If you’re wondering if Disney’s Saratoga Springs resort has a playground…the answer is YES!
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the Saratoga Springs playground. Our aim is to offer the most comprehensive review.
If you’re like us, whether or not a Disney resort has a playground is a deciding factor in picking a Disney resort. We were surprised to learn that most Disney World resorts don’t have a playground.
It’s a bit tricky accessing the Disney World resorts during the phased re-opening in 2021.
When pulling up to Saratoga Springs, the attendant asked if we were checking in or just visiting. We had placed a mobile food order at Artist’s Palette, the Saratoga Springs quick service restaurant. After telling the attendant this, he let us right through.
We found that if you don’t have a room booked at the resort, it’s best to make a dining reservation or place a mobile food order to get access to the resorts in 2021. We learned this lesson the hard way after being denied access to Ft. Wilderness without any type of reservation.
First, we parked at the Carriage House to pick-up our food. Not sure if this was the “right” way or not, as the parking lot was labeled “check-in parking only” and “30 minutes maximum”. It was pretty empty and we made an effort to get in and out quickly. For future trips, we will park in a different lot though.
Next, we drove to the Congress Park area of the resort. This is where the playground is located.
Congress Park is identified in red on the map below.
We found there to be ample parking.
We visited the Disney Saratoga Springs playground in 2021. We took our 2 1/2 year old. However, once we got there, we saw that this playground is for children ages 5 through 12.
There are definitely some aspects of the playground that were too advanced for our 2 1/2 year old, but she still got a lot of enjoyment out of the playground.
Use parental discretion on whether or not this playground is suitable for your child. There are some high, open ledges that could be very dangerous for young children. Our 2 1/2 year old knows to steer clear of these, but not all children this young may act the same way. Hence the age 5 recommendation on the sign!
Below you’ll find some pictures of the playground at Saratoga Springs.
The playground at Saratoga Springs is appropriately themed with pastel colors. Notice the horse weathervane! Such a unique touch that really ties this playground in with the resort (for those who aren’t aware, Saratoga Springs is inspired by “a late-1800s’ New York retreat famous for its spas and horse racing” according to Disney).
Our two year old didn’t appreciate the horse weathervane, but she did notice and love the Mickey heads found on the playground! More on our thoughts on this playground below.
But first, here’s a breakdown of the features of the Saratoga Springs playground:
Right next to the playground is a covered picnic area.
It features a fan, lights, picnic tables, an emergency telephone, two grills and a trashcan.
Here is the view of the playground from the picnic area. There’s also a drinking fountain.
You can also see how close you are to the water (Disney Springs is right across the water) and the swimming pool (behind the white fence – for resort guests only).
Here is a closer look at the the COVID precautions being taken at the Saratoga Springs playground.
There is a hand sanitizer station as well as a sign reminding people to wear a mask, social distance, wash hands, cover your mouth and nose if coughing or sneezing and avoid touching eyes/nose/mouth.
Also, while we were at the playground, a cast member came over and sanitized several high-touch areas.
Now that we’ve given you an overview of the playground itself, we’ll give our full review!
Our 2 1/2 year old absolutely loved this playground! She appropriately called it a “castle playground”. It is definitely unique and unlike any other playground we’ve been to. We loved Mickey touches just as much as she did.
She was too young to do the rope ladder or rock wall independently and showed no interest in them. We carefully monitored her due to the tall openings. We also paid special attention every time she went down the tall slide, as it is fairly steep on the inside part of the slide. We had one close call where she was leaning forward on the inside part of the slide and almost toppled forward, but she caught herself. As mentioned before, this might not be the best playground for younger toddlers!
The slides were the biggest hit. And 24 hours later when we asked about the playground, she said the slides were her favorite! We brought along a Disney princess doll with us. Our preschooler loved playing with her on the playground (mostly throwing her down the slide!).
Our preschooler also enjoyed spinning the tile flip board. An older child could probably make some really cool shapes or designs!
The playground “telephones” (also called “talk tubes”) were a new concept to our toddler, but she ended up loving it.
After our toddler exerted a bunch of energy running around, climbing up and going down the slides, her energy shifted more towards imaginative play. She loved playing in the two lower-level playhouses – she pretended it was her house! She pretended to cook, use the potty and wash her hands (we’re in the midst of potty training!). She ran back and forth between the two “houses”, rang the invisible doorbells and loved looking out the windows. The possibilities are truly endless.
All in all, we spent hours at this playground. We were the only ones there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
We took advantage of the picnic area to eat and take water breaks. We also walked over to the sidewalk along the lake to get a better view of the balloon at Disney Springs. There is a sitting area nearby with rocking chairs. We also saw some ducks and an amphicar! Our preschooler thought the ampicar was really silly! We said it was Disney magic! 🙂
Other things our preschooler found interesting (though not unique to Saratoga Springs) was the many helicopters we saw fly overhead, as well as seeing the character painted buses drive around. She got a kick out of spotting different characters.
There is a bridge that leads over to Disney Springs that was visible. Next time, we will walk over from Disney Springs and time it to see how long it takes.
In summary, we would give the playground at Disney’s Saratoga Springs a 10/10. We plan on returning again and again!
If you’re visiting the Saratoga Springs playground with a preschooler, check out these tips to make the most of your visit:
