Playgrounds & Parks with Free Parking in Essex!
Are you looking for a kid friendly FREE DAY OUT in ESSEX? Playgrounds are great for a free or low cost day out in Essex! Here are over 50 brilliant parks and playgrounds in Essex that have free car parking! This post features playgrounds and parks with designated car parks for easy car parking.
Don't forget to also check out the Parks of Essex Summer Holdiday Guide 2024 - which contains over 50 FREE EVENTS and ACTIVITIES in Essex.
This guide features parks and playgrounds with free car parks across the whole of Essex.
Click the park for more information including playground description and facilities such as cafes and toilets (click to scroll to the area):
North East Essex
Parks with free parking in Colchester
Abberton Reservoir is home to an Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Discovery Centre. Kids will also love the Bramley Hedge woodland character trail and woodland themed playground.
The Stanway Lakelands Community Centre has great faculties including a cafe, inclusive playground, sensory room and full Changing Places facility. There are regular family events held at the Stanway Centre including bbqs and the softplay bus.
A playground overlooking the beautiful Chappel Viaduct, what a view! Chappel is a great spot for a day out, interesting photos and the playground is a huge bonus.
Fingringhoe Wick is the sit of the first Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Discovery Centre. The nature reserve has great birdwatching opportunities over the estuary from the bird hides. There is a wooden playground and regular family friendly events hosted by Essex Wildlife Trust.
Boxted Village has an excellent children's park. You can find an enclosed playground for toddlers, play equipment for older children, a large skate ramp and open playing fields. Boxted Playground features on our guide: The Best Playgrounds for Toddlers in Essex.
Grove Road playground in Tiptree has facilities for infants to teenagers. There is a unique balance obstacle course. The skate park is also a highlight of the park. It is also a short distance from the Tiptree Jam Tearoom!
Stoke by Nayland playground is a local play area with playing fields and a good playground. The grassy playground is enclosed.
Ardleigh Millenium Green is home to a great children's playground including a sand play area and obstacle course. Ardleigh Millenium Green is also next to the mainline railway, so a great playground to head to if your child is a train enthusiast.
Parks with free parking in Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton Park Playing Fields has a children's play ground with fun equipment and lots of space. There is also plenty of open space in the nearby playing fields.
North West Essex
Parks with free parking in Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden Common
Parks with free parking in Braintree
Rayne park is in the beautiful village of Rayne. The wooden playground has lots of interesting equipment and suits toddlers to junior aged children. There are also large playing fields.
The gardens and fountain at Braintree and Bocking Gardens are so well maintained. There is also a small children's play park conveniently located next to a lovely cafe.
Mid Essex
Parks with free parking in Billericay
If you love a woodland walk, you will love Norsey Wood! There are great family friendly walking trails and a covered picnic area.
Hanningfield Waterside Park has beautiful views across Hanningfield Reservoir and is a great spot for feeding the ducks. There is a playground and cafe. You can also walk through the woodlands to reach the Essex Wildlife Trust Centre based at Hanningfield Reservoir.
Hanningfield Reservoir is home to an Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Discovery Centre. There are great bird hides throughout the nearby woodland. The highlight is the Wind in the Willows Trail.
There are great facilities at Lake Meadows Park including two playgrounds, cafe, swimming pool, fishing, mini golf, playground, basketball and tennis courts. There is free parking outside of school drop off and pick up time.
Parks with free parking in Wickford
Runwell Park is good for children of all ages! There are two great play areas close to each other and a car park with free parking.
Wickford Memorial Park is great! The park has a great playground with two areas to suit children all ages. There is a cafe with large menu and wonderfully maintained gardens with plenty of seating.
The Wick Country Park has a playground, easy access trails and beautiful lake. A great spot for cycling and scooting!
Parks with free parking in Basildon
Langdon Nature Reserve is maintained by the Essex Wildlife Trust. The Reserve is also great for dog walkers due to the vast landscape of woodland, meadows and lakes. It is the home of the Essex Peter Rabbit character trail.
Wat Tyler Country Park is one of the best parks in Essex with free parking. The country park has a huge, inclusive children's play park.
Westley Heights is a beautiful nature reserve, which also has a small natural play woodland play area. There are also great walking trails.
Northlands Park was refurbished in March 2023. It's a great space with a playground, outdoor gym, skate ramp, cafe and beautiful lake full of ducks.
Parks with free parking in Chelmsford
Paraside Road playground in Writtle has an enclosed playground, playing fields and skate ramp! There is lots of great, interesting equipment for toddlers in particular.
Oaklands Park is home to Chelmsford Museum, a super child friendly museum. There are also two seperate playgrounds within the beautiful park grounds. The playgrounds have equipment for children of all ages. The gardens here are beautiful and there is lots of space to explore!
Great Baddow Recreation Ground has lots of facilities - footbalk, basketball, netball, table tennis and tennis courts.The Rec also contains two playgrounds, making it suitable for toddlers as well as older children.
Compass Gardens has a great playground. The equipment is brightly coloured and in great condition. You can also find rugby and cricket pitches, a skate park, basketball court and outdoor gym equipment.
Chelmer Park has a large, free car park. There are vast playing fields and two play areas. One playground is a small, enclosed playground with two individual baby swings and a climbing frame suitable for children up to two. The larger playground has lots of climbing equipment. Don't forget to check out the twisty slides! Treat with caution.
