Pier 26 Science Playground is an inclusive marine science-themed playground that opened at Hudson River Park in Manhattan, New York in January 2024. The 4,000-square-foot playground was made possible by a $3.5 million fundraising campaign successfully completed by Hudson River Park Friends in 2021. It serves as the outdoor extension of the environmental programming at the ecology-focused Pier 26 and the future Hudson River Park Estuarium. The playground features two larger-than-life interactive sturgeon fish, one the Atlantic sturgeon and the other a short-nosed sturgeon (both species live in the Hudson River), where children can climb inside, up and over to explore. It also provides access for as many ages and abilities as possible, providing an inclusive, approachable gathering place on the riverfront.
My older son and I recently visited Pier 26 Science Playground while we were having a fun day cycling in NYC. The playground and surrounding park are conveniently located along the Hudson River Greenway. I had been looking forward to the playground opening since I first saw them break ground on the project a few years ago. My son loved exploring the two gigantic sturgeon fish. The interiors of the fish playscapes are labeled with different parts of anatomy, such as the mouth, eyes, heart and lungs, throat, esophagus, stomach, swim bladder, and digestive tract. The exterior areas of the playground features spaces that represent the fish's habitat, such as crustacean climbers, feeding plume, eelgrass meadows, and eelgrass tower. My son had a blast exploring all of the different features of the playground. We highly recommend it to families with small children! read more