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Located at the intersection of North Moore and West Streets, the Pier 26 Playground opened to visitors in late January. Though its footprint is small when compared to mega romping spots nearby at the Pier 25 Playground and Chelsea Waterside Playground, it packs a mighty punch!

The Pier 26 playground has already drawn crowds of downtown families. 

The 4,000-square-foot playground is anchored by a pair of colorful, climbable sturgeon sculptures; each geared toward differing age groups according to the mega-fishes size—a smaller one for little kids, and a mega-sized one for older children. Kids can climb inside and out, learning about fish ecology as well as their habitat in the Hudson River estuary while perfecting gross-motor skills.

When we visited, the playground was absolutely mobbed with excited children who clambered to the top of the fish, whooshed down the slides, and explored the rest of the marine-science-themed playthings dotting the small, but action-packed playground.

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Kids love the interactive, inside-out nature of the play equipment at the Pier 26 playground. 

A perimeter bench gives parents plenty of places to relax while kids explore, too, though we saw tons of these kids-at-heart enjoying the colorful new play structures themselves.

After a romping on the playground, check out the rest of Pier 26, which stretches into the Hudson as an educational oasis and includes a tide deck that lets visitors get close to the water's edge during park-sponsored programs. There are plenty of chairs for lounging, plus glider swings, and an outpost of City Winery.

Photos by the author