Ancient Playground

The tire swings and water area are awesomeeeeeeeeee after hanging out in the met for hours nice to unwind in here with kiddo :)

I live around the corner and nanny in the neighborhood. This is a great location and the playground is unique but better for 5yr +. Not good for toddlers and the adults watching them. It needs more ladders for little ones

Great playground near The Met with clean bathrooms, seating for observers and fun play structures for a variety of ages. Pro tip: there are two sides to the bathrooms. The bathrooms on the inside of the play area (not the ramp side) are usually empty.

Visited with my granddaughter. The playground definitely was a good positive challenge for her from your traditional NYC Parks Dept set ups. I like the seating along the perimeter which allows parents to keep an eye on their children. Glad the sprinklers by the sand pit were on that helped with both cooling the kids off and removing the bulk of the sand before getting into the car at end of day. There seemed to be difficulty getting the taller sprinklers on so older children were stuck using other sprinklers which always becomes a problem with time. Otherwise clean, restrooms open, no homeless inside park area and well maintained.

This was a great place to bring our son. It wasn't too crowded and it has quite a few options for children to play with. This park also brought back some nostalgic feelings as I remember coming to this park as a child but never remembering it was called Ancient Playground. Our son was a bit shy at first but quickly got the hang of how big the park is. Id have to say that the two best things for him about the park was the small silver tunnel slide and walking through the pyramid like structure that with multiple exits. Id have to say that it was a bit unnerving getting dirty looks from some of the other mothers and fathers who were a bit lighter skinned. Its 2020 folks. No need for the segregation. This will not deter us from coming back as our son loved his experience.

One of the best playgrounds in Central Park, and among the best in NYC. The place is awesome. Full of super cool structures to climb and explore. Great for kids all ages. It even has restrooms with changing tables. Amazing!

One of the best playgrounds in CP. Spacious and for a all ages

It was a hot day, so most of the stuff was too hot to play on. If my boy had a change of clothes he could have played in some of the sprinklers.

It's an interestingly designed playground that's fun for a long time for kids that like climbing and sliding. Some playgrounds are simple in design that kids lose interest easily, Ancient Playground keeps kids engaged with so many different challenges. The reason for only 4 stars is due to the only bathroom in the area being closed. Kids need bathrooms frequently, unfortunately most of the playgrounds don't have bathrooms anywhere near. This one is one of the very few across the city but for whatever reason the bathroom is closed.

Can't beat a well appointed park and playground with a clean bathroom to use. A block over from the Met so it's probably a good spot to have the kiddies play at after you drag them around the museum where they were bored out of their minds. Definitely one of the better NYC "adventure style" playgrounds. Slides on a pyramid structure, swings, bridges, cushioned surfaces, sandbox, and fully renovated not too long ago. Big downside is that there is basically zero shade here. Not too much fun on a hot sunny day baking in the heat.

While this park may seem simple at first glance it provides hrs or climbing fun. With every wall having little notches that provide a new route to explore. The surfaces are old school and do lend themselves to some parental concern of injuries. The kids know better and quickly adapt to the new expectation that the child not run full speed into playground structures. The tunnels, ladders, and slides all connect in a maze that has the little ones squeezing in and out between one an other while squealing in delight. Ample shade and seating make this a great time to even the energy playing field. Sit while yelling words of encouragement to your toddler to "climb that mountain". There is even a bathroom in this playground. Par for the NYC course it was closed when I visited, forcing me to cut our playtime short or wet myself in defiance of all the 3-6 year olds that seemed to have mastered the art of not going pee pee on themselves.

There are way to many rats rooming around the park Do not recommend please don't go here there are way more options in Central Park for a playground.

Beautiful renovations to this playground. I love the gate. Lots of comfortable benches. It's in Central Park but almost at the door to the MET. There weren't many children today. I'm sure Weekend and Summer days it's crowded. I'll stop by on my way to the MET. It's a nice place to bring a lunch.

