Staten Island families seeking an outdoor oasis this summer don’t have to look far when it comes to enjoying one of the island’s many parks. In fact, we’re fortunate to live in a borough that boasts more than 12,000 acres of green space thanks to Staten Island’s Greenbelt, Gateway National Recreation, and the selection of botanical gardens and nature centers. Plus, it’s easy to find a neighborhood park, allowing families to enjoy a day outdoors in nature.
For parents who want their kids to unplug and unwind, there is no shortage of open spaces to fit the bill for spending a day of fun and frolicking in Mother Nature. Large or small, playful or picturesque, there are many Staten Island parks that families can visit. And each offers a combination of recreational facilities, public amenities, and natural beauty.
An informal survey of Staten Island parents who frequent local parks said their top criteria for park selection includes:
- safety
- cleanliness
- ample playgrounds
- open space
- proximity to home or school
- public restrooms
- a variety of sports and recreational features, such as biking, walking and hiking paths
- basketball courts
- sprinklers in the warm weather
10 Parks in Staten Island Families Love
Using the above criteria and some on-the-ground reporting, we discovered the 10 best parks and playgrounds for families on Staten Island. Browse this list and choose one for your family’s next outdoor adventure.
1. Bloomingdale Park
Ramona and Lenevar avenues
Hours: daily, park: 6am-10pm; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find in Bloomingdale Park
This park is a prime spot for expansive walking trails and sports facilities, including baseball and soccer fields. The 130-acre park and natural space also has two areas for kid play, a sprinkler, and a public restroom facility. There are also bocce courts and dog-friendly areas.
Why We Love Bloomingdale Park
“There’s something for whatever we want to do—a jungle gym, sports field, trails for walking, and the surrounding block is smooth for bike riding and roller skating,” said mom Kristin Shtrahman. Although she lives in Mariners Harbor, she frequents the South Shore oasis because it is her 5-year-old daughter Cadence’s favorite park.
Dad Gennaro Lattanzi agrees about its amenities, and said the park is always teeming with children for his son to play with. The fenced-in play area only has two entry and exit points, which is a plus for safety conscious parents.
His family also enjoys the bike trails inside and on the perimeter of the park, as well as watching the “old timers” play bocce ball. “It’s nice to see people of all ages using the park every day,” he said. “It’s a neighborhood treasure if you ask me.”
Bloomingdale Park scores high with moms, like Nicole Biancanielo of Woodrow, who rank it as the cleanest park. Plus, it has a multitude of playground options for kids of all ages, as well as a huge field for open play.
You Don’t Want to Miss
The sprinklers add additional fun in the hot summer months. Plus, kids go sledding in Bloomingdale Park in the winter.
2. Seaside Wildlife Nature Park (aka Pirate Park)
Nelson Avenue and Tennyson Drive
Hours: daily, park: 6am-10pm; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: Kids of all ages
What You’ll Find at Pirate Park
This park offers a creative twist on local play with the high seas nearby. The pirate-themed park is a favorite among parents with little buccaneers who want to navigate a day of imaginative exploring and adventure with other shipmates. It has two sections: one fenced-in area with toddler-friendly swings, jungle gym for climbing, a sandbox, and sprinklers in the warm weather; the other is an area for older kids.
“It is right on the water by the boatyard, so you see and hear the ocean and there are always ducks you can feed,” Ms. Biancanielo explained. “It’s a great time for the kids.”
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Why We Love Pirate Park
Seaside Wildlife Nature Park has options for both young and older children, beautiful scenery, and safe, ample areas to ride bikes and skateboards.
You Don’t Want to Miss
With the marina at Great Kills Harbor as a backdrop, this nautical setting is complete with a shipwrecked boat and a shark to climb on, plus Staten Island Ferry boat and lighthouse structures for exploring.
3. Willowbrook Park
1 Eaton Place
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: Kids of all ages
What You’ll Find in Willowbrook Park
Part of the Staten Island Greenbelt, this gem is located on Eton Place off Victory Boulevard, with an alternate entrance on Victory at Morani Street.
Families can enjoy a stroll around the park and stop at its small, but fun, playground for toddlers with a jungle gym for climbing, monkey bars, and slides. Afterward, families can venture over to the duck pond and feed some feathered friends, and do some catch and release fishing.
