Thanks to parks departments and dedicated volunteer groups in the Des Moines area, the dream of integrated, uninhibited play for ALL children is becoming a reality in more communities. Featuring ground-level playthings, smooth surfaces, wide ramps for wheelchairs, belts and buckles for added protection, and plenty of rest and reflection areas to retire to between bouts of fun, these playgrounds are beyond special.
You can find more information about family friendly activities for Des Moines families on our Event Calendar. And, be sure to sign up for our FREE Weekend Fun Guide so you can get posts like this delivered to your inbox.
Please verify information before heading to any location or attraction, since information may change.
The Des Moines metro has a growing number of parks and playgrounds that cater to every outdoor adventurer, particularly children with special needs. Here’s where you can find them:
Ashley Oakland Star Playground – Des Moines
Located in Ewing Park and managed by Des Moines Parks and Recreation, a visit to Ashley Oakland Star Park Playground is an adventure that your whole family will enjoy! The enormous jungle gym is the first all-inclusive playground in Des Moines. It features 50 different play elements designed to provide play for people of all ages and abilities.
Doanes Park – Pleasant Hill
While not fully inclusive, Doanes Park playground areas are ADA accessible with rubber tile fall protection and has Cloud 9 accessible swings. In addition, this 43-acre community park has a large open green space, picnic areas, trails, restrooms, ball fields and tennis courts that will provide a morning and afternoon of outdoor family fun.
Enabling Garden – Altoona
In this two-acre patch of paradise, you and your family are free to explore an interactive Children’s Garden. The garden was designed to enable everyone to enjoy it—hence the name, the Enabling Garden. It features innovative, barrier-free design elements – like raised beds and vertical wall gardens – that accommodate people of all ages and abilities.
Eric’s Place, Valley Community Center – West Des Moines
The Valley Community Center Inclusive Playground, “Eric’s Place”, was designed with children of all ages and abilities in mind. It offers a swing and merry-go-round that children in a wheelchair can enjoy and have fun on. The play equipment has a double wide ramp, that allows room for children to run and play, and several types of slides.
Northview Park – Urbandale
The All-Inclusive Playground located at Northview Park is designed to provide opportunities for children of all ages and abilities (including those with disabilities) to enjoy using the equipment and participate in fun outdoor activities. The playground surface has a cushioned rubberized surface to help prevent injuries and has a completely flat surface to eliminate any barriers to wheelchair users or visually impaired participants.
Miracle Park All-Inclusive Playground – Ankeny
This all-inclusive park in Ankeny features various play amenities that youth with and without special needs can enjoy. Roller Tables, Sway Fun Gliders, Sensory Play Center, and an Omni Spinner are all components to enjoy. All play accessories are at wheelchair transfer height, making it easy to move a wheelchair in and out of or transferring from a wheelchair to the play feature. The playground also features a rubberized, latex-free surface.
Triumph Park – Waukee
This 15,000-square-foot playground features mobility device access at various levels, rubberized surfacing for accessibility and safety, a seating wall, sensory features, STEM panels, shade structures, and accessible parking and restrooms. The Waukee EPIC Inclusive Playground ia situated near the Greater Iowa Credit Union Miracle League® Field and the facility’s ADA-compliant fishing pier.
Riverview Star Playground – Des Moines
Installation has begun on Des Moines’ second inclusive playground, This massive 14,500 square foot playground will pay homage the Riverview Amusement Park. Its design is inspired by the original park rides including the iconic Wild Mouse. The Variety Star Playground will address the needs of every child and encourage children, adults and families to experience the benefits of play together. The playground will feature several inclusive amenities in three distinct areas with equipment that is age appropriate for children 6-23 months, 2-5 years and 6-12 years old.
Terra Park – Johnston
Terra Park in Johnston is a 200-acre park that mixes play and education. While not fully inclusive, a large majority of Terra Park’s playground is wheelchair accessible. That includes the playground’s tree feature and its swings. The park’s eight-acre fishing lake, which is stocked with large-mouth bass, channel catfish and bluegill, also has a wheelchair accessible fishing pier.
Did we miss your favorite inclusive or accessible playground in the Des Moines area? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list.
