Shaded Playgrounds for Sunny Days in Adelaide

Adelaide in summer is H-O-T, but that doesn’t stop our kids from wanting to get out and about to their favourite playgrounds. A shaded playground is always a winner in our books, and shade or lack of, is one of the main topics of conversation whenever we post a playground review. So to make it easy to find a spot with lots of natural shade from trees, or great shade sails over the play area we’ve put together a list of our top picks for shaded playgrounds in Adelaide and regional South Australia.

Have we missed one? We’d love to know about it in the comments below.

Below are what we think are THE BEST shaded playgrounds you’ll find in Adelaide (in no particular order) To find out more about these playgrounds or to find one in your area scroll down.

Mitcham Reserve Playground

Find it at: Corner Old Belair Road and Norman Walk, Mitcham This ripper was upgraded in December 2018 and we absolutely love it! The new playground updates are a credit to Nature Play Design and the City of Mitcham with a great mix of the nature play elements…

Jervois Street Reserve Playground South Plympton

Find it at: 43 Jervois Street, South Plympton Jervois Street Playground in South Plympton is up there with Morialta and Glenunga as one of our favourite playgrounds in Adelaide. Some of the Jervois Street Reserve highlights are: Fully fenced junior playground with…

Heron Way Reserve Playground, Hallett Cove

Find it at: Heron Way, Hallett Cove This is a great playground with amazing views over the ocean. The reserve includes a 5-way swing, tunnel slide, water and sand play, nature play, fitness equipment, shade sales, toilet, seating, shelter and BBQ facilities. The…

Hugh Johnson Boulevard Reserve Playground, Sheidow Park

Find it at: Hugh Johnson Boulevard, Sheidow Park The Hugh Johnson Boulevard Reserve upgrade is complete and we love it just as much as the locals. There are multiple areas for play including a sports area complete with netball and basketball rings and soccer goal….

Largs Bay Foreshore Ice Cream Playground

Find it at: Esplanade Largs Bay The Largs Bay foreshore play space redevelopment in 2024 brought to life an amazing concept which feels like came straight from the imagination of us as kids! This one is a very popular site with local and visiting families and the ice…

Point Malcolm Reserve Playground, Semaphore Park

The awesome Point Malcolm Reserve playground is on Military Road, Semaphore.This one million dollar project was funded by State Government and City of Charles Sturt Council (who are continuing to impress with their amazing open space developments). It’s located in one…

Semaphore South Foreshore Playground

Find it at: Esplanade, Semaphore South (Opposite Arthur Street) In 2023, Port Adelaide Enfield Council have opened this fabulous $400,000 playground at Semaphore South foreshore. The beauty of this one is the consultation phase invited local kids to draw what they…

Wigley Reserve Playground Glenelg

Find it at: Wigley Reserve, Genelg The incredible upgrade at Wigley Reserve at Glenelg is an outstanding attraction for an already pretty awesome area. Sometimes fantastic photos do a far better job at telling a story and this is absolutely one of those occasions….

Hawthorndene Apex Park Playground

Find it at: Watahuna Avenue, Hawthorndene This park is a beautiful leafy, shady spot and great for kids of all ages really. Heaps of space to spread out, play ball games and run around AND it’s fully fenced! Yahoo! The playground features areas for the little people,…

Aldridge Ave Reserve, Plympton Park

Find it at: Aldridge Avenue, Plympton Park Located in Plympton Park Aldridge Ave Reserve is a great little local playground and suitable for the nearby community or if you happen to be in the area. The playground suits toddler and early school age kids but also has 2…

Adelaide Best Playgrounds for Toddlers
When we think of the playgrounds for toddlers we think of one key thing FENCES. Anything else is pretty much a bonus! We also look for swings, toilets and, even better, a nice shaded space. These things are not always possible (why don't ALL playgrounds have fences ALL the way around?!), but check out these playgrounds around Adelaide that we think your kids- and you- will love. Here are what we think are the TOP TEN Toddler Playgrounds in Adelaide. George Jones Reserve Fulham Gardens Hessing Crescent Reserve Trott Park Jervois Street Reserve Playground South Plympton Marshmallow Park / Pityarilla Activity Hub Glover North Helicopter Park North Adelaide Bush Magic Playground North Adelaide Hessing Crescent Trott Park Bush Magic North Adelaide Stanley Street Reserve Marion Keith Stephenson Park Mount Barker If none of those are close enough or not what you're after, here's even more.
Adelaide Ninja Playgrounds
Discover Adelaide's ultimate ninja playgrounds, where adventure meets agility! We love the range of obstacle courses and challenges which cater to all ages and skill levels. There's ninja playgrounds found all over Adelaide and below are the best ones, voted by our in house KiA Ninja Warriors. Whether you're swinging through monkey bars, conquering warped walls, or perfecting your balance on the quintuple steps, these ninja playgrounds guarantee to burn some energy. Heywood Park Unley Park McElligott's Resreve Mitcham Sherry Park Reserve Mylor Pine Reserve Aberfoyle Park Penfold Park Magill Valley Lake Playground Mt Gambier Tarnham Road Reserve Seacombe Heights
Best "Themed" Playgrounds in Adelaide
Adelaide is home to some amazing playgrounds, but sometimes, your kids may have a really intense love for a very specific theme. Most kids do at some point, whether it be dinosaurs, pirates, trains or just wanting to run around and get so damn dirty that you think you may get arrested for stealing sand. Whatever your kid is into, we have scoured the archives and compiled a list of some of Adelaide's Best Themed Playgrounds for you to explore. We have them all below, but here are some of our Top Themed Playgrounds; Thorndon Reserve (Birds) Largs Foreshore (Ice Cream) Stanley Street Reserve (Bees) Jubilee Playground Port Noarlunga (Pirates) Kapunda Playground (Trains) Morialta Adventure Playground (Nature) Barossa Adventure Station (Trains) GT Fisher Victor Harbor (Trains) Jack Watkins Reserve Playground (Trains) Scroll down for all the pics and info you will need to tackle your next adventure.