This park is located right off of the Boardwalk. There is metered street parking and a few commercial lots within walking distance that you can park at. The meters cost about $2/ hour and the lots vary in price. There is a restroom facility right across the boardwalk from it, which is a plus. This play park is the epitome of accesible parks. It is titled the "Park for Everybody". The amazing park/play area is 15,000 square feet and features wheelchair accessible entrances. It was built in honor of Josh Thompson, an avid beach lover, who lost his battle with ALS. Josh's family wanted to go to the beach, but he stayed behind because of the difficulty of getting his wheelchair to the beach, across the sand and down to the surf. The park is very nice and has a huge jungle gym with a couple of slides, a sculptural of a dolphins, a surfboard, and a wave that children can play on, raised sand tables for sandcastle building at an accessible height, a sensory board for autistic children, Sway Fun glider, and a pebble walk. What I find really cool is that they have fully accessible playground -beach wheelchairs available at no charge, on a first come, first served basis (only during season though). You will also find some cement pads here, with post marking the spots, that are covered with a little sand, making playing in the sand more accessible. Just outside of the park is a nice statue of a man and young boy holding surf boards. The sculpture is on top of a granite base that has the names of donors and the inspiration behind the park inscribed on it. Definitely worth a look. This first of its kind park is a very nice addition to VIrginia Beach's Boardwalk. It is accessible and fun for all kids to play on. They do suggest that it is best for kids aged 5 to 12. I love everything about this park. There should be more of these around. read more

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Grommet Island Park is a well-frequented, moderate to large playground located at the VB Oceanfront at the start of the Boardwalk. It has a playground, raised sand trays, and sculptures kids can play on and take photo opps with. It is also an accessible park. The park is very clean overall. -- The Playground -- The playground area with soft foam flooring to minimize injuries (under the sand that got blown over it) is best for younger elementary school aged children. With close supervision it's also good for younger children (note that there are small gaps in the openings along the playground system). The equipment is in mostly good condition with small areas of wear. There are a variety of slides and ways to climb up and access the slides, along with monkey bars and climbing activities. There are also raised, connected walkways connecting the system of slides and a lookout point. The playground is in partial sun with some sections fully shaded by canopies (pictured). -- Benches & Pavilions -- There is one built in table with benches by the front of the playground. There are several benches along the perimeter of the playground. -- Walking Areas -- This is less of a park and more of a large playground situated on a beach. -- Sporting Equipment -- There are no other equipment options other than the playground. -- Amenities -- There are no toilet amenities at the playground, but there are restrooms with plumbing located very close by: 2nd Street Restrooms, which has year-round operation and is managed by the City. -- Parking -- There is a municipal parking lot close by--2nd Street Parking Lot--where any visitors can park for a fee. The next closest lot is Rudee Loop Parking Lot (also a municipal parking lot with a fee). Both are located on Atlantic Ave. There is limited meter parking, too. Visitors to the area staying at the Oceanfront could also walk there. -- Things to Note -- During peak seasonal times, it's usually pretty busy with kids. There is no fence or physical boundary between the park and the water, but it is situated well enough away from the water that it didn't pose an immediate safety concern. -- Takeaways -- This is an large, accessible playground that is a nice option for my toddler when we visit the Boardwalk, and I can see it appealing to families visiting the beach who have kids with varying interests. The main attraction is its playground. If you are at the Boardwalk, it's worth a visit for children. It might not be worth it to you to go out of your way if you don't intend to visit the ocean or Boardwalk, too, or if you aren't interested in its accessibility features. Simply because paying for parking at the Oceanfront and sand in the kids shoes' could be a few minor drawbacks. read more

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"The beach park and playground for everybody" is enshrined on the surfer monument base located at the park entrance. The inclusive message stems from the inspiration behind the park's creation, also recorded on the monument. Definitely worth the read. Both park and playground are neat staples at the end of the VB boardwalk. Heck being outdoors beachside with your family, taking in the sounds of waves, kids playing, and sea birds chirping on a sunny morning or afternoon beats staying cooped up any day. Perhaps this spot should be considered a first line homeopathic treatment regiment for depression, assuming you can score a parking spot. read more

