North Carolina

For a full list of North Carolina’s playgrounds, please visit our Accessible Playground Directory

Cary

Kids Together Playground— located at Marla Dorrel Park, 111 Thurston Drive.  The playground includes climbing structures with graduated levels of difficulty, a wheelchair accessible Sand Table, a preschool River of Sand, and Sand Scoopers. There are water sources located in the sand play areas. There is also a fenced Preschool Play Zone, accessible chair swings, and infant swings. There are playhouses as well as a climbable Dragon Sculpture (named KATAL). You will also find a shaded picnic area and picnic shelter. This playground proves to be very unique with the play equipment interacting with the natural habitat of the play space providing children many opportunities to play in nature.  There are also some wonderful art pieces made by several of the residents of Cary.  There are many concrete paths that enable you to move within the park, however, please **NOTE: there are parts of the playground that have wood chips for surfacing.

City of Concord

Everybody Plays — located at J. W. (Mickey) McGee, Jr. Park, 219 Corban Avenue, SE. Everybody Plays playground is wheelchair accessible and includes areas specifically for children with visual and hearing impairments.

East Flat Rock

East Flat Rock Park–107 East Blue Ridge Road.  The playground includes all-inclusive playground equipment from Playworld Systems including their Quattro See Saw.

 

Hickory

The Zahra Baker All Children’s Playground at Kiwanis Park, 805 6th Street, SE  The playground, a project of Playworld Systems, includes a Aeroglider, a ramped structure, sensory activities, large climbing webs, quiet areas, accessible swing seats and more.

Huntersville

Tread Town — located  at Richard Barry Memorial Park, 13707 Beatties Ford Road. This Boundless™ Playground promotes inclusive, unstructured play with ramped wheelchair access to the highest platforms, and features an exclusive Tread Town tire swing, state-of-the art solid harness swings for children who need additional back support, and a multitude of other cutting-edge fitness and educational-based activities.  This Boundless™ Playground was built with funding in part from the American Tire Distributors, Inc.

Mecklenburg County

Below are all of the inclusive playgrounds in Mecklenburg County.  Here is the park district’s explanation of an inclusive playground, “Inclusive playgrounds are for children of all abilities. The surface is appropriate for wheelchairs and walkers and the equipment is accessible via ramps. Adapted swings are appropriate for children who may still need the safety of a shoulder strap and high seat back. Inclusive playgrounds also contain sensory equipment such as equipment that provides unique visual, tactile, and auditory stimulation.”  It appears that many, but not all of these playgrounds may have engineered wood fiber for surfacing. You can see what the playground looks like by clicking on the name.  The descriptions of the playgrounds come from the Macklenburg County website.

Clemson Park is located at 3028 Clemson Avenue.  Clemson Street Park is located in the NoDa neighborhood. This park includes a variety of musical instruments and sensory experiences. There are chimes, drums, a rain wheel and a texture panel. There is a digging pit as well as an elevated sandbox perfect for wheelchairs and walkers. This park also includes typical, toddler, and adapted swings.

Colonel Francis Beatty Park is located atMcKee/Tilley Morris Rd.–4330 Weddington Road.  Colonel Francis Beatty Park is a covered playground.  The equipment includes climbers, tube and traditional slides, and a climbing wall.  This park also includes bathrooms and both traditional and adapted swings.

Cordelia Park is located at 2100 North Davidson Street.  Cordelia Park is a neighborhood park located in the Villa Heights neighborhood. There are two separate play areas in this park. The largest one located next to the parking lot includes a rubberized surface great for walkers and wheelchairs. The climber includes a ramp allowing wheelchairs access to some of the slides and equipment. The lower playground is accessible via ramp and includes climbers and both traditional and an adapted swing.

Freedom Park is located at 1900 East Boulevard.  Freedom Park contains two different play areas. The first play area located near the primary parking lot, includes swings, a sandpit and climbers accessible via a ramp. The second one, located off of Princeton Road, is fully fenced. This playground is easily accessible from the parking lot. Sensory equipment at this park includes sensory panels, ride-on bouncing animals, a sand pit, and tube slides.

Grier Heights Neighborhood Park, located at 3110 Leroy Street , is an inclusive park with many different features. All of the equipment is in mulched beds with ramps allowing access for wheelchairs and walkers. The largest of the climbers is accessible via ramp. There is an assortment of different sensory equipment at this park including bouncing equipment, sensory panels, and a swinging bridge. There is also a large area of equipment designed for strengthening exercises making this a perfect location for therapy sessions.

