Grandview Park Playground

The renovation here made a real difference — the equipment actually looks and feels current, which isn’t something you can say about every Des Moines park. Kids in the toddler-to-early-elementary range are the target audience, and the slides and swings hit that mark well. What pushes this spot onto the regular rotation for a lot of families is the splash pad nearby, which is basically a lifesaver once July hits. It gets busy on weekends, so weekday mornings are your move if you want breathing room.