Asheville’s #1 Family Photographer shares the Top 5 Must Visit Playgrounds in Asheville.
Asheville, North Carolina is home to fantastic outdoor playgrounds for children and whether you’re local, new to town or just visiting Asheville with children, I highly recommend making the trip to one of the Top 5 Must Visit Playgrounds in Asheville, NC!
I am mom to an energetic, imaginative 7.5 year old boy and when he was a baby & toddler, we spent many, many hours at these playgrounds in Asheville with our friends! At one time or another, each of these playgrounds on this list became his favorite, for a time! His current favorite is the last on the list (because it’s huge, brand new, in our neighborhood and next door to his school!)
Roy Pope Memorial Park
Address: 90 Elk Mountain Road
Roy Pope Memorial Park is located about 10 minutes north of downtown Asheville in the tiny, incorporated town of Woodfin (right behind town hall & the police station off of i26 North)!
Roy Pope Memorial Park is named in honor of former Alderman Roy Pope who was extremely active in the Woodfin Community for many years and is home to Avery’s Little Corner (named in honor of Avery King a young child taken from this world all too soon), a magnificent play area with dragons, castles, swings and a climbing web. In addition to its playground, the Roy Pope Memorial Park includes a covered picnic shelter (which can be rented through Town Hall), seasonally open bathroom facilities (Spring-Autumn), a gravel walking path, cooling misters, benches and an open play area!
Tempie Avery Montford Community Center Park
Address: 34 Pearson Drive
Tempie Avery Montford Community Center Park is located behind the community center in the historic Montford neighborhood just outside of downtown Asheville! This 17 acre complex features a Community Center, Basketball Courts, Baseball Field and of course, one of the Top 5 Must Visit Playgrounds in Asheville!
*One thing to note about this particular playground is that the play structure is very tall & the slide is very steep. This may not be the best playground for babies / toddlers! But older children (5+) will love it! 🙂
Carrier Park
Address: 220 Amboy Rd.
Carrier Park (or old faithful, as I call it!) is one of Asheville’s most beloved parks! Situated along the French Broad River in West Asheville (10 minutes SW of downtown), Carrier Park is frequently voted the Best Playground in Asheville by Mountain Xpress’ annual Best of WNC poll! The playground is widely visited by families from surrounding neighborhoods, as well as from throughout the city and WNC region! The park has a long, long history and was once even a speedway! Today, Carrier Park features a sand volleyball court, roller hockey rink, playground, basketball court, lawn bowling field, and trails. The old speedway’s asphalt track was incorporated as a velodrome for biking and skating!
If you’re thinking to yourself: “These Fall Family Portraits on the Blue Ridge Parkway are Gorgeous!” We can totally create stunning fall family photos for your family as well! You can learn more about Family Portrait Sessions on my website, located here:
Lake Julian Park – Top 5 Must Visit Playgrounds in Asheville
Address: 406 Overlook Rd Ext Arden, NC 28704
Lake Julian Park is located along the banks of 300-acre Lake Julian in Arden, just south of Asheville (about 20 minutes from downtown Asheville) off of Long Shoals Road. In addition to their super cool pirate themed playground (which is ADA accessible btw!), Lake Julian Park offers fishing, picnic areas, disc golf, outdoor games, paddleboats, special event venue rentals, and water access along a picturesque 300-acre public lake!
Candace Pickens Memorial Park (Noah’s current favorite park!)
Address: Ottari Rd. Asheville, NC 28804
Candace Pickens Memorial Park (formerly Jones Park) Jones Park Playground was a treasured community park used by families from across the city of Asheville for over a decade. Located just about ten minutes north of downtown Asheville, unfortunately, it was removed without a replacement plan in September of 2021 due to safety concerns. Members of the community began working immediately to find a solution to get this playground rebuilt with donated funds and labor from the community. In this process, the park was renamed Candace Pickens Memorial Park. Candace played in this park with her young son and in 2016, she was tragically killed there by her boyfriend (she was also expecting at the time). Although this violent event took place at our beloved park, the park is actually in a very nice neighborhood of north Asheville, Candace’s killing at the park was shocking to entire community. On October 4-8, 2023 hundreds of volunteers from neighborhoods across the city and county gave their time to help bring this playground back to the community!
If you’re thinking to yourself: “These Fall Family Portraits on the Blue Ridge Parkway are Gorgeous!” We can totally create stunning fall family photos for your family as well! You can learn more about Family Portrait Sessions on my website, located here:
See Ya Soon! – Brittany
