• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
City Dads Group

City Dads Group

Navigating Fatherhood Together

  • About
  • Cities
  • Boot Camps
  • Press
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact

Splash Over to Gantry Plaza State Park

July 2, 2014 by Niel Vuolo

Editor’s Note: This look at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City is part of an occasional series reviewing the parks and playgrounds in the NYC area.

There is something to be said about parks in walking distance from your home (we have five), but I’ve always enjoyed discovering new parks in different parts of town.

It was a late Saturday afternoon, on a beautiful day, so I packed up the car and headed over to Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, specifically Gantry Plaza Spray Park. I knew the water would be off, but we were still good to go.

Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City
There’s lots to climb at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City.

The playground is on the East River facing the United Nations building and slightly to the left of the giant Pepsi sign. It is very modern with lots of climbing apparatus, a handful of slides and lots of room for imaginative play. The floor is all rubberized and gets a little hot in the summer, but that is why God invented Crocs.

I like this park despite its terrible parking. It looks nice. It is spread out so kids have room to run and play. But it’s also small enough so a parent can easily keep an eye on multiple kids. And the water feature is really nice, when the lifeguard is not on a break.

Gantry Plaza State Park features

Shade – Not so much

Water feature – Yes, it looks like a marsh and there is always a lifeguard on duty.

Bathrooms – Yes, in a converted trailer right by entrance.

Sand – No.

Grass – Very little in playground itself, but there is a massive field right next to the playground.

Gantry State Park in Long Island City map

Gantry State Park in Long Island City sunset. Gantry Plaza Spray Park
Sunset at Gantry State Park in Long Island City.

You might also enjoy:

Filed Under: NYC, play Tagged With: Long Island City, playgrounds, Queens, review

About Niel Vuolo

Niel Vuolo is many things: a stay-at-home dad to two awesome kids, a writer, and a lifelong Mets fan from Queens, N.Y. Follow his adventures on his blog, Niel In Real Life and on Twitter at @NielInRealLife.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Join Your Local Group

Your local City Dads Group is a welcoming and diverse community of engaged fathers sharing parenting perspectives, knowledge and experiences.

Join Join your local group

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Find us on Social

  • About City Dads
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 City Dads Group All Rights Reserved.