810 North First Avenue, Knightdale
Knightdale Station Park Playground is about 10ish miles east of downtown Raleigh. It’s a smaller suburb of Raleigh and is home to Knightdale Station park, a barnyard-themed park. If you have a child who loves all farm related things, Knightdale station is totally for you. It seems like an obsession with barnyard animals is a right of passage for most children!
Ever since our trip to Aloha Safari Zoo, my 7 year old daughter has wanted a baby pig. So maybe animal-obsessions are not something easily grown out of! But when you can’t make it to visit a goat or pig, a barnyard playground is a nice alternative! We visited here this summer on a very overcast day. In the pics you will see there are some sun shades, but overall the shade is pretty limited. So you may want to keep that in mind on a sunny summer day. It can get pretty hot and you will need sunscreen!
Barn Playground
The largest play equipment is in the shape of a “barn” and naturally has some cover from the sun. It’s so cute and perfect to enhance barnyard pretend play. There are plenty of slides and activities to do once you are inside the barn. Just no baby pigs hanging around. 😉
My kids favorite was this bowl swing! It does involve someone having to push them, however.
The only downfall is that this park is rather large and doesn’t have great visibility due to the large barn – it’s hard to sit and drink a coffee here! At least that seems to be the case when you have more than one child running in multiple directions!
Toddler Chicken Coop
For those of you with little toddlers, it can be difficult to find a playground they can safely manage. Knightdale station is a great park for tiny playground explorers. They have low equipment that makes it easier to manage when a child is just starting to explore. Check out this little chicken coop play house for toddlers age 1-2 years old! The kids spent the whole time scooping mulch to “feed” the chickens!
Train Playground
Another great play piece for young tots is the small train structure! This doesn’t directly go with a barnyard theme, so it seemed a bit out of place to me. Although I guess you need some sort of transport for your harvest?Either way I doubt most kids would mind that it doesn’t continue with the theme. Train-loving kids will be ecstatic! (Take them to Brier Creek Park for more train fun!)
The playground is a mulch surface and there is a sand play area. You will also find covered picnic areas and bathrooms. Want to get a little exercise while you are there? Check out the trail map here.
Mommy and Me Swing
And last but not least – a swing for those of you who just don’t want to push the baby swing any more! Why is this not at more playgrounds?!? They are called Expression Swings and sold by GameTime, although I call them Mommy and Me swings. Not only can you see your toddler as they giggle and laugh with the motion, but you have the fun of swinging yourself! This swing had a line to wait most of the time we were there. Knightdale Station was the first park in the area to get one of these swings, but now you can find them at Wendell Park, Optimist Park, and a few others around town.
Splash Pad
A new feature as of 2019 is the awesome splash pad! Bring your bathing suits while visiting this park, because the splash pad is completely visible from the playground. Read our full review of the splash pad here. (Spoiler alert: We LOVE IT!)
If you’re in and around Knightdale, you’ve likely already been here. For those of you looking for a unique playground experience, this one is worth a bit of a drive!
See other toddler friendly playgrounds here.
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