Playgrounds at Walt Disney World

While it may be hard to fathom a need for a playground after walking miles through parks each day, any parent of toddlers knows that kids come with endless supplies of energy. Add to this a never ending supply of sweet treats at every turn and you’ll be looking for any way to induce a nap or early bedtime.

Luckily Disney has you covered with an abundance of playgrounds throughout the property. Most of the resort hotels as well as three of the four theme parks have play areas designed specifically for small children!

Playground at Animal Kingdom

The Boneyard

The Boneyard is the biggest play area on Walt Disney World property. It is located in the Dinoland U.S.A. section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Here you’ll find a dig site, three story climbing structure, tunnels, slides and excellent theming. The area is fenced and gated making it a safe space to let your littles run. You’ll want to keep a close eye though, with many tunnels and stairs it’s easy to lose sight if you’re not paying attention.

Playgrounds at Epcot

Green Landing Play Zone

With just one way in and one way out, the Green Landing Family Play Zone is a perfect space to let toddlers hop out of the stroller and blow off some steam.

This playground is located just behind the Creations store across from Test Track in World Discovery. It’s also the perfect spot to wait with little ones while the rest of the family hit the “big kid rides” in the area.

Journey to the Imagination with Figment

Located in World Nature, this toddler friendly ride offers a fun surprise interactive play area after you exit the ride itself. If your party prefers to skip the ride, you can still access this play area by entering the shop to the left of the ride entrance.

There are fun interactive musical activities, like a giant wall piano. You’ll also find character meet and greets with Joy and Vanellope von Schweets.

Festival Pop-up on the path near Starbucks/Refreshment Port

Epcot hosts multiple festivals throughout the season. During one or two of these you may be lucky enough to come across this pop up playground on the path between World Nature and World Showcase.

When not in use as a playground, this area is typically set up as a turf/grass space with seating, making it still a great place to take a break and let toddlers run around.

Pop up playgrounds in Epcot — *Pop-up playground can sometimes be found during festivals at Epcot*

Mission: Space Space Base

While toddlers won’t be able to ride Mission: Space, the play area inside the ride building has a great play zone for them! Space Base is split into two play areas with one being specifically for children aged 2-5.

Playgrounds at Magic Kingdom

Tom Sawyer’s Island

Tom Sawyer’s Island is a classic! It is located in the Frontierland section of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. A quick raft ride brings you to the island where you and your toddler can climb and play your way around the island.

Interactive Queues: Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh

Magic Kingdom also has two great interactive play areas built into two popular ride queues. Note: if you use Genie+ for these rides you will skip the interactive portion of the lines.

First up is Dumbo The Flying Elephant located in Fantasyland. Once you enter the indoor portion of the queue, your little ones are free to play. Each party is given a pager that will vibrate when your party can return to the next portion of the line.

Interactive playground inside the queue for Dumbo — *Inside the interactive queue for Dumbo*

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride is also located in Fantasyland. The fun in this queue takes place right in the stand-by line. So it is less of a playground and more of a happy distraction while waiting in line. Note: this ride is a favorite for many toddlers, but mine was a bit sensitive to the bumpiness and dark portion.

If you want to ready more about rides for toddlers at Magic Kingdom head to this post next: Toddler Rides at Disney’s Magic Kingdom – With Map!

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels with Playgrounds

One of the great features of Walt Disney World Resort Hotels are the on-site playgrounds. These are a great place to tire out toddlers at the end of the day when the rest of you are spent!

Most Disney hotels have playgrounds, however some do not. If it is important for you to have this feature, consider one of the following:

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel

In the event you’ve already planned to stay at a hotel that is not listed, don’t worry, playgrounds are able to be enjoyed by all guests when visiting other WDW hotels. Utilize Disney transportation or drive and park during low traffic times.

Note: during busier times you may be turned away from parking. If this is the case you can check with a Castmember at your resort to find the best way to travel to other resorts.

I always recommend trying to visit the value resorts with your toddlers even when not staying at one of these hotels. The larger than life statues and themed areas are always a big hit and a favorite place to run around.