1000 Hands Playground Sawyer Point Highlights

• Large, steamboat-themed playground located along the Ohio River front
• Built for children of all abilities and is wheelchair accessible
• Lots of shade due to its location under a bridge
• 8 swings, including an ADA swing and tire swing
• Has a rock wall with a cool mural of downtown
• Best for kids ages 2-12

Overview

1000 Hands Every Child’s Playground is located at Sawyer Point, along the Ohio River front. There is another, more well-known, 1000 Hands Playground located in Pleasant Ridge. This playground is located directly under the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge (aka the yellow “Big Mac Bridge”), between the sand volleyball court and Sawyer Point Park.

The playground is mostly fenced and is easily accessed by the main entrance across from the sand volleyball court. There is a second entrance along the side of the playground closest to the access road. The ground is solid surface throughout and the playground is built from composite wood. There are many different levels and interactive features throughout this park to keep kids of all ages busy for at least an hour or two. If you need a snack break, you can find plenty of picnic tables along the side of the playground closest to the volleyball court.

The playground

There is a lot to take in when you first enter 1000 Hands Every Child’s Playground at Sawyer Point. To the left are monkey bar-type features, and beyond that is a ramp that goes up and around to the back of the playground. To your right is a separate area with an interactive roads sand table and musical toys. Next is the first set of swings, then the little playhouse, second entrance, and another ramp leading to the back of the playground. In the center is a giant playground structure with many different tunnels, ramps, stairs, and slides.

Walk a little further in to see the main steamboat playground structure in all its glory. Steamboat touches can be found throughout the playground. Very fitting, I think, given the playground’s location next to the Ohio River.

The steamboat play structure is teeming with nooks and crannies to explore. It can be accessed by one of two playground ramps or the many different types of stairs and ladders throughout. There are two slides – one at each end of the playground. Some of the interactive features on the playground include a giant steamboat steering wheel and a tic-tac-toe board. One of my favorite features is the little rock wall with a mural of downtown Cincinnati.

Swings

There are 8 swings total at 1000 Hands Playground Sawyer Point. Four regular swings can be found not far from the main playground entrance. The other set of swings is in the back area of the playground. Here you will find two bucket seats, one ADA swing, and a tire swing.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms are in their own little building located under the bridge but closer to the river. The doors to the individual bathrooms face the river (away from the playground), and are on their own little path. It’s about a minute walk from the playground to the bathrooms.

Parking

There are several parking lots along Pete Rose Way. The parking lot at Sawyer Point is closest to 1000 Hands Playground, but it does have a parking fee. Free parking is available further down, such as at International Friendship Park, but it’s a bit of a walk to the playground from there.

The not so greats

Not fully fenced. While 1000 Hands Every Child’s Playground at Sawyer Point is mostly fenced, it’s important to be aware that this playground is not completely fenced in. The main playground entrance (facing the sand volleyball court) does not have a gate, but there is a bit of an entryway that makes this spot more manageable.

The spot to be aware of is the secondary entrance along the side of the playground closest to the access road. This entrance is a bit deceiving because it doesn’t look like a way out at first glance, but you can exit the playground via the little playhouse and the ramp next to it. It exits out to the access road and then a parking lot.

Not the cleanest. While I wouldn’t consider any playground to be clean, 1000 Hands Playground is one of the least clean of the playgrounds we frequent. Although the ground is solid surface, this is not the playground I would take a crawling baby. To be clear, this playground is far from filthy, but we do sometimes find trash throughout and the whole area could use a good hose down. Because of it’s location under a bridge, it doesn’t receive a lot of rain that would normally wash away dirt, sand, pollen and the like that has built up on the playground.

No good vantage point. Because 1000 Hands Playground Sawyer Point is so big and has so many levels, it can be tricky to keep up with your kids as they run and play. This is not a playground where you can stand in one spot and have eyes on the little ones the entire time. 

Highlights

• Great for all ages
• Fully fenced in with one entry point 
• Features water play and a sandbox in addition to playground structures
• Parking garage located conveniently underneath the park and nearby streetcar stops
• Beautifully designed and landscaped with a mix of natural and artificial elements
• Manned by 3CDC staff member 
• Nearby sprayground and dog park

Overview

The Children’s Playground is located the southeast part of Washington Park. Designed to honor the rich history of Cincinnati, this half-acre playground is semi-shaded and offers a solid-surface ground throughout. No need to worry about mulch here!