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This playground park is located at the southern tip of Virginia Beach boardwalk. It's larger than other playgrounds and it has a great view of the beach and the boardwalk. There are also benches to relax. read more

Grommet Island Park - Playground and end view of the boardwalk. - Playgrounds Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

This is a seriously cute beachside park for locals and tourists alike right at 1st street. I've run past it about a million times while doing J&A Races locally and have also walked it during boardwalk weekends and visits to the beach but haven't really paid it any mind (I don't have kids yet). There are tons of little things for kids to play on and benches nearby for parents at ground level and it's right in the sand just off the boardwalk. The park features small little waves and surf-themed climb-able sculptures as well as traditional things like slides and the jungle gym-type equipment you'd expect. It's cute that everything is beach themed here and it is pretty extensive. I saw a bunch of kids having a blast yesterday with their imaginations going wild. If you're here from out of town, or a local, and weather is nice with some little ones in tow, this could easily kill a couple hours. Parking is free in off-season for the metered spots and, during peak summer months, metered pay parking spots, the paid lot, or garage parking nearby. This is also right at the end of the boardwalk and as such, there are some super cool rocks to climb on with a gorgeous view and some marine life watching opportunities (birds, fish, ducks, whales sometimes, and dolphins). read more

Grommet Island Park - Playgrounds Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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This is a beautifully built and thought out park. The park is made for children with physical special needs. Wheel chairs are welcome for sure. They have beautiful blue shades for a little shade. This is the best park I have seen. All kids are welcome to come and play. It is super colorful with a surfing theme. WE LOVE IT!!! The parking lot is super close. It is pay to park but I think it is worth it. That's how great this park is. AND it is right on the ocean so you can run down to the beach. I like to take a cooler so the kids can have something cold to drink. They also have restaurants on the strip if you want to go grab a bite. We have also taken our bikes to ride way down the street to Planet Pizza for lunch or The mini golf down the street. This park has been awesome and well kept over the years. It is open all year round. read more

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This is an absolute must stop if you have young children. This is a park located right near rudee inlet at the Virginia Beach oceanfront! It was not here when I was a young kid but I'm loving how the city it becoming more and more family friendly. There is plenty of street and meter parking as well as a parking lot smack dab in front of this park. It's right on the sand making it both a park trip and a beach trip in one. I love it! Keeps the kids active, and gets us out at the heart of the city, the beach! read more

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9/2/20 Grommet Island Park is at the end of the boardwalk  on 40th Street. The  Virginia Beach Boardwalk is a 28-foot wide marvel that stretches from 2nd to 40th Street. On 8/29/20 we were there to have a good time sightseeing. The boardwalk  and brings together everyone who wants to go to the beach or get something to eat. Hotels and line this ocean front property  behind the boardwalk. Before the Coronavirus it us, one could get a ride in a pedicab. This time around while walking the boardwalk, I saw most people peddling themselves to whatever destination around the boardwalk and shops. I even saw people stopping at the bathroom near Grommet Island Park. Grommet Island Park has playground  where kids can climb and swing to their hearts content. The park has benches dedicated to people who past away. Everytime a backside(s) sits at one of these benches, you are paying your respects to these individuals whether you know it or not. There are two statues of the surfer boys which is dedicated to the Virginia  Beach and the physically disabled to enjoy. Some of those benches might be dedicated to them as well.  Now if your wondering, there is a section of beach reserved for surfing only. So for all you Bodhisattva out there, your time has come...unless you prefer surfing in the middle of the ocean where the big girls and boys play. Back on track now, Grommet Island Park is an area of the boardwalk I had never been too.  When my wife and I arrived at the end of the boardwalk, we saw the playground, statues and the bodacious sunset of the ocean, sky and island across the water from us. Kids were playing a form of hacky sack with a football/soccer  ball.  The water looked inviting, but you can't swim in that section of  water because of all the rocks. Also there are boats that go up and down the waters of the great divide. It was very pleasant watching the dolphins  watcher  boat float past us. I know the next time my wife is with me, we might take a ride on that boat and see what dreams may come.     The best part of the boardwalk area is this...THERE ARE NO MOSQUITOS...unless these mosquito females are attracted to you. Anyhow, I have now officially walked the three mile boardwalk in sections, but not in one Fell Swoop so to speak.   However,  I saw many people running up and down the boardwalk covered in sweat. I can only imagine who holds the record of running up and down this boardwalk.  Good times happened on this boardwalk and at Grommet Island Park . When we come back, I hope to get a ride in the pedicab up and down the boardwalk. It will be a blast. read more

