Vesuvio Playground, SoHo

This playground has one big maze of a play structure to run through and explore, and it’s a quiet stop away from the chaos of Soho shoppers nearby.

The long stretch of interconnected, crisscrossing platforms and ramps ascend to about 5 feet high. There are several entry points to the platforms at different heights: straight ladders from two-rungs to five-rungs, tall and mini fire poles, a tall slide, and two small slides. Little kids run back-and-forth along the platforms, navigating new pathways from bottom to top. There are a few spots for a short pause to play with a steering wheel, a game of tic-tac-toe, and musical chimes.

We love the dozens of metal posts (noticing the red posts are round and the turquoise posts are square) holding up the structure and creating a maze underneath it. It would be a great challenge to count them all!

There are also swings (four for babies and four for big kids) in a separate area. There is plenty of open blacktop space to play team games or push toddler toys. Water jets spray out of a wall and from the ground during the summer. In the summer there is a three-foot-deep NYC Parks-run pool located within the playground, and it is reserved for children and their caregivers. There is a separate handball and basketball court in the southeast corner of the playground.

Visibility/Safety? There is a clear view from one side of the playground to the other, though you could briefly lose track of kids on top of the platforms. The tall gates at opposite ends of the playground have always been securely closed when we have visited. The ground under the play structure is padded; but, the remainder of the playground is blacktop and granite pavers, and we have witnessed a couple of scraped hands and knees from falls.

Bathroom Emergency? Within the playground, there is a restroom with a changing table.

Snack Time/Coffee Break? There are many benches, as well as two picnic tables and a few chess and backgammon tables to set down a snack. Head over to Vesuvio Bakery on Prince St. for cookies, pastries or a sandwich. Or the quickest option is Famous Ben’s Pizza, a quality slice joint just across the street. Also from the Playground, you could give into the hype and join the line for Dominque Ansel Bakery’s latest famous creations, such as the Cronut and Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot.

Features: Slide, baby swings, big-kid swings, water sprays, shade, benches, picnic tables, bathrooms, nearby coffee & snacks.

Fun Fact: The playground was originally constructed in 1934, and the neighborhood’s family-run Vesuvio Bakery had been nearby for even longer. The last of the family owners were very active in the local community from the 1950s on, and the playground was renamed in his honor in the 1990s.

Gianna Abruzzo is EatPlayExplore's playground correspondent and the person who knows Manhattan's parks better than anyone. Brooklyn-born and mother of three, she has raised her girls on these playgrounds and spent years championing the parks that make this city liveable. She created a collection of embroidered iron-on patches to celebrate them. Shop her patches here and follow her on Instagram.