There is a brilliant playground at Broomfield Park. The playground has a variety of equipment, the star being the large pirate ship with climbs and multilevel play. The playground is overlooked by a great cafe!
Parks with free parking in Rayleigh
There are two great play areas at Grove Woods in Rayleigh. The play area closest the car park consists of a large stacked wooden climbing frame and one other piece of climbing equipment. The other play area has plenty of equipment including several climbing frames with slides, seesaws, swings, zipwire and interactive play equipment.
West Essex (/East London Border)
Parks with free parking in Barking
Barking Park is a beautifully maintained park in a busy town. There are great facilities including a cafe, playground and skate park. There are also seasonal attractions including a Splash Pad, the Magical Unicorn Lake (unicorn pedalo boats) and Bounsea (giant inflatable castle).
Parks with free parking in Romford
Bedfords Park is home to an Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Discovery Centre. There are great views across Essex and London from outside the visitor centre. Kids will love the wooden playground and feeding the deer! There is plenty of open space and woodland areas for walking.
Eastbrookend Country Park is great for a family day out. There is a great playground to suit a variety of ages, a sculpture trail and sweet tea room.
Parks with free parking in Chigwell
Pelican Playground in Chigwell has a sand pit playground with a nautical theme! There is also lots of grassy space around the sand pit.
Parks with free parking in Upminster
Essex Wildlife Trust's Ingrebourne Valley Nature Discovery is in Hornchurch Country Park. There is a great play area close to the visitor centre. There are trails for dog walking, cycling and running within the park.
Parks with free parking in Harlow
Harlow Town Park is a family favourite. There are two playgrounds, a skate park, seasonal paddling pool and Pets Corner Farm for children. The Park has several beautiful, unique gardens (including a sensory garden), nature reserves and a wonderful bandstand.
Pets' Corner Playground can be found at Harlow Town Park. We love this playground because it is suitable for children of all ages and most importantly it is one of the most inclusive play areas in Essex.
Set in Harlow, this nature reserve is also a bit of a hidden gem. Parndon Wood Nature Reserve is home to beautiful ancient woodlands. There is so much for children including den building, minibeast hunting, walking trails, nature hides and regular school holiday events.
South
Parks with free parking in Stanford-le-Hope
Essex Wildlife Trust's Thameside Nature Park is amazing for families, walkers and little explorers. The reserve has nature hides. walking trails and a visitor centre with a viewing deck. Small children will love the boat themed playground and there is also a wooden assault course for bigger kids.
Parks with free parking in Tilbury
If you like a park with some history, the impressive Coalhouse Fort was built in the 19th century to protect the Thames Estuary. The Fort and moat are unique and interesting structures. There is also a small, basic playground.
South East
Parks with free parking in Southend-on-Sea
Chalkwell park is a great park in Southend-on-Sea. There are two separate play areas to suit children of all ages, beautiful gardens and lots of open space on the playing fields.
Blenheim Park is great for families. There is plenty of open space on the playing fields and a good playground.
Belfairs Woods are an Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve. There is plenty of amazing ancient woodland to explore! Children will love den building and splashing in the stream within the woods. There is a large, linked wooden climbing frame structure set within the woods.
Southchurch Park is located only a stones throw away from Thorpe Bay Beach. The Park has several pitches and courts, a model boating lake and gardens. The large play ground has equipment for toddlers and big kids too.
Shoebury Park is a brilliant Southend park with so many facilities - a playground, big skate ramp, playing fields, gardens and basketball courts. Shoebury Park is a great spot to feed the ducks.
Priory Park in Southend is a great park for all ages. There is lots to do including a large, fenced off playground suitable for toddlers and bigger kids, duck pond, walled gardens and the historic Prittlewell Priory.
Gunners Park Toddler Playground
This small playground is perfect for toddlers. There are unique and interesting play equipment including a scoop pulley system and lots of educational interactive equipment. The playground is close to the car park and a great cafe.
This spacious, fenced off playground has lots of play equipment suitable for biggest kids. There are wooden climbing and balance apparatus, a large climbing frame with slide, swings and a zipwire
Jones Memorial Recreation Ground in Southend-on-Sea has lots of open space, making it good for dog walking. There are grassy football pitches, which are used by local weekend teams. There is a small fenced-in play ground conveniently located close to the free car park.
Parks with free parking in Hockley
Hockley Woods are beautiful and vast. Visit in the Summer to see the bluebells! There is a great woodland playground and free parking on weekends.
Hullbridge Recreation Ground Hullbridge has a great nautical themed playground overlooking the River Crouch. There is equipment for all ages and a shaded area perfect for the summer.
Parks with free parking in Rochford
Cherry Orchard Country Park is huge! There is a mix of woodland, open fields and streams. There is a recently resurfaced flat, accessible pathway which is also suitable for bikes, scooters and buggys.
Plenty of wildlife can be seen in the woods and surrounding the pond at Magnolia Park. Children can feed the ducks. There is also a playground suitable for smaller children. The play park has climbing frames, slides, swings and a rocking horse.
There are three play areas at King Georges Park in Rochford, as well as and lots of open space to play! There is a sand area with tyre swing and there is an enclosed play area with climbing frames, slides, ride on play equipment, roundabout, swings. There is also an open play area with zipwire, slide and climbing frame for older children, trampoline, nest swing.
For over 100 parks, playgrounds and nature reserves head to our DIRECTORY!
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