The Best Accessible Playgrounds in Columbus for all abilities

Kids of ALL abilities need to play and enjoy playgrounds, so its important to have plenty of options of accessible playgrounds for kids with disabilities or special needs.

Accessible and inclusive playgrounds allow kids living with disabilities to play alongside kids without disabilities, which can help foster better understanding, friendship, and community.

We’ve gathered a big list of inclusive and accessible playgrounds in Columbus.

These playgrounds aim to allow social connections, sensory stimulation, physical exercise, and access to nature for all – no matter ability or age – to make it easier for families to enjoy trips to playgrounds.

If you know of other accessible playgrounds around Columbus and Central Ohio, let us know in the comments or at info@columbusonthecheap.com

NOTE: Playgrounds are open, but consider the following

• Use playgrounds at your own risk
• Most playground equipment is not sanitized regularly (if ever)
• Encourage kids to avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth while playing and regularly wash hands with soap or use hand sanitizer
• Maintain distance from others as much as possible

Accessible Playgrounds North/NE/NW Columbus

All Children’s Playground

345 E. Wilson Bridge Rd. Worthington, OH 43085
Notes: Located adjacent to the Worthington Community Center, provides an interactive environment for children of all capabilities to share in an open play area. Ramps and a rubber surface make the site totally accessible for wheelchair use.

Carriage Place Park

4900 Sawmill Road, Columbus OH 43235
Note: This 13 acre park also features a picnic area, a recreation center, and a trail. The surfacing is a combination of pour-in-place rubber and wood mulch (EWF) which may make it more difficult for a person using a wheelchair to maneuver.

Emerald Fields

4040 Wyandotte Woods Blvd, Dublin, OH 43016
Notes: Massive, toddler-friendly, fully-accessible playground

The Miracle League Playground at Darree Fields

6259 Cosgray Road, Dublin, OH 43016
Notes: Home to Miracle League Field, a unique baseball field for children with mental and physical challenges 

Every Kid’s Playground Liberty Township Boundless Playground

Liberty Park, 2507 Home Rd Powell OH 43065
Note: The playground has a popular rolling slide, a Sway Fun glider, double-seater see saw, sand area and lots of flowers planted along the perimeter. The shelter house offers a broad picnic patio, picnic tables that will accommodate wheelchairs and spacious bathrooms, including a family restroom.

Millstone Creek Playground

745 N Spring Rd, Westerville OH 43082
Note: This unique accessible playground includes traditional playground equipment, futuristic equipment, and a nature play area. Additional features include a “sound garden” with instruments, a watchtower for parents, a boardwalk leads over a wetlands area, a maintained shallow area offers children a safe way to explore natural waterways, an “Earth Play” area features a pit where children can hunt through sand for casts of fossils, a cement path in that area is stamped with animal tracks, a dry riverbed, and more.

North Orange Park

7560 Gooding Boulevard, Delaware, OH 43015
Notes: The 36-arce North Orange Park has grown to include many features. Among these are paved walking trails, nature trail, fishing ponds, soccer fields, basketball courts, a playground with many Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible features, shelter, sledding hill, and the North Orange Aquatic Center.

Gahanna Sunpointe Park Kaleidoscope Playground

670 McCutcheon Rd.
Note: Inclusive and accessible playground opened in April 2019. This smooth surface playground has a little bit of everything–swinging, spinning, sliding and climbing with a flush merry-go-round, spinning disc, instruments, porch swings, accessible swings, including double swings, swayfun, ramps, and more.

PRIDE Playground

Greensview Elementary School, 4301 Greensview Dr., Upper Arlington OH 43220
Note: Playground includes a large performer dome, spinner bowls, a spica — which is a rotating play piece — an accessible seat swing, arch swing, cruise line, balance trax, wheelchair accessible table, outdoor instruments, and more. The playground is also part of Sunny 95 Park.

Welcome Playground

Barrington Elementary School, 1780 Barrington Rd, Upper Arlington OH 43221
Note: Playground is opened to the public during non-school hours. The playground includes a ramped structure, swings, accessible swing seats, Aeroglider, A Cozy Cocoon designed for children with autism, a see-saw and spinners. The playground has surfacing which is a combination of wood chips (EWF) and pour-in-place. The Wood Chips may make is more difficult for a person using a wheelchair to maneuver through the playground.

