I don’t know about y’all, but we are willing to travel for a special playground, and the 35 minutes we spent to get to Knightdale Station Park was 110% worth it. I was just as excited as Peter, and could not stop taking photos of this barn-themed, wooden playground.
There are three main playground structures - a small chicken coop/feed store, a train, and the main barn house and silo. (The coup/train area is geared toward the 2-5 crowd, with the large barn for the bigger kids, but no one’s there checking IDs , so go hog wild and explore it all.) Besides for these structures, this playground and park truly have it all:
• Plenty of swings - including a very interesting double parent-child swing
• A sand pit with huge old tires
• A small barn with spinning numbers
• A picnic shelter
• Plenty of benches and places to sit, many that also have coverage from the sun
• Hopscotches painted on the sidewalk
• A dog park
• A splash pad (not currently open, but honestly, it’s a wee bit cold for that right now)
The small details at this park, like animal tracks in the sidewalk, really just make it clear this place was put together with a lot of thought and love.
If you need a break from the playground, there are also some paved trails in the park, including one that’s probably about a 1/4 mile around a small pond close by the playground. Peter had a great time climbing on some of the big rocks around this loop.
As far as logistics - bathrooms were open, we found plenty of parking, and the park was stroller friendly.
Our last comment here is actually about something we found not in the park, but on the way to the park. A little ways down N First Avenue before we turned into the park, we found a beautiful, old red train car. (See our last photo here. This is across from La Mexicanita.) There is minimal parking on the side of the road, but we enjoyed stopping for a minute to walk up the steps and take a peek inside the car. Definitely a must-see for any budding train enthusiasts!
Have you been to Knightdale Station Park? Let us know in the comments!
(Note: We're currently working on updating our website with our reviews. This review was originally posted on Instagram and Facebook on November 20, 2020.)