The park also has a picnic area with tables, a tennis court, baseball fields, hiking trails.
Why We Love Willowbrook Park
Willowbrook Park hosts seasonal activities, including canoeing, archery, a Huckleberry Finn fishing contest, pumpkin festival, and other family days
You Don’t Want to Miss
Take a spin on the Carousel for All Children. It’s a beautifully painted, colorful merry-go-round operated by the nonprofit Greenbelt Conservancy in partnership with the New York Parks Department. The carousel is open Thursday-Sunday, 11am-5:45pm and tickets are $2.50 per ride.
4. Schmul Park
Wild and Melvin avenues
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: toddlers
What You’ll Find in Schmul Park
Toddlers of all ages flock to this park favorite which boasts a completely fenced-in facility with a soft padded covering on most of the ground for added safety and protection, which moms really love.
The park is “spacious and super safe for little ones to run around and go wild,” says one mom, but “it’s small enough where you can see your kids no matter where they are,” added another mom.
Older siblings who enjoy skateboarding and rollerblading have their space as well, she said, adding, “kids of every age seem to enjoy it.”
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Why We Love Schmul Park
While its cleanliness and public restrooms are a win for moms, and its size and layout are perfect for little park-goers. Though, one mom noted its relatively small size can be challenging for older kids who may get bored faster than younger ones.
You Don’t Want to Miss
The sprinklers in the summer, and the slide and climbing areas.
5. Clove Lakes Park
1150 Clove Road
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find in Clove Lakes Park
Set in one of the most tranquil and picturesque settings in Staten Island, the Clove Lakes gem is filled with activities for families to spend the day. From a traditional playground with swings and a slide for both toddlers and older children—complete with a sprinkler—to picnicking on the lawn to renting pedal or row boating along the lake, there is no shortage of attractions for kids and adults alike.
Whether parents want to relax on a blanket in the large grassy areas for a picnic or utilize one of the many barbecues and picnic tables for an outdoor feast, the park offers many different options for families of all sizes and interests.
Sports lovers will enjoy the baseball and soccer fields as well as the basketball courts. And there are walking paths and hiking trails that are great for families.
Why We Love Clove Lakes Park
The park has a public restroom facility, as well as an on-site parking lot, which is a big plus for parents, especially those who drive from further distances.
You Don’t Want to Miss
The WWII Veterans Memorial Ice Skating Rink, which is typically open November-March and costs $10 for admission and $5 for skate rental. Plus, paddleboat rentals are available in front of The Stone House restaurant on the grounds of Clove Lakes. Though they’re temporarily unavailable right now, they’re usually on offer May-October, Saturday-Sunday, 11am-5pm for $18 per hour.
6. Silver Lake Park
Victory Boulevard at Clove Road and Forest Avenue
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find in Silver Lake Park
With rolling hills and plush greenery, open space, a playground, scenic walking paths, and sports facilities, Silver Lake Park is another favorite among Staten Island parents. The park is likened to Manhattan’s Central Park for its size and picturesque scenery, trails, lake, and sports facilities.
Families flock to its playground. Though small, it’s nestled among walking paths, trails, and more than 200 acres of wide green space for open play, picnics, and after-school playdates.
Sisters Amelia and Adrienne were smiling from ear to ear as their mom pushed them on the swings for a late-afternoon playdate, as many nearby children enjoyed the jungle gym facility or rode their bikes and scooters.
The park features an 18-hole golf course, as well as tennis and basketball courts, and baseball field. It’s also dog-friendly, so even the four-legged family members can join in the park fun.
Why We Love Silver Lake Park
There are bathrooms on-site, located near the playground, as well as near both sports field areas.
You Don’t Want to Miss
The spray showers are a welcome sight during the hot summer months.
7. South Beach at Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach
Lower New York Bay, from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; boardwalk: 6am-9pm; beach: 10am-6pm; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find at South Beach
With a spectacular backdrop of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach can be an all-day adventure for families who want to sunbathe, splash in the ocean, or make use of the boardwalk and its adjacent park and recreational facilities.
The park is located off Father Capodanno Boulevard at Sand Lane with its notable Fountain of the Dolphins greeting park and beach-goers before they enter the free parking lot.