Grommet Island Park - 8/29/20 The day is over, the night has begun...enjoying my time in the setting sun. - Playgrounds Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Looking for a family friendly beach? Look no further than Grommet. A is lot offered in a great location that's not nearly as busy as 30th and the oceanfront. The area is often called 1st Jetty. It borders Rudee Inlet. The beach is situated between 1st and 2nd streets. Parking is plentiful and by meter (max 4 hrs) or $10 day pass in a lot adjacent that fills quickly on season. The lot and adjacent areas walking to the beach had minor debris. Trash cans are readily available. Enjoy large playground equipment on the beach that is ADA assessable. Beach wheel chairs are available for FREE by showing your drivers license. The water is divided into surfers and non surfers for safety. The lifeguards blow their whistle constantly for swimmers to move out of surfing lanes. It is marked, but not well and this is a half star ding for me. Restrooms are on location and clean with an attendant. There is also a family restroom. The restrooms should be larger for the amount that visits. No shower accommodations is also a disappointment. There is one single foot and overhead shower which is not nearly enough. Overall a super beach. 4.5 and rounding down due to a few mentioned items. Absolutely recommend. read more

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Fun little playground at Rudee Inlet. There is a lot to do for both little and big kids. Lots of sand to play in as well! We enjoyed watching the surfers in the ocean here. read more

Grommet Island Park - Sand construction tools - Playgrounds Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Fun. Lots of parking. But not great for small children. Lots of areas on the play set that have holes/unguarded areas and a small kid can easily fall out of onto the ground if unsupervised read more

So much fun for kids. We went for the parks then enjoyed the board walk for a nice walk.

A terrific place to take the little ones! Read: SHADED playground. And grown ups may or may not be found in repose on the "swaying boat." ;) Metered parking lot located directly across from play area. N.B. Not far from Waterman's! Satisfy that orange crush craving. Accessibility: Ramp access. read more

Used to be a great free play option but it seems no maintenance has been done in years -several seams on structure are rusting-the big boat that is supposed to sway and allow wheelchair users to have a "swing" experience is so packed with sand underneath that it does not move at all. We have son with multiple disabilities that has always liked coming here but it's in serious need of repair/replacement to be usable to all -no cover tarps still in mid June? Equipment gets hot and wet-crumbling concrete at several sections -hard for those with walkers/wheelchairs. Not sure what entity now supposed to maintain structure -the city, the charity that initially donated?? read more

My first time here...too cute of a location and the children loved it!! Beach water, sand, play time, ice cream, food...how awesome is this park!! Pretty awesome!! I loved how the big kids weren't in the way of the little kids having a great time. On the boat/ship you had a captain or two or three (big kids taking over) but that was ok. They can be bossy but they were respectable of all children big and small. I didnt know the park existed but I attended a birthday party here and it was super cute!!! I will definitely make first street a place to go when I head to the oceanfront with the cubs :) read more

This is my favorite part of the beach, I've been coming here since I was a child, but with the addition of the park it seems over crowded and busy. Which isn't really a bad thing, I would just prefer a more quiet part of the beach to relax on. read more

