Granite Slides at the Tip of the Island: Battery Playscape

The granite slides, set into the bluff.

The Battery Playscape opened at the southern tip of Manhattan in late 2021, and it was worth every year of the wait. It's big — a full acre and a half — and it's laid out as a string of landscapes rather than a jungle gym in a rubber square: bluffs, a riverbed, a marsh, dunes, and a meadow, all designed to flood and bounce back, since the Battery has seen its share of storm surges.

The ShowBox stage — curtain up!

The slides may be the best in the city. They're polished granite, set into a rocky bluff, and they are fast. Big kids treat the tall ones like a racetrack, little ones get a baby slide of their own, and more than a few parents looked tempted. I went down the slide “to test it for safety.” Then I tested it eleven more times.

Rope climbs up to the treehouses.

There are treehouses, rope bridges, climbing towers, sand and water play, and odd little discoveries tucked around corners. For us, the surprise hit was the little stage — a small theater built right into the playground. My daughter put on a show for an audience of one tired dad, and I'd buy a ticket again.

The rope bridge, high above the gardens.

Afterward, the SeaGlass Carousel is right nearby, and it's gorgeous: you ride inside glowing fish. That's a perfect end to the outing.

The one catch: the bathrooms were closed for renovations, and the nearest open ones were a bit of a hike. Plan ahead. Verdict: highly recommended.