image courtesy of austintexas.gov

Best Premium Playground

Alliance Children's Garden

Heaven-sent to babysitters, birthday parties, and beaming broods, Butler Park’s epic playscape – with its tunneled Hobbit hills, bouncy turf, musical installations, and slides wide enough for a whole gang of kiddos – feels like it should cost $20 admission, but it’s free. The four-section, 2-acre park, with a sweet view of the Austin skyline, has features fit for crawlers and climbers. The latter will especially enjoy the mini rock wall and the playground’s centerpiece: a tall, spiderwebby structure of blue rope that feels like Mount Everest for 5-year-olds.

Alliance Children's Garden
1000 Barton Springs Rd.
austintexas.gov/alliancechildrensgarden