Homestead Metro Park

4675 Cosgray Road, Hilliard, OH 4302. 6
Note: Two wheel chair accessible play areas, 3/4 mile paved trail, sand area, nature play sensory tables. 

Accessible Playgrounds South/SE/SW Columbus

Livingston Park Playground

760 E. Livingston Ave, Columbus, Ohio
Note: Located across the street from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Wheelchair accessible, Swayfun

Franklin Park

1755 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43203
Note: Located adjacent to Franklin Park Conservatory. Outdoor musical instruments, saucer and other accessible swings, ramps, and solid rubber paths

Discovery Frontier at Fryer Park

3899 Orders Rd., Grove City, Ohio 43123
Note: All-accessible playground featuring a space theme, with 4 accessible parking spots near the playground.

The Dream Field Playground at Windsor Park

3400 Ventura Boulevard, Grove City, Ohio 43123
Notes: All ages, all abilities playground featuring a sensory-rich environment and safe and inclusive playground equipment. The Mirolo Dream Field at Mount Carmel Stadium, also located within Windsor Park, makes baseball accessible to ballplayers of all abilities featuring a special rubberized surface navigable for those using wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers.

Accessible Playgrounds Outside of Columbus

Harmony Playground

Memorial Park, 108 Mount Vernon Ave, Mount Vernon, Ohio 4350
Note: Fully inclusive, solid rubber surface playground. Equipment includes accessible whirl (flush to the ground spinner), aeroglider, cozy cocoon, cruise line, musical instruments, crawl tube, climbing tunnel, accessible and multigenerational swings, u-bounce, unity dome, unity rockr, unity spinr, we-saw, ramps, and SO much more! There are some shaded areas and tables. This looks like an amazing park!

Granville Wildwood Park

785 West Broadway Granville, OH 43023
Notes: This is a great, smooth surface fenced park with one side gears towards toddlers, and the other side for older kids. You’ll find accessible swings, multi-person see-saw, book nook, ramped play equipment and wide slide, musical instruments, pretend car front, wobble bridge, and more. There isn’t any shade within the playground, so go early on hot days. The bathrooms are at the pavilion quite a distance through grass or gravel.

Newark Rotary Accessible Playground

Newark Rotary Park, 929 Sharon Valley Rd, Newark OH 43055
Notes: The location is on the campus of The Ohio State University-Newark and Central Ohio Technical College and placed adjacent to the Newark Rotary pavilion. The site features a paved parking lot and restroom facilities, and provides easy access to the bike path.

While it is accessible and has TONS of fun features, it can be difficult to get from one side to another due to the system of bridges and ramps. If you are visiting with multiple children who need a close eye kept on them, we suggest you bring another adult with you. There is a place where you can stand in the middle and look out over the playground, but if you have children that need a lot of help, you’ll want to stay close by.

If you have a child who wanders, you will want to be sure you can watch him/her closely, as there is a creek and hiking trail behind the unfenced playground. We do not consider it a good park for kids who are “runners” unless you are prepared to be near them at all times.

Sensory Trail and the Accessible Tree House

1592 Granville Pike, Lancaster, OH 43130 ( (behind Forest Rose School, near OU-Lancaster and accessible from the Lancaster Heritage Trail
Notes: All features of this park – nature stations, wheelchair accessible tree house, swing set, outdoor music instruments – are along the trail so those using a wheelchair or walker can enjoy everything in the park. While this isn’t a typically playground, the tree house is huge and my son had a lot of fun. See more details here.

Hunter Park all-abilities, multi-generational playground

907 Lincoln Ave, Lancaster, OH
Notes: The playground features unique and fun accessible playground equipment, adult fitness equipment and a soft, solid rubber surface. This park open in 2019, build as a gift from the The Kiwanis Club of Lancaster. Read more about the park opening here.

Mary Virginia Crites Hannan Park

1230 Pontius Road Circleville Ohio 43113
Notes: This 72-acre park is the newest and offers a natural park experience. Visitors enjoy an “Boundless Playground”, butterfly garden, a bird watching station, fire pit, a 1.2 mile paved trail, and a splash pad. There is also hiking trails. 

If you know of other accessible playgrounds in Central Ohio, let us know in the comments or at info@columbusonthecheap.com

Looking for more all abilities fun? Check out our link to disability-friendly and sensory-friendly events, activities, and resources in Columbus.

Disability friendly and sensory friendly in Columbus