Finding Adventure, One Playground at a Time
It all started with a simple, universal challenge: a sunny afternoon, a full water bottle, and a toddler with an endless supply of energy. As a dad to a curious and adventurous little boy, I found myself constantly asking the same question every parent knows by heart: “Where can we go play?”
Our local park was great, but we craved variety, a new adventure. I imagined there had to be hidden gems scattered around our area—parks with cooler slides, unique climbing structures, or maybe even a splash pad we didn’t know about. So, like any modern parent, I turned to the internet, expecting a wealth of information at my fingertips.
What I found was… well, not much.
The search was a digital scavenger hunt through a maze of frustration. I’d find a promising park name on a map, but no recent photos. A blog post would mention a playground, but offer no details on whether it was fenced-in or suitable for a wobbly toddler. Key questions every parent has were left unanswered: Are there restrooms? Is there shade for a hot day? Is the equipment designed for a two-year-old or a ten-year-old?
Too many times, our hopeful excursions ended in disappointment. We’d drive 20 minutes only to find a playground that was too big for my son, rundown, or simply didn’t live up to the single, decade-old photo I’d found online. It was a waste of time, gas, and most importantly, a waste of precious moments of potential joy with my family.
I realized that what should have been a simple search for fun had become a chore. And I knew I couldn’t be the only one. Millions of parents, grandparents, and caregivers everywhere were facing the same challenge. We have amazing tools to find the best restaurants, hotels, and hiking trails, so why not for one of the most essential parts of childhood?
That frustration sparked an idea. What if there was one place—a single, reliable resource—built from a parent’s perspective? A place that didn’t just tell you where a playground was, but showed you what it was really like.
And so, World of Playgrounds was born.
This website is the resource I wished for during all those fruitless searches. It was built not as a solution to a shared problem, but as a resource fueled by a passion for helping families connect and play. We’re obsessed with the details because we know they matter. We want you to know about the soft surfaces perfect for new walkers, the parks with accessible swings for children of all abilities, and the hidden gems with great picnic spots.
Our mission is simple: to create the most trusted, comprehensive, and user-friendly playground directory in the world. But this mission isn’t something I can accomplish alone. The heart of this platform is its community—real parents sharing real, honest feedback.
Whether you’re in your hometown or traveling across the country, we want you to feel confident that you can find the perfect spot for your family’s next adventure. So please, join us. Add your favorite local park, upload a few photos, and leave a review for other parents to see. Together, we can build the resource we all wished we had.
Thank you for being here. Now, let’s go play!
— Founder of World of Playgrounds & Dad to a very happy little boy.