Gipson Play Plaza — Attraction in Raleigh

Folks get ready, this place will win EVERY AWARD out there! It is BY FAR the nicest and COOLEST park/playground in the country! That’s right, I said it, it’s the best in the NATION! Whatever I type here won’t be enough…. It cannot possibly describe the attention to detail and design that went into this place.

I was speaking with a friend who went with us to a private preview event. She compared it to something you’d find at DISNEY WORLD! And she is correct!!

This place is AWESOME!

I can’t say enough good about it. There are 6-7 incredible slides with climbing walls next to them for the kids. There are MULTI-LEVEL bridges and rope bridges and tube-slides. Atop that there are whirly-gigs. There’s a maze (not grown in yet), there’s an interactive mirror wall. It’s actually an art installment piece that is setup for the kids and adults to walk through. It’s Similar to the house of mirrors at the fair, but WAYY nicer. There’s a separate swing set area. There are MULTIPLE water features for the kids including streams that they can control the water to. There’s a sandy beach that all these man-made streams lead to. These are all accessible to and are there FOR the kids to play in.

There’s a koi-pond. There’s a Massive man-made waterfall the kids like to run through and stand in. I suggest taking a towel or a change of clothes. Or have your child wear a bathing suit, it’ll dry faster and that will help. Wear shoes that can get wet or plan on taking yours off! There’s a beautiful restroom area (I never thought I’d type that!!). Parking was OK for our event but I foresee it becoming an issue when this officially opens on June 6th or 7th 2025. There were a couple food trucks. I recommend bringing water with you. When we return, I’ll probably chug a bottle of water before I get out of the car to enter. Almost forgot, Sunscreen- you’ll definitely want sunscreen. One recommendation I have for Dix Park/Gipson Play Park is: consider installing an area near the entrance with free lockers for folks to use. I noticed a Lot of families carrying their beach bags around with them. We were one of them! Some of those people left their belongings at one of the benches near the entry. We did as well. That’s fine for a private event, but I could foresee possible issues with that in the future. There were a handful of Raleigh police there. I’d just hate for a great family day to be ruined bc someone swiped a bag or for the kids to witness someone getting arrested for swiping a bag. We eventually just took our bag back to the car bc you can re-enter. So if you can do without a bag, I think that would be best for you. Then you can just play and have fun like your kids will be doing! The staff was awesome. The place is super clean and is 17.5 acres. I took some pictures and a couple videos. They really don’t do the place justice. It’s SOOO NICE! It is going to be a madhouse when it does officially open. If this review helped you, please click 👍 and...

The park is beautiful, the landscaping and design behind the water play and play structures are really cool. From an educational mindset I can really love it.

However, from a safety mindset it scared me. All the slides are METAL. It looks pretty but in this heat it will burn you. So much so that they have tents at the bottom of the slides, blankets they put over slides, and mobile signs that say out of order due to maintenance ( aka the slide is too hot to be on right now). They also have put a permanent sign up in the toddler sandy area next to a slide that says caution surface may be hot. My kids are currently 7,5, and 3. The 7 and 5 year old could do everything… my 3 year old is tall for their age put still struggled on the massive hills. The main play area says it is built for 5-12 year olds and I actually would agree with this assessment. Often I think the age range posted on playgrounds are higher than they need to be.

As far as keeping track of your kids… there are many blind areas… your kids can trail off without realizing it. I go to playgrounds often with my kids and it stressed me out. The first thing I saw in the park were two officers looking for a missing child… ( child was found - don’t worry!)

The water area is not a splash pad. It’s an exploration of water and how it moves… it mixes SAND and WATER together. There are lots of rocks to climb on in the water and the water is not very deep… maybe 6 inches at its deepest. We went in July. The water is WARM.

Down a little farther is a waterfall which does have cold water and I could smell the chlorine there. My kids loved the waterfall. We also spent a long time in the creek area.

There is NO shade. Bring lots of water to drink and sunscreen to wear. Because of all the rocks… bring band aids. They have a mobile safety trailer set up near the waterfall… so if you get hurt go there… it just bothers me they needed to add this.

Strollers … I took my double stroller but simply parked it with our stuff places. It is technically wheel chair and stroller accessible but not easily so… your kids will run off in one direction while you take the windy path around … by the time you get where you were headed the kids have gone off to the next thing. Also a double stroller will not fit in the individual restrooms/ changing cabanas. So if you have a baby and older more mobile kids I see this being very stressful. I’m now to the point that I bring the stroller to hold our stuff and the tired kids on our way out.

I would also come in swimsuits and bring a change of clothes to come home in.

All of this to be said and my kids are already begging to go back. They loved it. Also FYI it is VERY, VERY busy and summer camps come in...

We recently visited Gipson Play Plaza at Dix Park with our two kids (ages 6 and 9), and it was a day full of excitement, though not without a few hiccups.

What We Loved:

The kids absolutely adored the climbing structures! The multi-story climbing towers and ropes courses were a huge hit. Slide Valley and the Sensory Maze were highlights, with the maze’s interactive elements like mirrors and musical features keeping the kids engaged for a solid hour.

Clean bathroom. Parking was amble but will have to keep looking for a spot.

What Could Be Better: The water play areas, particularly Watermill Mountain and the splash pad at Fountain Plaza, were a bit underwhelming compared to the climbing structures. While the kids still had fun with the pulleys, spouts, and dams, we noticed that a couple of the hand pumps at Watermill Mountain were out of order, which was disappointing. It limited the interactive water play, and with the heat, the kids were really looking forward to cooling off more. The splash pad was fine but felt a little small for the number of kids trying to use it on a busy weekend.

Speaking of the heat, the lack of shade is a significant issue. There are some trees and plantings, but they’re still young and don’t provide much coverage yet. A lot of the play structures, especially the metal ones, got extremely hot under the sun. We had to keep a close eye on the kids to make sure they didn’t touch surfaces that could burn them—it’s something to be cautious about, especially on summer days. Adding more shade sails or canopies would make a huge difference. The ice cream cart was a fun treat, but $8 per cup felt steep, especially for a family outing where costs add up quickly. We also wished there were more affordable snack options at the market, as the prices there leaned a bit high for what you get.

Overall Experience: Gipson Play Plaza is a fantastic addition to Raleigh and a must-visit for families with active kids. The variety of play areas, from climbing towers to the sensory maze, kept our kids entertained for hours, and the picnic area made it easy to spend the whole day. However, the out-of-order hand pumps, lack of shade, and scorching metal surfaces were drawbacks that impacted our experience. If you’re planning a visit, bring sunscreen, hats, and water shoes, and maybe pack your own snacks to save on costs. We’ll definitely be back, but I hope they address the shade issue and fix those pumps soon to make it an even...