The RDU Buzz

By Chelsea Nallenweg

Kids Together Playground-  Cary, NC

This is the perfect park for summer with lots of shade, spray misters, and accessibility for everyone! Located within the serene landscapes of Marla Dorrel Park in Cary, North Carolina, the Kids Together Playground is a great example of accessible and inclusive outdoor play. This beautiful playground surrounded by nature is a testament to the collaborative efforts of Kids Together, Inc. and the town of Cary. Established in 1995, Kids Together, Inc. is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and providing ongoing support to maintain and enhance this inclusive space for kids of all abilities. 

The Kids Together Playground is designed with accessibility at its core. It ensures ease of mobility for everyone, featuring winding paths and ramps that integrate into the landscape of the playground. This thoughtful design allows children of all abilities to navigate the playground with ease and confidence. The inclusive design extends to the play equipment, where chair swings are placed side-by-side with traditional swings and a wheelchair accessible sand table lets kids of all abilities play together.

The playground has FIVE distinct play areas, each catering to different age groups and interests to ensure that every child finds something fun here! The playground for older kids is tall and located at the center of the park. This play structure has many levels to it with unique climbing areas- definitely one of a kind. The other playground for school aged kids has multiple slides, lots of swings, and a giant sandbox. The third playground is for preschool kids and includes a bridge to a small slide and a giant sandbox filled with imaginative play equipment. The preschool playground is a fenced-in area so it’s a safe environment for young kids to explore and enjoy. On hot days kids can play on the dragon climbing hill that is right next to the spray mister area! These misters are the perfect way for kids to cool off, while the dragon play area is a great way for kids to run and climb on a soft ground floor. 

One of the best features of Kids Together Playground is how many trees are surrounding the play areas providing lots of shade! It’s also beautiful to walk around and look at nature. It’s a great park choice for the hot summer days.