Enter the playground through the large gate to find the canal and a shipwrecked canal boat in front of you. To the left are the restrooms, benches and picnic tables. Further in is the ruins play area with hills and valleys. To the right is a shaded area with swings and more benches. 

Back to the left, a deck walkway borders a nature area. Follow the deck to find the sandbox and musical toys. Continue along this path to reach the castle play structure at the back of the playground. 

There is a large parking garage underneath the park, as well as street parking nearby. You can also get to the playground by streetcar. Two streetcar stops are adjacent to the park.

The canal

At the front of the playground is a small canal that runs towards the front corner of the fence, ending near a canal boat. This feature pays homage to the Miami and Erie Canal that flowed down what is now Central Parkway nearly a century ago. The canal is separate from the nearby sprayground, and is the perfect spot to cool down your toes or watch a leaf boat race downstream.

The ruins area

In the heart of the playground is the ruins area. The highlight of this area is the large structure designed to look like a ruin for kids to climb and explore.

In the center is a large valley that is a blast to run down and up. Large stones designed for climbing or sitting also border the valley. Grippy solid surface rubber coats the ground in this area.

The swings are also in the ruins area. The swings sit under a row of large trees towards the edge of the playground. Two bucket swings and a saucer swing are nestled in their own alcove in an area covered by artificial turf. And look for a little library housed near the bucket swings.

The sandbox area

Take the deck walkway leading to the side of the playground closest to Race Street to find the sandbox. The sandbox is off the side of the deck, right across from the musical toys.

It’s not the largest sandbox, but it’s nicely landscaped with large boulders to play on. A small crew of kids could play here together quite comfortably.

What I like most about this sandbox are the facets stationed next to the sandbox to conveniently wash off sandy fingers and toes.

The castle

Way in the back of the playground is a castle structure for kids to climb and explore. The castle boasts two slides – one dual slide and one spiral tube slide, a rock wall, and a cool staircase.

To reach the castle, you must either scale the artificial turf hill leading up to the front of the castle or journey along the path from the sandbox and musical toys area.

Washington Park Sprayground

Washington Park boasts one of the largest spraygrounds in town. This interactive water park is 7,000 sq. ft. and runs from 10:00am to 10:00pm from April through October.

While the sprayground isn’t within the gates of the playground, it’s only a short walk away. You can find this water feature just up the path from the playground, in the center of Washington Park.

Don’t miss my complete guide to Cincinnati Splash Pads for a full list of places to cool down.

The bathrooms

When you gotta go, look for the family bathroom in the building next to the gate. If the family bathroom is closed, other bathrooms can be found around the other side of the same building, just outside of the playground gates.

The not so greats

The gate may be open. While the Children’s Playground is fully fenced in, the big gate is sometimes open. This is something to be aware of if your kid is a runner.

Few swings. There are only 3 swings at this playground, and there are no regular swings for older kids.

Not a lot for the littlest littles. A baby could happily crawl around in this playground or swinging on one of the bucket swings, but there aren’t any playground structures designed on the ground level for a baby to enjoy. (But don’t miss these other playgrounds that are perfect for baby.)

Big variety, but low volume. There’s a great variety of things to do – from water play to sand to swings to climbing to slides. But each area isn’t very large, and doesn’t keep kids engaged for long. We typically spend about an hour at this playground.

Highlights

• Just opened in August 2021
• Designed with input from local children and accessibility experts
• One of the larger playgrounds for babies and young toddlers
• Cool features include a large climbable butterfly, a ground-level accessible merry-go-round, two playhouses, and a zip line.

Overview

The PNC Grow Up Great® Playground at Inwood Park was designed with inspiration from local children and input from accessibility experts. This playground, reopened in August 2021, features a large playground for little kids, a ground-level accessible merry-go-round, a playground and zip line for bigger kids, and a variety of swings.

The playground is a short walk from the parking lot, just past the picnic shelter with plenty of tables. First is the little kid playground with artificial turf. Here you will find the merry-go-round and playhouses. At the back edge of this area is a small hill to separate the little kid and big kid areas. The big kid playground is distinguished with mulch ground covering and features a large climbing structure, zip line, and swings.

