Riverside Park – Hippo Playground

Manhattan
Only passed though once but didn’t realize it was on the river!!! found parking. Has a public restroom! what more can I ask for? A chill spot in manhattan! These gems are always stumble upon a for me. No Unilocal needed. LOL

I live this place i can just bring my nephews in here and have a piece of mind that they will have fun!
And great place for me just to relax!
Is so great in summer with the sprinklers high slides and just fun for the kiddos!

This playground has it all!
Multiple play structures, hippos that kids can play inside of an on top of, hippo sprinklers during the winter, a sandbox, plenty of swings, plenty of benches for patents, open spaces for kids to run through and it’s all closed within tall fences so it’s easier to watch and contain your little ones without worry.
Super fun! Great playground!
Love how close it is the the water and riverside paths.
Surrounded by huge trees so there is plenty of shade.
During the fall orange fallen leaves surround it making a beautiful scene (and a fun time for the kids running through crunching the leaves)
Bike and running paths surround it.

Hippo Playground in Riverside Park is a heaven for kids as well as adults who like swings. The playground gets its name from the hippo sculptures which you can climb, sit on, crawl under, and pet. It is geared towards younger children, but the swing set definitely accommodates adults. We waited in a 5-​minute line before being able to grab 2 swings, and immediately had an audience. One kid, who watched my friend climb to ridiculous (e.g., dangerous) heights even exclaimed: «Wow! That guy has great form!» That was before his shoe came flying off and nearly killed the nice Asian family standing a safe distance away.
Not to be missed is the 91^st Street rose garden just up the path, which bursts into bloom every spring, and the guy selling rocket pops who sits smugly outside the playground waiting for kids to tug insistently on their parents’ sleeves. Mmmmmm, rocket pops.