The playground itself is great. There is a canopy over it, so the kids can get some shade. Plus, being on the beach they get to play in the sand, and there is a sand pit under the canopy as well. And the view is awesome, the kids were thrilled when they got to see "a real Pirate ship" go by :) (Captain Jack's, by the inlet of course.) What I don't like is the fact that you have to pay $10 to park in the lot! Metered parking is available, but there were none open so we had to fork over the ten bucks even though we only stayed for 2 hours. VB residents can park after 5 for $2. Also, I think it's weird that the part of the beach DIRECTLY in front of the playground is "for surfers only." I was told this by a lifeguard, as my fully clothed daughter and I were filling up a sand bucket to go back to the playground and make a sandcastle. A) This is the Atlantic, the idea of surfing on waves this small is just laughable B) What does it hurt to have kids standing on the shore? But it's a wonderful story behind the playground, and it's great that is handicap accessible so ALL kids can play :) read more

Super cute playground for kids. Love that it's not as crowded as the other spots on the boardwalk! Will be bringing my kids back!

This is a very nice naval and aviation memorial on VA Beach boardwalk honoring the military. The statutes are captivating and honors the men and women who serve in the Military from the past and present. You wouldn't want to miss this exhibit and perhaps want to come back a few times to read all the history of the wars and how our men and women have served honorably in past wars in the naval aviation arena. read more

Grommet Island Park - Beginning of the park - Playgrounds Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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This is a fun park for smaller kiddos (1-7years). It is handicapped accessible so that was really nice to see. It is at the very south end of Virginia Beach by the ocean. We could only spend about 15 minutes there before the kids got bored. There are several slides and the walkways are widened. There is a seesaw that is handicapped accessible. There's is a lot of climbing structures for typical kiddos. Being in the disability community I could see kids in wheelchairs getting bored very fast. Would be nice to have some swings or something else for them to do instead of just wheel up the ramps and play with the musical stuff. If your down that way it's worth it but I wouldn't make an extra trip. read more

I'm really glad Yelp helped me find this cute park nestled in Rudee's Inlet. I really didn't want to have to park down by 32nd street and have my daughter play at that tired, old park by King Neptune. Grommet Island Park is covered, has lots of benches, you can view your kid from pretty much every angle, and it's good for probably ages 2 to 8. This is a really cool little park that makes a trip to the beach double the fun. In fact, my daughter cared less about playing at the beach and in the water and more about running back to this park. We didn't experience the problem the other reviewer had regarding a lifeguard telling her that the beach portion was only for surfers. We saw many families as well as kids posted in the sand, playing in the water and making sand castles. The only downside to this place, as the other review mentioned, is the parking. We got there around 9:45am and by the grace of god found a metered parking spot (I think I put about a dollar's worth in there?) but based on principle, I don't ever pay for parking down at the beach. I grew up here and know a ton of other side places on the main drag you can park for free but for some reason down by Rudee's Inlet it is all paid. If I wasn't 9 months pregnant, we would have parked down at one of my rouge parking spots for free and walked down to this park. If you don't get a metered spot, then you have to pay $10 for that lot. A rip. I want to come back later this week and find the holy grail of parking spots, I'm determined not to pay for parking! But this was such a great park I'm not even deducting that 5th star for the parking situation, that's how much we loved it. read more

Grommet Island Park - Grommet Island Park. - Playgrounds Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Park and Beach work and a nice boardwalk. What else to ask for. Awesome and fun for kids.

I'm so happy we found this little gem at the end of the road! What kid isn't going to love the playground/beach combination? What parent isn't going to love having the excuse of playing on the playground to get their kids out of the water and heading towards the car? Is my point made? read more

This is a very cool park for kids, lots of fun beachy things to climb and play with right on the beach. The park has been open for a couple of years now and the city does a great job keeping it up and looking good. Bathrooms are close by but parking can be a pain but hey you are at Virginia Beach so you already know that parking sucks. read more

I have been wanting to go here since it opened and today I wasn't disappointed. Not only is this park accessible to all kids, it makes it easy for parents to keep up with them. I really like that it provides some cover from the sun too. Will definitely be returning. read more