This one is fine! It’s sandwiched in between a skate park, a gazebo with public performances, pickleball courts, and the beach, so there’s usually some kind of entertainment going on. It has some very high slides and a few bits that look dangerous, but there’s a separated area for smaller kids to ideally keep them from falling 10+ feet onto wood chips. The sandbox is full of toys that are apparently catnip for children of many ages, based on personal observation. I feel like Bruno is never very excited to come here but impossible to drag away without tears once he settles in. Note that Ceraldi, down the block, has great iced coffee but is BYO coffee cup for takeaway.
In season, this is a crowded playground. Across the street from Mayo Beach and surrounded by pickleball and tennis courts, a skate park, and soccer fields, it’s a hub of recreation in Wellfleet. Off season is a different story.
Fewer children are around from Labor Day through early spring, and often we can have the only child playing.
The sun beats down on this playground quite a bit, but there is some artificial shade around picnic tables where we can find refuge. Other benches are mostly exposed to the sun. Sunset is a pretty time to be here as the long shadows shade more of the playground.
With many seasonal and vacation visitors, the playground has a big mix of visitors. Some tough guy dads like to show off on the monkey bars, which happens here more than most playgrounds.
Wellfleet’s playground is walking distance to the fishing wharf and the small downtown, making it a great destination after grabbing a coffee and stuffing baby with a croissant.
The sandbox is filled with pre-owned beach toys. They seem to get a fresh set at the end of the season probably from the lost and found.
There are two bouncy bugs that are fun to sit in for toddlers.
There are several big plastic slides, and one that’s quite tall that we still haven’t convinced baby to go down. Three twisting slides, two straight slides and a toddler slide on a separate piece of equipment make up most of the playground. The equipment is bright, shiny and new— thanks seasonal visitor fees.
Pickleball courts require a $15 fee in season. A small gravel parking lot provides direct access and for beach parking permit holders, Mayo Beach parking across the street, or park on the nearby fishing wharf.
Named for Lorenzo Dow Baker, a sailor who launchd a banana shipping trade and invested in Wellfleet as a summer destination.
