Park Profile: Imagine Inclusive Playground in Dublin

August 26, 2021
by Julia Gidwani
One Comment

Imagine Playground is a newly renovated fully-inclusive park that reopened in March 2021, in Dublin. During our visit, my 5-year-old genuinely said, “this is the best playground ever!” I can’t promise your kid will have the same experience, but I can tell you why she (and I) felt Imagine Playground was super duper awesome and totally worth the drive.

This playground is a climber’s delight. This is just one of the many climbing attractions. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Look for the giant head art installation shining from the road and you will easily find the very sweet and the surprisingly large, Imagine Playground. At first glance, this playground is sparkly and new. But what you don’t notice right away is how deceivingly large this playground actually is. Giant structures, sand pits, climbing domes, lovely landscaping, and all-abilities everything. I’m excited to see that inclusive playgrounds are the new black.

Kids will be able to spot this shiny art installation, “Conversations”, from the road. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Imagine Playground Features

Create music at one of several colorful xylophone installations. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Location: 6700 Dublin Blvd at Dublin Sports Grounds (a 30-minute drive from Oakland).
Unique Features: Gosh, where to start? Here are my top four favorite features:

It’s not all crammed together. The structures are nicely spaced apart with distinct play areas for each interest.
Kid-powered carousel that goes super fast! This was both my daughters’ favorite. Watch out though because small toddlers can probably fly right off this thing.
While impossible to SD, my daughters loved this carousel. | Photo: Julia Gidwani
Unique disc-shaped climbing webs that are super high and I haven’t seen anywhere else. My oldest spent a good amount of time exploring these interesting climbing challenges, they’re hidden in the middle of the big kid structures.
These fun disc-shaped climbing structures are all throughout the grounds and the tall ones are hidden in the middle of some of the larger structures. | Photo: Julia Gidwani
Full-size adult workout area just outside the perimeter of the playground. The exercise space is also shiny and brand new.

A swing for sharing and new, clean restrooms behind the gate. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Swings: 10 that I counted, including bucket swings, baby swings, big kid swings, and a cute parent/kid swing for sharing.
Fenced in? Yes, but not 100%. Some of the perimeters are lined with benches, which I appreciate when you need a break. But kids can move in and out of the perimeter if they want to.

The grounds are not totally surrounded by fences, but the good news is the unfenced areas open up to the grassy park area (back left), and not the parking lot. Adult workout area also back left. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Surfaces: Impeccably clean, brand new, and bouncy. Outside the playground is a giant, grassy, sports field.
Bathroom: Yes, three. One has a changing table and all are big enough for strollers and wheelchairs.
Lunch tables & seating: Tons! There is also an inclusive, bright yellow picnic area with easy access to restrooms.
Parking: Plenty of free parking, with easy access to the playground.
Shade: Ample shade to be found all throughout the playground, both on the structures and sitting areas that have been outfitted with permanent canopies.

Ample shade to be found at Imagine Playground. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Covid-19 Restricted Occupancy: Yes, 64 patrons at a time.
Pros:

New playground smell? Is that a thing? I mean, this place is legit shiny.
Just when I thought I’d seen all the latest and greatest playground structures, I was surprised and delighted to see innovative, inclusive structures and new playground features. What a delight!

Plenty of square footage to spread out here at Imagine Playground. | Photo: Julia Gidwani

Cons:

While I can appreciate a park that has something for everyone, this sprawling playground and park can be very challenging to watch two or more small kids. I lost track of my two-year-old even when I was watching her closely. The structures are difficult to see through as there just so much square footage (it’s kind of both a pro and con). Unless your kids enjoy playing together, dress them in bright colors to keep an easier eye on them. I only had one dressed brightly, so wasn’t totally prepared for this.
It can be difficult to social distance with such a popular, new playground, especially on some of the coveted attractions like the carousel. If you or your family is in a high-risk group and want to visit, I recommend making the effort to get there on the earlier side to avoid crowds. It’s ~~hard~~ impossible to get my two-year-old to stay six feet away from every kid running around on the grounds, and I’m pretty sure there were more than 64 people.

Have you ever seen a play structure like this? I haven’t! | Photo: Julia Gidwani

More to do with kids in Dublin

To be honest, I haven’t spent much time in Dublin so we were happy to explore. We stopped at a few Indian stores to stock up on some hard-to-find grocery items and grab takeout for lunch after burning off so much energy.

From In-N-Out to Curry House Pizza and more, there are tons of places for a quick lunch just a few blocks away as the playground is very close to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART.

Bottom Line on Imagine Playground in Dublin

This new playground is the bomb! We had so much fun exploring this new spot along with lots of other families. We arrived late morning on a weekday, and it was already busy. This playground is excellent for adventurous little kids and mixed age groups.

Pro tip: parents, definitely wear sneakers if you’re trying to keep track of more than one small kid and enjoy! We’ll be headed back to Dublin to visit and shop for sure.