Audubon Playground along Audubon Avenue, at West 169 Street and West 170 Street, is a children’s playground in Washington Heights. It is adjacent to the school P.S. 128 Audubon.
What’s at Audubon Playground
Open from 7 am to 6 pm from Nov. 1 to March 1, and 7 am to 9 pm from March 2 to Oct. 31, the Audubon Playground has play features that include a water spray system. It underwent a renovation in 2020 as part of the Community Parks Initiative so it looks amazing now.
The playground has two separate play areas. One for children 5 to 12 years old and another for those who are 2 to 5 years old.
This includes a green play structure that was installed in 2020. It features multiple levels for kids to play on.
There are also pseudo-rock structures at the side of the play tower where kids can climb up and imagine that they are rock climbing or bouldering.
This play structure at Audubon Playground is located in a corner of the park, with padded flooring.
The spray fountains come on in the summer, providing cool respite from the heat for kids who can dash through the wet play area. There are separate spray play areas for children from 5 to 12 and 2 to 5 years old.
Kids can also head to the set of swings next to the playground structure, which include swings sets for different ages.
At the middle of the Audubon Playground is a bird house.
Other facilities at Audubon Playground include a junior basketball court along with a multipurpose synthetic turf field.
There are also park benches for seating at the park and public restrooms.
How Audubon Playground Got Its Name
The playground gets its name John James Audubon (1785–1851), who is remembered for his bird paintings and the book, Birds of America. In 1905, the Audubon Society, one of the oldest and biggest conservation organisations in the world, was founded in his honor.
The playground opened in 1962 and was originally called P.S. 128 Playground. It was renamed in 1986 when the adjacent school got a new name.
The playground underwent a complete reconstruction in 2020. This resulted in an upgraded play area, synthetic turf, a misting station, a bird house.
You may also be interested in this other park in Washington Heights.
