Bernard Family Playground

Photo by Timothy Schenck

Bernard Family Playground is the smallest playground in Central Park and designed for its youngest visitors.

Bernard Family Playground is the smallest playground in Central Park and designed for its youngest visitors.

The Central Park Conservancy rebuilt this playground in 2018 with three sections: one with a sandbox and play structure, another with a water spray feature, and another with bucket swings.

It’s located in the Park’s northeast corner, along the shore of the Harlem Meer, allowing children and their caregivers to enjoy the views of the water and the surrounding landscape, and is shaded by numerous trees. The Harlem Meer area offers numerous attractions for children, including a larger playground for older children at East 110th Street.

Central Park has 21 playgrounds that are unique in design and character. Most of them were built in the 1930s as part of a system of playgrounds located along the Park perimeter. The Conservancy regularly updates these spaces to include new equipment and infrastructure that reflect changing ideas about children’s play and safety and accessibility standards. Since 2011, the Conservancy has been working to rebuild or renovate all the Park’s playgrounds, with the goal of bringing each of them up to the same standard of excellence at the same time and focusing on making them feel more connected to the Park’s landscapes and experiences.

Children enjoying the sliding ponds under a bright summer sun.
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