There is not a fence, though the sidewalk goes around the outside of the playground with a few benches throughout. Also, a heads up about the potty situation – there is no bathroom onsite at the playground. The only bathroom in the park is a bit of a hike from the playground.

How to get there and where to park

Directions from a GPS will take you to the lower part of Inwood Park. To reach this playground and adjoining parking lot, you want to go to the part of the park off of Wellington Place. Use the directions from the dropped pin and guide below to navigate to the correct spot.

Turn down Wellington Place from Auburn Avenue. You will see sign for Inwood Park on the corner. There is a new apartment complex on your left. Shortly after the road changes from brick pavers back to pavement, you will see a traffic circle ahead and a small parking lot to your left before the circle. Park in that parking lot and the playground is a few steps away.

Little kid playground

Inwood Park has one of the best playgrounds for young toddlers and children who are still crawling. There is a large variety of things to do for the littlest littles, while also still fun for older toddlers and preschoolers. This area has artificial turf covering the ground and each structure is spaced out enough to provide a clear view throughout the playground. It is not fenced in, but a small artificial hill covered in turf separates this area from the big kid playground.

First, you will see a solid surface race strip with two lanes closest to the sidewalk. Next are the musical toys. You will find drums, xylophone and pentatonic set to enjoy. Behind the musical area is a large, blue climbable butterfly. Further over are the two playhouses, separated by gumdrop steps.

The playhouses are perfect for the youngest kids to explore, with several features on the ground level. But they are also perfect for 3 and 4 year olds, who love to play pretend. I really liked how one playhouse is smaller than the other so it serves a variety of ages, but gives more than one option for kids who aren’t walking yet.

At the far side of the playground is the ground-level accessible merry-go-round. A set of textured walls with different shapes and colors borders the merry-go-round.

Big kid playground

The big kid playground is just over the little hill, where the ground switches from artificial turf to mulch. This area is best for kids ages 4 and up.

The main playground structure consists of a two-story tower with a connected ropes course. The ropes course is cool, but a bit intricate. The tower has several ladders and stairs, 2 slides from the first level, and several interactive toys along the walls.

One thing that stuck out is that there is no slide from the top level, which the kids found a bit disappointing. The only way to get up and down from top level are ladders (1 inside the structure and 2 outside).

The zip line was a cool surprise! It is located along back side of playground, behind the big kid playground structure. My son had a blast zipping back and forth all morning long.

Swings

Look for the swings in the mulch area next to the big kid playground. There are 6 swings to enjoy: 2 regular swings, 1 bucket swing, 1 ADA, and 2 dual accessible swings – plus one disc swing for friends to share.

No nearby bathrooms

There are no bathrooms on site near the playground. It would be a good idea to make sure you have a car potty in your trunk before heading to this playground if you have one.

The Inwood Park bathrooms are located in the lower part of the park, closer to Vine Street, in the comfort station by the lake. There appears to be a path (and quite a few steps) to the lake area that begins at the bottom of the nearby traffic circle. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be a quick walk from the playground to the park potty.

The not so greats

No bathrooms. There are no bathrooms onsite at the playground, and unfortunately, the park bathroom is not a quick walk away.

Not fenced in. There is a fence along the side of the playground that borders the apartment complex, but the playground itself is not contained. For a playground that caters to the youngest kids, it would be a nice bonus to have the playground fully fenced in.

Not a lot of parking. The nearby parking lot is nice but small with less than 10 spots. You can park further up the street on Wellington Place, but I do not believe you can park on the part of the street that is closest to the playground. That being said, the parking lot was never completely full the entire time we were there on a week day morning.

No shade at all. Inwood Park would be a better playground to visit on a cloudier day. The addition of a few shades, particularly over the little kid area, would be a welcomed addition!

The mulch. It would be nice if entire playground was solid surface or artificial turf instead the mulch that covers the big kid area and swings.

More slides! The kids found the big kid play structure to be a bit disappointing because of lack of slide down from the top level. Both my son and my friend’s child asked where the slide was when they got up top. 

