Maggie Daley Park Play Garden Chicago

The southeast section of Maggie Daley Park is anchored by a 3-acre Play Garden, a first of its kind in Chicago. In the spirit of Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, play and plantings are intentionally different from usual garden and park settings, capturing the imagination, engaging different senses in all seasons of the year, and integrating landscape with custom-designed play structures and sculptures. The Play Garden has diverse opportunities for fun, adventure, exploration, and learning for children of all ages.

The unique space opens the door for choice, invention, relaxation, extroversion, introversion, and experimentation for children of different ages, abilities, and backgrounds. In the Maggie Daley Park Play Garden, play features are integrated into the larger landscape narrative. Children discover different play features through an unfolding series of interconnected spaces. The Play Garden offers the thrill of unexpected surprises, such as the short cut leading from the small intimate spaces of the Enchanted Forest to the high prospects within the Slide Crater.