So I've been to most of the playgrounds in Central Park running around after my granddaughter and this one is by far the best. Lots to do, great for running and climbing and all the surfaces are cushioned. It's on the north side of the Met so it can be a little busy but out of all of the playgrounds this is the one I'd pick.

Saturday 3:00, beautiful fall day, basically across the street from the Met, where was everybody? Based on the conversations we overheard, most people were locals. My 6 and 10 loved it so much, this was a fabulous 90 minutes of pure play.

Nothing makes you a connoisseur of playgrounds and kid-friendly public spaces like having a toddler, and boy do those little offspring make it a quick learning curve! During a recent visit to the Met, we stopped by the adjacent Ancient Playground (I think I wanted to check it out even more than our munchkins did.) and were thoroughly impressed. Upon first arriving, it was curious to what looked like an adult seating area just outside the playground gates, as if to suggest: "Grown-ups, keep out." The sheer amount of kinetic energy emanating from the playground structures was amazing (and a little startling). It was as if "Lord of the Flies" had been the design aesthetic! Arguably the finest example of public works projects for the under-4-foot-tall crowd, the Ancient Playground is built as a veritable fortress for the active child. Its structure is rather adult-unfriendly, with its sloping-wall entrances on which occasional bricks protrude to provide footholds for little ones -- a great climbing surface for kids, but not so much for an adult looking to traverse the magnificent concrete structures and integrated water park. Swings, slides, bridges, a tire swing and enough physical challenges for a mini Tough Mudder contestant made it a treat even for us to check out. Our 2-year-old ran under low bridges, ducked into narrow tunnels and climbed down ladders I could barely even see. It was such a wonderful exploratory diversion that I would likely come here on a daily basis if it were closer to home. Does it get any better than this?

Pro: the bathrooms, obv. Con: the lack of shade around the playground area More suitable for kids older than my 13-month old, who just wants to climb stairs, toddle around, and bang stuff. It wasn't that cool today (85 degrees), but play surfaces were uncomfortably hot (granted, it was about 2 pm, which is the hottest part of the day). Don't miss: the Paul Manship gates - beautiful.

It's a trite point, but it's amazing how oblivious one can be to the many many playgrounds in Central Park if you spend a scattered decade of visits to the park without a toddler in tow. Anyway, as you probably realize, Central Park has a ton of amazing playgrounds, and this is one of them. It's got all sorts of things I dreamed of having in my playgrounds when I was a kid -- spraying water, an underground tunnel, tall rough slopes to clamber on, etc. I was happy to have a kid leading me around here as an excuse to explore it.

Great playground - recently renovated. As a two year old, my son had fun but this was a bit of a scary park for him (and me). A little advanced. As a three year old, it's a perfect challenge. The fear is still there, there are a few drops of notable size if he were to fall. But this playground has it all. Two water features, swings for all ages inc tire swings. Slides, ladders, monkey bars, sand pit - all set just north of the Met in between crosstown traffic. One notable downside is that there is little to no shade.

This is a nice little playground with a unique design. It was very clean; even the bathrooms were way cleaner than most of the ones I've been to in the parks. Although I feel that most of the areas were more for toddlers and preschoolers, there were sections appropriate for slightly older kids. It wasn't too crowded when we got there, however, a catholic school from across the street uses it to (probably their recess time). There were just too many classes there at once. Plus these children were older (probably at least 8-12 yrs old), which I don't think this playground is appropriate for them. Overall, my toddler definitely enjoyed it, especially without the crowd.

This is a great playground which can hold your children's interests for hours. Once you drag your children to the Met (down the block) it is a great way to have the kids blow off steam. Be sure to go in the summer when the sprinklers are on.

Great option for playground seekers of varying ages. This playground can hold the attention of preschoolers and older kids. The overall playground is fenced in which is a huge plus along with a entrance gate to get in/out. A couple of areas that have tunnels so if you have young ones they could be out of sight for a couple of minutes so you'll need to keep a watch out. Excellent choice for a couple of hours of playtime. Can be crowded but manageable after school hours.