Not the most impressive playground, but it's a really lovely little neighborhood spot.
We made our last stop on this playground on our way to see the Christmas lights in Dyker Heights. It wasn't quite dark yet, even under the gray skies. The amount of equipment in the small park was impressive, and kept the toddler entertained for much longer than we expected.
It was empty when we were there, so our toddler ran back and forth between the pieces of equipment trying to convince us to go down the slide.
There was nothing out of the ordinary here, but that's sort of the point for a neighborhood park. It's got a lot for its size, and if this was on the corner near our apartment, we'd be here all the time, but it probably isn't the sort of place we would go out of our way to visit again.
The playground also has nice trees and benches for people to sit on – what suburban planners often call a pocket park.
The paved, fenced lot had been a long time play space. But in 2002, with $240,000 from the city council, it was turned into an actual playground, according Hey Ridge.
The original name was "Play Lot Playground," renamed to "Volunteer Playground" at its dedication. However, it was mainly named in honor of then still living Dan Ross, a volunteer who lived nearby and frequently cleaned up the park. He died in 2004 and the park was renamed in his honor.
