Frankfurt has two kinds of playground worth crossing town for. At the staffed adventure playgrounds, kids get hammers, saws and scrap timber to build their own huts, and nobody minds the mud. The forest playgrounds trade that for wooden towers, mazes, splash fields and mini golf under the trees. Here's what we checked, from building dens at Riederwald to the spray jets at Tannenwald.
A staffed adventure playground on 5,000 square meters inside the Riederwald forest, open since 1973. Instead of ready-made equipment, kids get boards, beams, ropes, hammers, nails and saws from the tool hut and build their own towers and dens.
There is mud, sand and water to dig in, a fire pit, and a play house with a kitchen and toilet. Staff hand out tools and lend a hand when asked.
A staffed adventure playground on the northwest edge of Günthersburgpark, where kids borrow hammers, saws and paint from the tool hut and build their own wooden huts. There is also a wooden climbing castle with a bouldering wall, a hillside slide, a campfire pit, a soccer field and a sand area.
The building zone keeps loose boards and nails on purpose, and staff teach kids to handle the risk.
A supervised adventure playground built as a Wild West town, a nod to the American families who once lived in the nearby housing areas. Kids find a stagecoach, wooden horses, a rocket with a roller slide, a mini Grand Canyon, and a water play area with streams for damming and mini canoes. Staff build huts with kids and fire up a bake house for flatbread and bread.
A forest playground of almost three hectares at the foot of the Goetheturm, a 43-meter wooden lookout tower in the Stadtwald. Tall trees shade slides, swings, climbing towers, a wooden maze and a mud play area.
Climb the tower's 196 steps for a view over the southern woods to the skyline. The Goetheruh restaurant sits next door, and the Goetheweg walking trail passes right by.
A forest play park in the Stadtwald, built around a water spray field where kids run through the jets on hot days. There is a separate children's play area and an 18-hole mini golf course with large wooden figures.
The sports side has a roller skating rink, table tennis, a basketball court and a soccer field. A kiosk and toilets are on site.
Waldspielpark Louisa is a city-run play park among the trees of the Frankfurt Stadtwald, with sandy play areas, swings and a big wooden ship to climb. In summer, a splash field and a paddling pool no deeper than 35 cm give kids a way to cool off.
Toilets are on site, and a kiosk sits on the road in front of the park. Dogs are not allowed inside.
Waldspielpark Schwanheim is a water play park in the Schwanheim forest. A big spray field cools kids off on hot days, and a paddling pool is set aside for toddlers. Around them sit play equipment, a row of table tennis tables, an 18-hole mini golf course and a soccer field. A separate barbecue area has open and covered fire pits.
A former villa garden on the northern edge of the Stadtwald, now a city park of about 10 hectares. The play area is kept separate from the garden and built for under-12s: climbing castles, slides, swings, seesaws, sandpits, a merry-go-round and table tennis.
A big lawn draws older kids for football and frisbee, while clipped hedges and rhododendrons keep the garden side quiet.
Heinrich-Kraft-Park is a forest play park in the Fechenheim woods. Its centerpiece is a wooden climbing frame of tree towers joined by walkways, with two long steel tube slides.
The Tabaluga Village is an inclusive play area built so kids with and without disabilities can play side by side. Older kids head for the roller skating rink, the basketball court and the football pitches.
Waldspielpark Tannenwald is a forest playground run by the city of Frankfurt on the edge of Neu-Isenburg. The big draw is the water play area: a spray field and jets on a natural-stone surface, with a red fish sculpture that spits water.
Frankfurt and Neu-Isenburg rebuilt it for €1.3 million after a four-year closure, adding a new building with toilets. It suits kids who want to get soaked on a hot day.
Volkspark Niddatal, which locals call Niddapark or the BUGA grounds, is the city's largest park, with 168 hectares of riverside meadows along the Nidda. On its western edge sits a big play area with a climbing castle, a large sandbox, a double zip line, tire swings, ping-pong tables and a skate park. Next to it, a splash area sprays fountains with no pool, so even toddlers can run through.
