8 Fun Playgrounds in Jacksonville, FL [Outdoor + Indoor Playgrounds]

Key Points

• Boone Park, Fishweir Park, and Landon Park are all in Jacksonville’s historic neighborhoods. Combine a trip to these playgrounds with something nice for the parents at any of the shops nearby in the downtown areas.
• For indoor playgrounds, don’t miss out on Hammond Plaza. It is a very large indoor playground great for the hot summers, when it’s harder to spend time outside.
• Ronnie Van Zant Park, in Clay County, has some of the largest playground facilities in  the area. It is a bit of a drive from Jacksonville, but it’s worth a trip there at least once.

If there’s one thing I appreciated most about living in Jacksonville, it was the parks and playgrounds. My son was born in 2018, and living in Avondale we could easily walk to several playgrounds in the neighborhood. If we got bored with those, there was a near endless number of playgrounds just a short drive away.

The only catch is that Jacksonville is hot in the summer. Sometimes it’s hot in the fall and spring, too. So outdoor playgrounds are not a year-round occasion, at least for us. For that reason, in this list I wanted to include both outdoor and indoor playgrounds.

Boone Park

First up is Boone Park, in Avondale. This was my go-to playground because it was very close to my house and it has lots of equipment.

There are actually two playgrounds at Boone Park. There is Boone Park South, which is on St. Johns right in downtown Avondale. There is also the Boone Park playground on Park St.

Boone Park South has very new, very nice playground equipment. There is an area for both younger and older kids, with separate swings and playground equipment. There is actually some outdoor workout equipment there too, which is nice for parents especially. There are also walking trails that go through a forested area.

The equipment is older on the Park St. playground, but it’s still very nice. There are swings, a covered pavilion, slides for both older and younger kids, and a climbing dome. I personally liked going here more than the newer playground, because it’s typically a lot less crowded.

Fishweir Park

Fishweir Park is another great one in Avondale. There is some pretty standard playground equipment, a basketball court, and a baseball field.

The nicest feature about this park though is the enormous field. If your child likes to run or play ball, this is the place to go.

One word of caution: certain times of the day there are a lot of guys playing basketball. That’s of course no problem, except they say a lot of things to each other (loudly, too) you wouldn’t want your child to hear. You definitely wouldn’t want your child to repeat them. I’ll leave it at that.

Don’t let that deter you from enjoying this park though. The basketball players tend to come in the afternoon (I think after work maybe), so mornings would be a better time to come.

Landon Park

Landon Park is in San Marco, so coming from Avondale it was like a little outing on the weekend. The river views are great here, and there is a small road right on the river next to the park that is a nice place for a walk.

Here again, nice playground equipment. Nothing too fancy, but plenty of slides, swings, swinging bridges, etc. to entertain the kid for a little while.

Parking is on the street. If I were you, I would go to downtown San Marco first, get yourself a cup of coffee (Starbucks in San Marco, for example), then head to the park.

Hammond Plaza

I lived in Jacksonville for 4 or 5 years before hearing about Hammond Plaza, and I think not many people know about it. My son had his birthday party here and had a great time.

Hammond Plaza is run by a Trinity Baptist Church and is a huge indoor playground with a cafe inside, which is a blessing (parents can get themselves something) and a curse (the child will scream for snacks). There is also plenty of seating and free wi-fi.

Losco Regional Park

Losco Regional Park is another little hidden spot in Jacksonville. The playgrounds here are enormous, there is a shaded walking path, and there are also hiking and mountain biking trails in the woods.

Losco has great facilities overall, with plenty of parking, restrooms, benches, and picnic tables.

The Avenues Mall

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The play area at the Avenues Mall is mostly for preschoolers. It’s a free place to go, sit in the AC, and let your kid get some energy out. My wife took my son here occasionally, especially during the summers.

They have a lot of special events throughout the year too, like Santa, the Easter Bunny, a holiday train, and a carnival. So it’s worth checking their site or following them on social media to find out when those are.

It’s even better if both parents go, so you can take turns wandering the mall or going to your favorite stores while the other one watches the kid.

Ronnie Van Zant Park

As the name implies, this park was donated by the family of Ronnie Van Zant, of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

It’s in Clay County, and if you’re coming from Jacksonville it’s going to be kind of a drive. But if you’ve got the time and want to get out of town it’s well worth it. I’ve only been once because of the drive, but if it had been closer I would’ve taken my son there more.

They have the largest park I’ve seen in Jacksonville. It kind of just keeps going and going. Stuff for the big kids, stuff for the little kids, and stuff for the adults, too. I’m talking about basketball courts, disc golf, tennis, a volleyball court, and a nature trail.

South Beach Park and Sunshine Playground

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South Beach Park is in Jacksonville Beach, and one of the best things about it is the splash pad. There is also a lot of playground equipment and covered pavilions. So there is a decent amount of shade, which is important in Florida.

It’s real close to the beach access points, so if you’re going to head out that way you might as well make it a day and go to the beach.

The Bottom Line

Jacksonville has more parks and playgrounds than you could possibly need. While any number of them could have made this list, Boone Park and Fishweir Park are both in the Avondale neighborhood and have nice facilities. Landon Park in San Marco is a good place to let your child run around after first getting a treat from downtown San Marco.

Hammond Park, at Trinity Church, is the best indoor playground in Jacksonville. It’s free, has a cafe inside, and even offers free wifi. South Beach Park has a nice splash pad and also plenty of playground facilities.