Regatta Playground — Attraction in West Orange

The Essex County Regatta Playground is sometimes overshadowed by the more popular venue across the pond, the Turtle Back Zoo, but the playground holds its own ground in terms of enjoyment and pastime.

Sitting adjacent to the reservoir, the playground is located on some of the most beautiful land in Northern Jersey. Surrounded by the larger South Mountain Reservation, the area overall offers a scenic escape from city life and suburbia which factors into this favorable review. There is no street parking. Rather there is a dedicated, free parking lot, with an extensive overflow lot across the main avenue that runs parallel to the playground. From the various times we've visited, we have never seen the main parking lot filled to capacity.

After crossing the thoroughfare, you will encounter a large gazebo with picnic tables as well as public restrooms. To find the park, you will veer left toward a forested area. The short, but wooded pathway sets the tone for the park itself. This area and the landscaping is very well managed which becomes appealing to the playground goers.

To enter the park, you will pass through a large, gated entry which relies on the guests to secure. We found this very desirable with regards to the safety and security of our children and other children. The gate itself, when secured, would be hard for small children to open. This gives a bit of relief to parents whom allow their children to roam the large playground freely, giving a better ability to monitor the access of others in and out of the playground area. On the other side of the coin, it may seem a bit tight within the enclosed space when the playground is busy.

While not the biggest playground area we've seen in Northern Jersey (smaller than the nearby Van Saun Playground), the playsets and variety are still rather sizeable. The main play structure is in the unique design of a ship which gives the playground its playful nature. That is surrounded by smaller climbing and balancing sets. To the side of the main play structure, there is a smaller playset catered to toddlers. Almost as an annex, there is a section purely dedicated to swings and a ropes pyramid.

The playground area is moderately shaded (still recommend sunscreen on any clear day) and has Adirondack chairs around the perimeter to sit at. There are no picnic tables within the enclosed playground area, but you can simply step out and utilize the aforementioned gazebo, or do a full-on picnic on the grassy areas of the overall park.

Overall, the Regatta Playground is unique and a must visit if you are...

Great playground and surrounding areas for people of all ages!

The Regatta Playground in West Orange is one of our new favorite spots. Listed in NJ Family's top playgrounds in the state, Regatta is second only to Overpeck Park in Leonia & Ridgefield Park. However, there are some things that parents should know about this location before making the trip.

If you're looking to Google for directions, you may be a bit confused. Google shows an "A" and a "B" location option for navigation. The "B" takes you to the large parking deck just outside of Turtleback Zoo; the "A" takes you to the boat basin: this is where you want to go. You can (eventually) navigate your way to the playground the deck, but it's a longer walk around the Zoo Loop trail, opposite the lake.

The Regatta is potentially the safest playground I've ever been to - anywhere. No other playgrounds feature a locking gate with a sign that directs caregivers to close and lock the gate behind them. This is truly innovative, and every state and county park should follow this example of safety.

The grounds within the play area are spongy-soft, except for the sidewalk that surrounds the play area; perfect for moving strollers and folks who follow their active children from one area to the next. The entire park facility is equipped with colorful Adirondack chairs, even at the south end of the lake!

The facilities appear to be ideal for ages 2-8. My 9 year-old seemed to get a little bored after about an hour, and my 19 month-old was a little hesitant to get out of her stroller; this afternoon the park was jammed with active older children, making her to be less comfortable or fearful of getting run-over by a larger child.

The pavilion is located just inside the street entrance. There are dozens of round, metal picnic tables - perfect for lunch! Just a stone's throw away is the boat basin. You can rent a swan paddle boat for two at $15.

The walk around the Zoo Loop side of the lake is beautiful. Also, parking does not appear to be an issue. The lakeside lot has expanded a bit from its paved spot. There are portable toilets at the lot's driveway, and two traffic lights prevent cars from zipping by - a plus for your little ones as they cross Cherry Lane.

My only critical is the name: Regatta Playground. Not only does Google fail to recognize the navigation to a dedicated parking lot in the correct address, but nowhere within the park does the name...

This is every child's dream come true for a playground! Parents you'll love it too because you get the peace of mind knowing that the entire playground is fully enclosed within a fence that has just one gate at the entrance/exit that young children aren't able to open on their own. It's a pirate ship complete with all sorts of climbing, scaling, and balancing opportunities. Also, there are swings and plenty of other play structures at this park. To top it off there is a beautiful lake behind the park with a path to walk around it and you can even rent boats to take out on the water there. Additionally, it boats convenient parking for free in the large lot right across the street; for safety assurance there is a street light for getting those little ones across with ease.

The South Mountain Reservation for hiking, BBQs, kite flying and such along with The Turtle Back Zoo is right there along with many other family friendly places to have fun and lots of other things for places to eat. You could absolutely make an entire day out of visiting this playground and everything else...