Frankfurt has two kinds of playground worth crossing town for. At the staffed adventure playgrounds, kids get hammers, saws and scrap timber to build their own huts, and nobody minds the mud. The forest playgrounds trade that for wooden towers, mazes, splash fields and mini golf under the trees. Here's what we checked, from building dens at Riederwald to the spray jets at Tannenwald.
A staffed adventure playground on 5,000 square meters inside the Riederwald forest, open since 1973. Instead of ready-made equipment, kids get boards, beams, ropes, hammers, nails and saws from the tool hut and build their own towers and dens.
There is mud, sand and water to dig in, a fire pit, and a play house with a kitchen and toilet. Staff hand out tools and lend a hand when asked.
A staffed adventure playground on the northwest edge of Günthersburgpark, where kids borrow hammers, saws and paint from the tool hut and build their own wooden huts. There is also a wooden climbing castle with a bouldering wall, a hillside slide, a campfire pit, a soccer field and a sand area.
The building zone keeps loose boards and nails on purpose, and staff teach kids to handle the risk.
A supervised adventure playground built as a Wild West town, a nod to the American families who once lived in the nearby housing areas. Kids find a stagecoach, wooden horses, a rocket with a roller slide, a mini Grand Canyon, and a water play area with streams for damming and mini canoes. Staff build huts with kids and fire up a bake house for flatbread and bread.
A forest playground of almost three hectares at the foot of the Goetheturm, a 43-meter wooden lookout tower in the Stadtwald. Tall trees shade slides, swings, climbing towers, a wooden maze and a mud play area.
Climb the tower's 196 steps for a view over the southern woods to the skyline. The Goetheruh restaurant sits next door, and the Goetheweg walking trail passes right by.
A forest play park in the Stadtwald, built around a water spray field where kids run through the jets on hot days. There is a separate children's play area and an 18-hole mini golf course with large wooden figures.
The sports side has a roller skating rink, table tennis, a basketball court and a soccer field. A kiosk and toilets are on site.
Waldspielpark Louisa is a city-run play park among the trees of the Frankfurt Stadtwald, with sandy play areas, swings and a big wooden ship to climb. In summer, a splash field and a paddling pool no deeper than 35 cm give kids a way to cool off.
Toilets are on site, and a kiosk sits on the road in front of the park. Dogs are not allowed inside.
Waldspielpark Schwanheim is a water play park in the Schwanheim forest. A big spray field cools kids off on hot days, and a paddling pool is set aside for toddlers. Around them sit play equipment, a row of table tennis tables, an 18-hole mini golf course and a soccer field. A separate barbecue area has open and covered fire pits.
A former villa garden on the northern edge of the Stadtwald, now a city park of about 10 hectares. The play area is kept separate from the garden and built for under-12s: climbing castles, slides, swings, seesaws, sandpits, a merry-go-round and table tennis.
A big lawn draws older kids for football and frisbee, while clipped hedges and rhododendrons keep the garden side quiet.
Heinrich-Kraft-Park is a forest play park in the Fechenheim woods. Its centerpiece is a wooden climbing frame of tree towers joined by walkways, with two long steel tube slides.
The Tabaluga Village is an inclusive play area built so kids with and without disabilities can play side by side. Older kids head for the roller skating rink, the basketball court and the football pitches.
Waldspielpark Tannenwald is a forest playground run by the city of Frankfurt on the edge of Neu-Isenburg. The big draw is the water play area: a spray field and jets on a natural-stone surface, with a red fish sculpture that spits water.
Frankfurt and Neu-Isenburg rebuilt it for €1.3 million after a four-year closure, adding a new building with toilets. It suits kids who want to get soaked on a hot day.
Volkspark Niddatal, which locals call Niddapark or the BUGA grounds, is the city's largest park, with 168 hectares of riverside meadows along the Nidda. On its western edge sits a big play area with a climbing castle, a large sandbox, a double zip line, tire swings, ping-pong tables and a skate park. Next to it, a splash area sprays fountains with no pool, so even toddlers can run through.
