Intersection of Broad and Fort Lee Road, Leonia, NJ. Parking is in the back of the Leonia Library (227 Fort Lee Road), you’ll see a big sign for Wood Park. Other than the park, you can play tennis, basketball, and there are picnic tables close to the big section. I didn’t talk to anyone to find out the scoop on some cool nearby places, so please comment if you have any suggestions.Â
3 Playground Sections:
Little: Fenced, some shade, but a bit sunny, no benches, but you can lean on the fence. (pictured in gallery)
Mid-section: A couple swings, including an interesting looking one with a couple benches. (pictured in gallery).Â
Big: Not fenced, no benches nearby but there are picnic tables across the rock/sculpture. (pictured in gallery) My son had a great time chasing a local kid there, my youngest joined in the fun and they would continue to hide under the dinosaur/dragon steps. From going back and forth from the big one to the smaller playground the kids really spent some energy.Â
Side note: If you notice one of the pictures you see a pony, the day we went there was a pony program going on, which I had mistakenly thought it was a bday party. It was really cute, on Fridays apparently they do some fun stuff with their students, little races, and games. They do some neat stuff, I checked out their website and they have a week of Pony camp for $165 in Leonia. For bday parties, and other stuff check out Ponyshare.
ADDRESS: 227 Fort Lee Rd
DIRECTIONS: I-80 E towards the George Washington Bridge (GWB). Take the I-95 N exit on the left towards the GWB/NYC. Take exit 70A towards Leonia. Turn slight right onto E DeGraw Ave. E DeGraw Ave turns into Fort Lee Rd. The playground is below the Leonia Public Library. Entrance is on your left.
DESCRIPTION: Very cool playground with two areas for the kids to play. The older kid area has very tall slides, tunnels, and lots of playthings. There is a dinosaur staircase that is one of the only ways to get onto the structure. The corkscrew slide is a tube slide and is the highest part. The little kid section is full of climbing and slides too. There are puzzles and play things to keep them busy.
PARKING: Large paved lot close to the playground.
PICNICKING: Pavillion area with tables.
CLIMBING: Corkscrew poles, traditional climbing wall, repeller, monkey bars, rope steps, mushroom caps, wiggle poles, tunnels
MERRY-GO-ROUND: Four seater merry go round with horse shaped seats
PLAYTHINGS: Tic-tac-toe, baseball matching, puzzles, call boxes, play house, animal rockers, steering wheels
SLIDES: One tube corkscrew, three chute, two triple, three double
SPORTS: Basketball, tennis, hand ball
SWINGS: Two full size, two toddler, flower mini
OTHER COOL STUFF: Cool area that has ancient masks with descriptions of their time and place in history
MAKE A DAY OF IT: Check out the Leonia Public Library for story time hours.
The great part about this park is the ample shade–especially over the picnic area. The downside is the wood chips used on the ground so that your kids will get pretty dirty. Avoid after a rainy day because it does get muddy. There is very little parking but you can make a left onto some side streets and do street parking.
If you want more space (bike riding) you can go further down on Fort Lee Road towards Teaneck and hit Overpeck park. There is a large track field in the middle that is good for picnicking or kite flying. There is an adult circuit gym–which my kids like to play on.
It’s great that the smaller playground (at Wood Park) is fenced so you don’t have to worry about the kids wandering off.
If you get too hot you can cool off in the library–the kids section has some nice toys, too.
For food, there is a fried chicken place–BonChon Chicken, that has great wings–don’t get the spicy one, though! They change the oil they use for frying frequently for the best quality. It does take awhile because they fry to order.
There are tons of dining options in Englewood…just have to drive down Grand Ave. Cosi is a great family friendly option or Baumgart’s.
Hope that helps! Next time you’re in this neck of the woods give me a holler!
Mira
http://www.mirabest.com