The 5 best free playgrounds in Brabant with kids!
For a fun day out in Brabant with kids, you don’t always have to spend a lot of money. After all, there is plenty of free entertainment in this province. For example, you have some really nice playgrounds, where you do not have to pay an entrance fee and where you can have a great time for a half to full day. Having already written a blog with the best play forests in Brabant and the best walks in Brabant with kids, we now list the best free playgrounds in Brabant with kids.
Playgrounds in Brabant with kids #1: ‘t kwekkeltje
When we were looking for a fun day out for King’s Day, we suddenly found this playground in Rosmalen online. The website of ‘t Kwekkeltje doesn’t really give a super good idea of what to expect from the playground, but in practice this really is a very nice free accessible playground.
There are plenty of parking spaces near the playground where you can park your car for free, and upon entering we immediately notice that it is very crowded. We are there in corona time, on King’s Day and most paid playgrounds are closed, so the playground is packed. Still, we don’t get discouraged and find a nice spot in the playground. There are a number of benches (14 of them) and picnic tables (14 of them), but most parents carry a rug or chair. We too have a rug with us and in the back of the playground we can sit in the sand just fine.
The playground is not super large in terms of area, but because the more than fifty pieces of playground equipment are close together, there is plenty to do for young and older kids. Upon entering, there is a sort of fairy tale forest for the youngest children (don’t expect too much of this) as well as some smaller play equipment for younger kids. At the back of the playground are the play equipment for the older kids with large towers and climbing equipment with several slides.
There are also two sections with water. One section has some playground equipment built over a body of water, and the other section allows kids to get to work with a water pump, with the water going into different containers. In terms of food and drink, the playground doesn’t offer much, but a few minutes’ walk from the playground is a large supermarket, pizzeria and French fry shop, providing plenty of options for food and drink. Of course, you can also bring your own food and drinks.
We had a great time in this playground for a whole day. The sun shone brightly and we parents sat on our rug all afternoon, while Sophie was actually playing the whole time. Because there is a fence around the playground, your kids can’t just suddenly run away, although with small kids it is important to keep an eye on them (especially with the water too). If you are looking for a fun affordable day out then playground ‘t Kwekkeltje is a really fun option and that’s why this playground definitely belongs in our list of best playgrounds in Brabant with kids!
Playgrounds in Brabant with kids #2: enjoyment
Near natural park the Loonse and Drunense dunes is a large playground at Recreation Park Het Genieten. You can walk straight from the park to the playground. By the way, the Loonse and Drunense dunes are also great to visit and here you can also do some great hiking! We already included this nature park in the best walks of Brabant with kids.
At the playground, you can park your car for free in the large parking lot, and the playground is actually attached to Brasserie het Genieten. From this terrace you have a good view of your kids in the playground. Because there is fencing around the playground, kids can’t just walk into the dunes either. Of course, the idea is that when the kids are playing in the playground, the parents then have a drink on the terrace, but you also see a lot of parents just in the playground itself.
In that regard, taking a seat on the terrace is not a punishment either, as you can eat and drink just fine and you can easily spend an entire morning or afternoon here. In the playground, besides the playground equipment, they also have an area with water, which is a nice place for kids, especially in summer.
Playgrounds in Brabant with kids #3: Playground de splinter
Eindhoven is the city of fun playgrounds in Brabant with kids! We already wrote the blog Eindhoven with kids about it. If your kids absolutely love big playgrounds, then you should definitely visit this city sometime. The city also has a very large free playground. Playground the Splinter is the name of this playground, where you pay no entrance fee Monday through Saturday and a small fee on Sundays and holidays. Near the playground, you can park your car for free in the neighborhood and then it’s a short walk to the playground.
Actually, playground the Splinter is a collection of different playgrounds. This is also a disadvantage, since the park is not very orderly and you have to pay close attention to where they go, especially with small kids. You have different section in the park for different age groups. This huge playground is also sure to be fun for older kids.
In addition, in the summer, kids can also use the pool (frog pool) that is in the play park. Kids can also cuddle some animals on the grounds, as there is also a small petting zoo on the property.
Only downside is that there is not really an option throughout the park to have a nice lunch with the family. You do have a small eatery there, but the choices are limited. Consequently, most parents bring their own food and drinks to this park. In the middle of the park there are quite a few picnic benches, so you can eat at them just fine.
There is also an area of water in the back of the park, where kids are catching tadpoles with landing nets and where several play equipment are built over the water. Especially in the summer, this is also a nice place for kids to play. We have been to this play park in Eindhoven several times now and we must say that this is really a top budget getaway. That’s why this playground definitely belongs in the list of best playgrounds in Brabant with kids! For more information on opening hours and the different play equipment, check out the park’s website.
Playgrounds in Brabant with kids #4: playground in the walking forest
In Tilburg, you have a large playground located in the Wandelbos that you can visit for free with your kids. The Wandelbos is located in the west of the city of Tilburg and from the center you can get there within ten minutes by car. You can park your car for free in the forest. In the forest itself, you regularly encounter squirrels and it is a short walk to the large playground. There is fine sand at the playground, so kids cannot easily hurt themselves if they fall.
The playground has a variety of play equipment for young and older kids. Next to the playground is a soccer field and a number of cabins have been built around the field, where kids can play. For the parents, there are some benches along the side, but there are not that many. Walk a little further into the Wandelbos, you’ll also come across a petting zoo. Here you will find various animals such as a donkey, deer, wallabies, a pot-bellied boar and pheasants.
If you have seen the entire forest then it is nice to finish with a drink or lunch at restaurant the 7 Goats located on the edge of this forest. This is another great place for kids to play with different playground equipment, an old maze ruin and they also have different animals here. All in all, if you combine all the activities you can easily have half a day of fun in this forest, and the combination of activities is why we put it in this list of best playgrounds in Brabant with kids. For more free activities in Tilburg, read our blog Tilburg with kids.
Playgrounds in Brabant with kids #5: playground herperduin
The playground in Herpen is described as play forest Herperduin. The principle is obviously the same only that the playground is in the forest and a little more use is made of natural materials. We already placed this play forest at number 1 in our blog the 10 best play forests of Brabant and that’s because you can have a great time here for half a day.
You can park your car for free at the forest and upon entering the forest you actually walk right into a huge playground equipment, which is quite high and where kids can climb on it on all sides. Our six-year-old daughter thought it was great play equipment and the slide in the middle of it goes pretty fast.
In addition, at this playground in the woods you have a barefoot path, a little water with a pump where kids can play, a fun observation tower that you can climb, a whole course of equipment that is used by mostly kids to play and the area is also a large sandbox where we saw many kids getting busy with shovels and buckets.
It is also possible to have a fine lunch here since at the entrance is pancake restaurant Pan&Zo and restaurant the Kriekeput. For all the information about this playground and the forest, read our travel blog play forest Herperduin with kids.
