While there’s no shortage of wonderful parks in the Austin area, there is one that stands out as a top pick for kids, and it’s just a short drive north to Round Rock. The Play for All Park (located at 151 North A.W. Grimes Blvd.) was originally open in 2012 as a place where children of all abilities could play without limitations, keeping children of special needs in the forefront of the park’s design.The park features some of the coolest play spaces you can imagine! In addition to some pretty fun climbing structures, it has a “pretend town” with buildings and working traffic lights that you can travel through and make stops in the grocery store, fire station, hospital etc. It also has a speedway to race your bikes, a zip line, a shaded sand pit, and more!A community-wide effort from the start, this park included a design task force that included several parents of children with special needs along with professionals from different disciplines in medical, educational, and design fields. This group wanted to offer a variety of play opportunities designed to stimulate and encourage the development of several skill sets such as gross and fine motor skills, social interaction, sense of discovery, creativity and strengthening exercises. And the result is that this park really is a great asset for all kids.

This gated park is massive! It includes 51,000 square feet of outdoor fun, featuring several pods including:

• A Speedway
• Sensory Pod-Sand Box
• Rock Band Pod
• Train Pod
• All Ability Swings
• Brushy Creek Village
• Nature Pod featuring a Tree House
• Zip line

There’s a LOT to explore at this park, and you can plan to pack a picnic and make long play day there. Bring the kids’ bikes, helmets, scooters, big wheels, etc. so that they can zoom around the Speedway and cruise through the fun Village area. Our kiddos love playing around inside and outside of the little buildings in the Village. They get really into pretending to shop at Wag-a-Bag and H-E-B, or pulling up to the drive-thru at the Chick-Fil-A then heading over to the car wash.

There are also plenty of play structures to climb for kids of all ages, including a train-themed playscape. Thankfully, you can count on shade structures over most these areas.

Our kids really enjoy the Rock Band area, as well, where they can use cranks and spin wheels to make a variety of musical sounds.

Little ones love getting busy in the sand pit! You can bring along your shovels and sand toys for some extra entertainment.

Hours & Location: The Play for All park is located at 151 North A.W. Grimes Blvd. Tucked away from busy streets, you’ll find the entrance under the railroad bridge. (Look for a small sign that says “Rabb Park.”) The park is open from 6 a.m. to  midnight, everyday. Of course, it’s always free to use and open to all! For more information, please click here to visit the Round Rock Parks & Rec website.