Highlights

• Large playground with solid surface ground
• Separate play area for toddlers
• Both a splash pad and man-made creek to cool you down
• Still pieces from the prehistoric theme dating back from our childhood

Overview

When you walk through the large entrance at Sharon Woods Harbor, the first thing you will see is the long, man-made creek stretching before you just in front of the side of the boathouse. To your left, picnic tables stretch down to the end of the creek. The creek ends just before an overlook with a view of Sharon Lake. One set of restrooms is also located nearby at the back of the boathouse.

On the other side of the boathouse is a large overhang with a snack bar and plenty of picnic tables. Behind the picnic tables is a stairwell leading down to the lake. If you have kids who like to wander off, make sure to keep an eye on them in this area.

Next to the snack bar area is the splash pad. Moving forward towards the parking lot is the toddler playground, the rock formation (complete with a big-toothed kitty), the main playground, a smaller picnic shelter and then a building with individual unisex bathrooms and a changing area. Closing the loop, you’ll find the beginning of the creek next to the big playground.

The playground

The main playground at Sharon Woods Harbor is one large play structure. Part of this playground is designed to be wheelchair accessible, with a large ramp running down the center and back to the left of the playground. The ramp ends at a set of monkey bars and a slide, but there are several interactive features to play with along the way.

The other half of the play structure is a higher platform with several slides and a rock wall to climb. This section can be accessed from a tunnel located about midway up the ramp or by a set of stairs next to the ramp. The ground is made of solid surface rubber, and there is a lot space to run around and play in this playground area.

On the edge of this playground is a large, man-made rock structure that acts as a wall to separate this playground from the toddler playground. Kids love to climb across and over the rocks, but what they really love is to sit on the back of the saber-toothed tiger that sits atop the highest rock. I know this because as a kid, I loved sitting on top of this saber-toothed tiger, just as my kid does today (and if you’re counting, yes, that does make this part of the Sharon Woods Harbor playground pretty old).

The toddler playground

Sharon Woods Harbor has a cute toddler playground for the not-quite-so-big kids. The toddler playground consists of a smaller playground structure, 2 bucket swings, and a rock wall tunnel. It isn’t a huge area, but it’s a nice spot for an early walker to explore and play.

What I like about the toddler playground structure is that there is one way in and out. The steps are easy to climb or crawl up, and the slide isn’t too steep. Little ones would have more fun crawling through the rock wall tunnel than climbing over it. It’s great that there are swings in this area, but unfortunately, these are the only swings in the entire Sharon Woods Harbor playground.

The splash pad & creek

The water feature at Sharon Woods Harbor consists of a splash pad next to the playground and a man-made creek that runs along the side of the boathouse. Both water features are operating for summer 2021.

The creek is fed by a little bubbler near the playground, then runs the length of the boathouse. There are metal casts of fossils to discover throughout the creek. The water never gets more than a few inches deep, so this is a perfect space for little ones to explore.

The splash pad is located next to the toddler playground. It’s a mid-sized splash pad consisting of circles of different sized fountains shooting water from the ground. It’s not a huge splash pad, but it compliments the creek nicely.

The not so greats

No shade. Although there are trees galore in Sharon Woods, there are very few in Sharon Woods Harbor. The ground and playground equipment can heat up quickly in the summer sun.  

Not much for crawlers. Although the ground in the playground area is solid surface rubber, Sharon Woods Harbor is not the spot for crawlers. There’s is not much on this playground to explore on the ground level and as I mentioned, ground heats up quickly – which can hurt little hands and knees.

Not many swings. There are only 2 swings at the Sharon Woods Harbor playground. Both swings are bucket swings, which means there are no regular swings for bigger kids or ADA swings.

Not fully fenced in. There is a fence that separates Sharon Woods Harbor from the parking lot, walking path and lake. However, there are some big gaps in the fence that made me nervous when my son was younger. The entrance way from the parking lot is quite large and does not have a gate. There is also a stairway by the snack bar area (and close to the splash pad) that leads down to the lake. These are the two biggest spots to be aware of if your kid has the tendency to take off running (we’ve all been there).

While the playground and splash pad at Sharon Woods Harbor are free, a Great Parks Annual Motor Vehicle Pass is required to enter the park. More info can be found on the Great Parks of Hamilton County website.