Activity Overview
The Ancient Playground in New York City's Central Park is ironically one of the park's newest features. The Ancient Playground is an Egyptian-themed playground for kids that can be found just north of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, home of the artwork that inspired the park's design. In fact, the nearest part of The Met to the Ancient Playground is the Egyptian wing of the museum.
A number of playgrounds were built in the area during the 1960s and 70s but fell into disrepair. The Ancient Playground was built after a nearby playground was destroyed during the expansion of The Met. The playground is bright, clean, and an engaging and inspiring environment for your little ones to play in. The various parts of the playground are representative of various elements of Egyptian history and mythology. You may have to point out the symbolism to the littlest ones as they'll be having too much fun to notice!
Things to Do
- Let the kids monkey around as they climb up one of the playground's pyramids.
- Heading out on a warm day? The kids can cool off as they play with the Ancient Playground's water features. There are spray nozzles for smaller children, too! The sprinklers are only on during the summer.
- Check out the gates to the Ancient Playground. The gates, which were made by Paul Manship, feature depictions of Aesop's Fables! Before the restoration efforts in 2009, these gates had remained in storage following vandalization for nearly 30 years!
Ancient Playground Insider Tips
- There aren't very many shaded areas around the park so keep your little ones safe by avoid the sunniest days or by bringing appropriate amounts of sunblock and wide-brimmed hats.
