With more museums than any other city in the world, Mexico City is rich in cultural and educational activities for kids of all ages.
However, there are always times when you will need to let your kids blow off some steam. Here are two of our favourite kids’ parks we found when we visited in mid-2022.
1. Lincoln Park
Given the population density of Mexico City, it is not always easy to find well-equipped children’s playgrounds. However, nestled at one end of Lincoln Park in the Polanco neighborhood, you will find a superb park for kids. In truth, we would never have found this place if it wasn’t for a tip from a good friend who used to live in the area before moving to La Paz.
Although the size of the various climbing frames is impressive, the park has a couple of things that helped us to appreciate it even more.
Firstly, it offers swings with a solid back. Despite loving to swing high and fast, Harriet lacks the core strength for us to let her do it without concerns, so the tall backrest meant she could go very high and very fast without the risk of falling off. Luca’s age also prevents him from going as fast as he would like on a regular swing (“mas rapido, mama!”), but this let him match Harriet all the way. The swing’s design doesn’t use traditional swing rope/chains, so it took the two of them a moment to feel comfortable, but they soon got the hang of it.
Secondly, the entire climbing frame is designed around a central concourse that gets progressively higher the more you walk along it. Naturally, that means the activities connected to the concourse (slides, climbing walls, etc.) also increase in height and difficulty. If you have children of differing ages and abilities, the gradient is much appreciated.
Better still, the park doesn’t only offer the playground; there is also a small aviary that costs just $7 pesos to enter (though beware, you cannot go inside if you have a pushchair—you will need to leave it at the entrance). There are also small ponds you can stroll around, and dozens of restaurants and ice-cream shops where you can get refreshments along the north side.
2. Parque la Hormiga
Located on the south side of Chapultapec Park Section I, Parque la Hormiga is not like a traditional kids’ playground. Instead, it consists of a series of large steel structures in the shape of ants and other critters, each of which has ropes and bars connecting the different points of the design. Some of the frames are surprisingly large; kids can get a good few meters off the ground!
Be aware, because the park is inside a gated area, it has fixed times. When we were there, it shut at 4.30pm. This wasn’t something we knew when we arrived. Luckily, we could enjoy an hour of playing before it closed, but the call from the parkkeeper to clear out still came as a surprise. The park is closed entirely on Mondays.
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