. The only downfall is that the playground isn’t fenced and is spread out in a way that can make it harder to keep up with multiple kids. Sometimes I find myself feeling a little more anxious here due to that. It can also get really crowded on the weekends so the weekdays and mornings are usually best.
The pond area is beautiful and perfect for stroller walks or scooter rides plus it connects to the greenway if you want to jump on the trail. There are also lots of picnic tables and grassy areas to have a meal.
Overall this park is awesome and it’s clear why it’s so popular.
Stream Park (Ballantyne)
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Stream Park is now officially open and includes dedicated parking and restrooms located at @theamp!! The park is part of the new Ballantyne Reimagined project and is located right behind the @ballantynehotel
It includes a nice playground with unique hill slides, climbing wall, hammocks, covered pavilion, walking trail, green space, pond, and a greenway connection. The play area has soft rubber flooring and turf grass making it a good spot for young kids. I love the design of this area and my kids always enjoy this playground!
⭐️Things to know:
🔹Parking is located at The Bowl. Once you park you’ll walk across the bridge to get to the park.
🔹Restrooms are located at The Amp close to the parking lot or use one of the businesses at The Bowl. As of now restrooms aren’t super conveniently located so I would make sure to stop before heading to the park.
🔹The pond close to the hotel is not fenced so it’s important to keep a close eye on younger kids if they play at the top of the playground.
🥙 For nearby family-friendly dining nearby stop by The Bowl. We love Bossy Beulah’s, Flower Child, Honeysuckle Gelato, Harriett’s Hamburgers, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Roosters.
Crooked Creek Park (Indian Trail)
Check out my Instagram Reel on this park.
Crooked Creek Park is about 20-30 minutes outside of central CLT and has always been one of our favorite playground and splash pad combo parks in the entire area. The playground is a treehouse style that has lots of fun climbing structures plus a zip line, several fun swings, and a nature music area. This area is 90% fenced.
🚗 parking is easy and right by the playground
🚽bathrooms are right off the playground
The splash pad is fully fenced and one of the nicest in our area. There is a turfed green space all around the splash pad area with several shaded picnic areas. One of them can be rented out and I think this is an excellent place for a birthday party (we had coopers 3rd birthday party here). My kids always love this splash pad!
Splash pad hours: 9am-7pm daily. CLOSED on Tuesdays.
☀️There is some shade on both the playground and splash pad but they are definitely not fully shaded all day.
This is such a great easy and free summer outing and while you’re there stop by the other ADA accessible playground which is on the opposite end of the park.
Squirrel Lake Park (Matthews)
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Squirrel Lake Park located in Matthews is another favorite park in the CLT area. In addition to a nice playground it has a fishing pond, wooded walking trails, and connects to the Four Mile Creek Greenway. There is even a popular part of the Greenway close by with a shallow creek area where kids can play in the water.
The playground caters more to older toddlers and big kids with several steep slides and climbing walls but there is a small one for younger toddlers too. The short walking trail is great for young kids since it doesn’t require too much walking.
I personally love parks where there are multiple things to do in case kids get bored of something quickly and this one is perfect for that. I also like that there is a covered picnic area for eating lunch or taking a shade break.
Pineville Lake Park (Pineville, NC)
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Pineville Lake Park located near downtown Pineville, NC has so much to offer with three different playgrounds, a splash pad, zip line ride, and beautiful pond with a walking trail. It also has several picnic tables and shelters that can be rented for parties.
I love the variety of playground equipment that is great for toddlers and older kids. My kiddos had such a blast on the unique treehouse style one with the large tube slide (pic above).
Even though it isn’t fenced and is right by the pond it’s set up in a way that kids likely won’t be running towards the water plus there are rocks that block the entry to the water. I felt very safe while we were there.
The fully fenced splash pad is located on a hill above the play area and opened up Memorial Day.
Nevin Community Park (North Charlotte)
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Nevin Community Park has been recently renovated with all new playground equipment. It has been on my list for a while to review and I’m glad we were finally able to check it out because it’s a good one! It has soft rubber flooring, ramp style entries, a variety of swings including full support options, is fully adaptive for special needs, and has several fun and unique features.
It isn’t fully fenced but is offset from the road so feels fairly safe in that way. I do wish they’d fenced it when it was renovated.
Important info:
📍 This is a large complex park, so follow signs to the playground when you enter.
💦 There is a seasonal splash pad that will open Memorial weekend
✅ Lots of onsite parking
✅Onsite restrooms and picnic area
✅ Toddler and big kid friendly though this one caters a bit more to the younger kids
This is such a great park and we will be visiting again soon! Have you been to Nevin Park??
Rosedale Park (Huntersville)
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Rosedale Park in Huntersville opened in 2022. It features a fully fenced playground that includes large twisty slides, two zip lines, a merry-go-round, and soft rubber flooring. The park also has two hill slides, several nature themed climbing structures for kids, and green space.
It was busy during our visit but that is likely due to it being opening day. My kids loved how unique this whole park felt and especially loved the hill slides since we don’t have many of those in the CLT area. They also really enjoyed the climbing features that felt like being at a campground.
Overall we loved this park but there are a few downsides to consider before you visit. The fence around the playground leaves less places for parents to stand so it could easily feel a little crowded. Also there isn’t a dedicated parking lot - just street parking. We didn’t have trouble getting a spot though so there fortunately are lot of spaces. This playground isn’t as ideal for toddlers given the size and scale of the main playground. The zip lines also run right through the middle of the playground (a design flaw in my opinion) so little ones could easily walk straight into them. There are nice restrooms which is always a plus!
