Best Playgrounds In Detroit

Nearly every park you go to has a slide or a swing set, but there is much more for children to enjoy. In the Detroit area, there is plenty to do, but these five parks offer some of the most unique playscapes to be found.

(credit: istock)

George George Park
40536 Moravian Drive
Clinton Township, MI 48036
(586) 286-9465
www.clintontownship-mi.gov

Since 2008 when the park was dedicated, the 30-acre George George Park in Clinton Township has offered some of the best recreation in the area for adults and children alike. There is a large children's play area and added to this is a massive playscape for the young ones to enjoy. When they tire out, there is a gazebo to rest in, a fountain plaza and 5,000 feet of walking and bike paths.

Related: Best Summer Vacation Activities Around Detroit

Booth Park
N. Old Woodward Ave.
Birmingham, MI 48009
(248) 530-1714
www.birmingham.mi.us

If you want to find some over-the-top adventure for the kids, then head to Booth Park in Birmingham. What you will find is a huge playscape, a tunnel and labyrinth. The playscape, which offers a wide variety of activities, is built to take on the look of a medieval castle. This park will not only exercise a child's body, but their imagination too as they move through the different play areas. Built with community donations and volunteers, it is a testament to the commitment Birmingham residents have to the children in their community.

County Farm Park
Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 971-6337
www.ewashtenaw.org

There are not many children's play areas that offer straw bale climbers, a windmill, play sheds and a few bronze pigs to welcome you, but you will find this at County Farm Park in Washtenaw County. This is a play area that will drive the imagination of any child from ages six to 12, and for those younger children, there is a separate play area more suited to their smaller size and abilities. As an added safety measure, the grounds of the play area are covered with a resilient "safety turf" for the little ones. This is a park that has to be seen to be believed.

Tattan Park
1901 N. Carlson St.
Westland, MI 48185
(734) 721-7400
www.cityofwestland.com

If a farm-themed play area is not what your child would enjoy, then how about outer space? You will find a world beyond at Tattan Park, just east of the Bailey Center on Ford Road in Westland. With over 30,000 square feet of play area, there is plenty for the young ones to explore in this, the "final frontier." There are rockets to ride, space ships to pilot, moon buggies and even a lunar slide. This is the ultimate play adventure in western Wayne County.

Hines Park-Waterford Bend Area
Edward Hines Drive
Northville, MI 48167
(734) 261-1990
www.waynecounty.com

No discussion about play area for children around Detroit would be complete without mentioning Hines Park. In multiple locations along the parkway, which begins in Dearborn and runs to village of Plymouth, there are small play areas with swings, slides and smaller playscapes.  But at Waterford Bend Park, there is a playscape that was imported from Belgium and is a work of art playscape. There are places to climb, slides to glide down and swings both old and new. Any visit to Hines Park with the little ones should include a stop here or at the least at one of the other play areas along the way.

Related: Best Public Beaches And Reservoirs To Spend A Summer Day Near Detroit

Award winning freelance writer and photographer Lawrence DiVizio is based in Southeast Michigan and works to convey in words and images the world around us. His work can be found at Examiner.com.