A playground and sprinkler for little ones are just two of the amenities for parents who split the day between beach-going and other activities, like bike riding or walking on the boardwalk, or fishing at Ocean Breeze Fishing Pier.
There is even a park for grandparents to play chess and bocce at the playground area near Doty Avenue and Father Capodanno.
Other sports facilities include basketball courts, baseball fields, and kayaking and canoeing launches with required permits, as well as volleyball courts near Doty Avenue.
Public bathroom facilities, as well as a snack bar, and picnic tables on the boardwalk offer families the amenities they seek when out for a long day of fun and adventure.
Why We Love South Beach
This park on Staten island will keep your family having fun for the whole day—build sandcastles, play in the ocean, run through the sprinklers, enjoy the playground, and more!
You Don’t Want to Miss
If you want to treat the family to a nice meal out after a day of playing in the sun, the indoor-outdoor eatery South Finn Grill is located directly on the boardwalk.
8. Midland Beach and Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk
Lower New York Bay, from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; boardwalk: 6am-9pm; beach: 10am-6pm; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find at Midland Beach
Located just a few miles from South Beach, this equally enjoyable park and beach is a favorite among parents and children for its sun-kissed shores and fun-filled facilities.
The park also offers older kids and teens a skate park for use with bikes, inline skates, and scooters adjacent to the playground. Unlike some of the city’s other skate parks, the Midland Beach site is unsupervised, and skaters are not required to have a liability waiver.
Two handball courts are also found near the Midland Beach playgrounds, as well as a soccer field, and other open space to play, picnic, and propose a game of frisbee, Wiffle ball, catch, or kite-flying.
Why We Love Midland Beach
Public parking and restrooms are available at this section of the 3-mile boardwalk, as well as barbecuing facilities and ample open space.
You Don’t Want to Miss
When families are not catching sun rays or building sandcastles, two playgrounds offer ample room for families on seasonable days. Kids can run around and cool off in the beach-themed water fountains.
9. Great Kills Park
3270 Hylan Blvd.
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find at Great Kills Park
Nestled off Hylan Boulevard at Buffalo Street, this combination park, beach, marina, and playground area is an attraction for families who love all-things outdoors.
Part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, the park offers fishing and seasonal crabbing, boating, hiking, bird watching, and a marina and beach areas that border nearby New Dorp, Cedar Grove, Oakwood, and Fox beaches. It even has a model airplane flying field.
Why We Love Great Kills Park
Families can leave all the hustle and bustle of a busy day and spend hours doing everything from sliding and scootering to kayaking and canoeing to bike riding and building sandcastles at the ocean.
You Don’t Want to Miss
Cedar Grove Beach—it’s the city’s newest beach and is smaller and more tranquil than other beaches on Staten Island, making it perfect for families.
10. Wolfe’s Pond Park
Hylan Boulevard, between Holten and Cornelia avenues
Hours: daily, park: 6am-1am; beach: 10am-6pm; playground: 6am-9pm
Best for: The whole family
What You’ll Find in Wolfe’s Pond Park
A popular South Shore recreational spot and former summer beach resort with cottages and bungalows, the park was acquired by the city’s Parks Department in 1929. It now features a mecca for nature- and beach-loving families alike.
Its host of amenities includes barbecuing, bathrooms, beaches, bicycling, dog-friendly area, fishing and hiking trails, two playgrounds, roller hockey rink at the end of Cornelia Avenue, spray showers, tennis courts, and, of course, a pond.
A boathouse, bathhouse, stairs to the beach, a parking lot, and picnic area are also attractions for Staten Islanders who want to give their kids a suburban experience just outside of the city.
It has a free parking lot, and the beach area typically opens for the season in May. During beach season, lifeguards are on duty daily, 10am-6pm. Swimming is prohibited when lifeguards are not on duty and in closed sections, which are marked with signs and/or red flags.
Its history dates back to 6,000 years ago when archaeological evidence suggests that Native Americans ancestors of the Algonquian Lenape settled in the area.
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Why We Love Wolfe’s Pond Park
Many plants and animals call this natural habitat their home along the Raritan and Prince’s bays, making this park a great nature-filled escape from daily life.
You Don’t Want to Miss
After walking or biking along the park’s trails, take a dip at the beach or the kids can run through the sprinklers.
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