Hearts and Hands Playground — Located in Nevin Community Park, 6000 Statesville Rd.  Hearts and Hands is the county’s premier inclusive playground.   This Leather and Associates designed playground has a NASCAR theme. The larger playground is modeled after a racetrack complete with cars and road. There is rubberized playground surfacing.  The larger of the two playgrounds is divided into ages 2-5 and 5-12. Special care was taking in designing this playground in order to include a wide variety of textures and materials. Sensory equipment includes musical instruments, various moving bridges, and sensory wheels. The park also includes a large number of adapted swings.

Idelwild Park, located at 10512 Idlewild Road, includes a large playground with widely spaced equipment. There is rubberized surfacing. The climbers include a ramp allowing wheelchairs access to some of the climbing equipment. There is a variety of sensory equipment including tubes and sensory panels. There is also an assortment of monkey bars perfect for building arm strength. The park includes both traditional and an adapted swing.

Jetton Park, located at 19000 Jetton Road in Cornelius, is a beautiful park located on Lake Norman. The park has a paved walking trail. There are paved paths that lead from the parking areas to the wooded, mulched playground. The playground includes two adapted swings as well as typical and toddler swings. The climbing structure is accessible via ramp and includes slides and tunnels. There are bathrooms located beside the playground.

Mallard Creek Park located at 3001 Johnston-Oehler Road, features a playground that is partially covered with a large canopy. There is rubberized surface. The larger of the two climbing structures is equipped with a ramp, making slides and tubes accessible. Sensory equipment includes tubes and a collection of ride-on bouncy animals. The sandpit contains different types of diggers. One digger is accessible from the grass on the edge of the sandpit.

Marion Diehl Playground located at 2219 Tyvola Road, is hidden behind the aquatic center but accessible via a ramp and sidewalk. The playground has equipment to meet many developmental levels. The playground surface is a rubberized material. The climber includes a ramp and a variety of sensory equipment such as a sensory panel that makes noise, spins around, and includes various textures. There is also a whistle that is played by pulling a lever. The playground also includes a wheelchair accessible water table, spinning solar system sensory table, bouncy car, and dinosaur slide. The park includes both typical and adapted swings and elevated garden beds.

Park Road Park  is located at 6220 Park Road. Paved walkways lead to the rubberized playground surface.  There is a wide assortment of sensory equipment at this park including, tube slides, ride-on bouncing animals, a teeter tooter, and sensory panels. The larger of the two climbing structures is accessible via ramp, allowing access to slides and sensory panels. There are typical, adapted, and toddler swings at this park.

Revolution Park located at 1225 Remount Road. There is rubberized surfacing. The climbing equipment is accessible via ramps. There is a wide variety of sensory equipment at this park including ride on bouncing equipment, swinging bridges, sensory panels, balance beams, and tube slides. Many of the sensory panels are accessible from the ground.

William R. Davie Park, located at 4635 Pineville-Matthews Road, includes a playground that is securely fenced in. There is rubberized surfacing. The equipment includes many different play structures and including a castle. There are many opportunities for dramatic play at this playground in the castle and with built-in puppet theaters. Sensory equipment includes, swinging bridges and a moving barrel to balance on. There are traditional swings as well as an adapted swing on the playground.

 

Raleigh

Marsh Creek Community Park — A Boundless™ Playground is located at 3016 New Hope Road. This playground offers play space for kids of all abilities. There are wide ramps with smooth rubber mat surfacing. This playground includes play that involves the senses. There are lots of opportunities to make noise as well as interactives for listening, touching and smelling, such as different types of herbs.

 

Method Road Park–514 Method Road.  Designed as a Boundless Playground, the playground equipment is designed for 2 to 5-year-olds and 5 to 12-year-olds. It includes a play structure with a ramp wide enough for mobility devices. You’ll find accessible swings, along with traditional belt and bucket swings. And there also are a variety of drums and other noise-making play pieces. The surface under all of the equipment is rubber matting.

 

Shelby

H.O.P.E. Playground — A Boundless™ Playground is located at the North Shelby Regional School, 1205 Northside Drive.

The Children’s Center for the Physically Disabled — A Boundless™ Playground is located at 2315 Coliseum Drive.