Brooklyn Playground Tour: Undersea Fun At Playground 278

Welcome to our series that takes a look at playgrounds around Brooklyn! Searching for a fun new spot to explore with the kids? From innovative, interactive playspaces to traditional (but equally fun!) spots, we’ll guide you through the many awesome playground choices in our borough.

This week, we took a trip to Marine Park to explore the nautical-themed Playground 278. Nestled within Brooklyn’s largest park, Playground 278 is popular with neighborhood kids who love to steer the pirate ship playset, or cool off among sunken treasure chests in the spray pad.

With two playsets built for varying abilities and a fully-accessible swing set, Playground 278 is well equipped for kids with special needs. The surrounding pathways have been well maintained, also, so it was easy to navigate a stroller with only a few small bumps along the way.

For parents, Playground 278 offers benches to relax on while keeping an eye on the kids, but little cover. On hot, sunny days, parents are usually sitting in the small, grassy perimeter around the playground under the shade of the trees. This isn’t a fully-enclosed park either, so if you’ve got an escape artist, you’ll be putting in some extra leg-work.

The surrounding neighborhood is largely residential, so if you’re heading out to Playground 278, we’d recommend you pack food and drinks. While you’ll usually find an ice cream truck parked near the playground, there are limited restaurant choices nearby.

While not Marine Park’s newest playground (that distinction goes to Lenape Playground across the street), Playground 278 is a fun way to end a day exploring the 530 acres of Marine Park — or even two days! This month, Urban Park Rangers will be hosting free family camping at Marine Park. Space is limited and participants will be selected by lottery. Registration will open August 18 and camping will take place on August 28. For more information, visit the NYC Parks website.

With Marine Park’s full calendar of events, like this weekend’s Perseid meteor shower, you may just find yourself spending a lot more time in the neighborhood.

Planning a visit to Playground 278? Send us your pics! Tag #citykidcorner so we can see those smiling faces, and your picture may just end up on the site!

What’s your favorite playground in Brooklyn? Share the details in the comments, or by emailing us at editor@bklyner.com and we may feature it in our next playground profile.