Find a Free, Accessible Playground on the Upper West Side

Bloomingdale Playground, at 905 Amsterdam Avenue, is a free Upper West Side playground built for kids and adults of every ability. It combines all-abilities play areas, basketball courts, accessible adult fitness equipment and a spray shower in one park, so a family can split up without leaving.

It's open 7 AM to 6 PM every day and costs nothing to enter. If you're building a list of free things to do with kids in NYC this fall, it works as a weekday after-school stop or an easy weekend morning.

Address: 905 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Hours: every day 7 AM–6 PM
Entry: free
Best for: kids of all abilities, pickup basketball, outdoor workouts
Features: basketball courts, all-abilities play areas, adult fitness equipment, spray shower
Access: wheelchair accessible
Rating: 4.3 out of 5 from 126 reviews
Phone: (646) 637-8960

The current layout comes from a 2018 overhaul under the Community Parks Initiative, which added new paths, benches and plantings alongside accessible adult fitness equipment built for all ability levels. So a wheelchair user, a toddler and a parent working out each have a place here. The space was called P.S. 145 Playground until 1997, when it was renamed for the neighborhood's history.

Treat Bloomingdale as a two-track plan: kids take the play areas while older siblings or parents use the basketball courts and the outdoor fitness equipment nearby. It opens at 7 AM and closes at 6 PM, and fall evenings get dark early, so an after-school visit works best before 5 PM. Bring a ball for the courts and water for the workout; entry is free.

To compare playgrounds near the Upper West Side, start with the open hours and what each space is built for. Bloomingdale leads on all-abilities play and adult fitness in one place, while the Riverside Drive playground also opens from 7 AM for an early start by the river. Farther up Amsterdam Avenue, a Harlem playground suits morning workouts and dog walks.

Is Bloomingdale Playground free?
Yes. Entry is free.

What are Bloomingdale Playground's hours?
Every day from 7 AM to 6 PM.

Is Bloomingdale Playground wheelchair accessible?
Yes. It has all-abilities play areas and accessible adult fitness equipment.

Are there basketball courts at Bloomingdale Playground?
Yes, alongside the play areas and a spray shower.

Where is Bloomingdale Playground?
905 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

How is Bloomingdale Playground rated?
4.3 out of 5 from 126 reviews.

Keep planning after Bloomingdale with more outings nearby. A Harlem playground on Amsterdam Avenue is built for morning workouts and dog walks, and the Riverside Drive playground opens from 7 AM. A Riverside Drive pocket park adds a bronze monument with an audio guide, while the Hayden Planetarium pairs a Milky Way space show with dinner. For a longer trip, a Bronx playground with modern slides also has free entry.