When family and friends come to visit us, we love taking them to Robbins Island. There are lovely wooded trails, and it’s right on Foot Lake, but our favorite part is the playground! My daughter and I spent a morning here recently, and we had no trouble filling the time. It’s definitely a good place to settle in and stay awhile.
About Robbins Island Playground
Robbins Island Destination Playground is a fully fenced in, recently built park in Willmar, MN. Here are a list of its offerings!
- A playground, one set for ages 5-12 and one for ages 2-5. Both have ramps that make it easy to get onto.
- Swings! Regular swings, baby swings, handicap-accessible swings, parent-and-child swings, and a swing that can be used with a wheelchair!
- Giant xylophones!
- A zipline!
- Benches throughout the park.
- Water misters with buttons so kids can turn them on and run through them.
- A picnic area just outside the fenced-in park, with tables and shade.
- Nice bathrooms, a short walk away, and a port-a-potty right by the entrance.
- Lots of space to run around!
What We Love about Robbins Island Playground
First of all, I have to say this is my favorite park EVER for babies and toddlers. It’s so easy for them to explore and for me to follow along with them! It’s also an amazing park for older kids, with a large play structure that has lots of unique ways to climb up and down. The amazing thing about the big-kid structure is that it’s ALSO full of ramps so that any kid can get up there, without needing to climb a ladder or scale a rock wall.
My almost-2-year-old daughter’s favorite part of this park lately has been the swings. The parent-child ones are so fun! She also loves the toddler play structure, which is farmyard-themed and so so cute! She can climb up the stairs all by herself and come down the slide, which isn’t often possible for a little kid at a regular park. And there are lots of fun gently-sloping ramps to run around on.
We got to the park at 9am this morning, and about one hour into our time, my daughter started to get pretty crabby. Lately, our goal as a family is to make our outings more relaxed. It can be so tiring to load up the car, unload at your destination, only to load back up 45 minutes later. So we’ve been trying to find ways to “stay awhile” when we go somewhere. My daughter and I found a comfortable bench where there were lots of kids to watch (it had gotten pretty busy at the park by that point) and I took out the apple slices and cheese sticks. I was surprised by how long she wanted to just sit and watch and snack. But it brought the enjoyment back to our outing, and we ended up staying till about 11:30, eating lunch at the park as well! I love getting home just in time for naps.
Q&A
Here are some answers to common questions about Robbins Island Playground. Comment below or send me a message if you have any more questions I can answer!
What ages is Robbins Island Playground for?
Officially, the park is for ages 2-12. I think crawlers and early walkers really enjoy the 2-5 year old area as well.
Is Robbins Island Playground a busy park?
It was pretty quiet when we first arrived at 9am, but in the summer it’s usually pretty busy by 10am.
Is Robbins Island Playground handicap accessible?
Yes, this playground seems to be intentionally designed to be handicap accessible. There are unique swings, ramps, and lots of wide pathways.
Does Robbins Island Playground have parking?
Yes, there is a large parking lot right by the entrance to the playground.
Does Robbins Island Playground have bathrooms?
Yes. There are nice bathrooms, a short walk away (only open in summer), and a port-a-potty right by the entrance.
Robbins Island Playground is so fun and unique. I hope you will try it out soon! We are so enjoying visiting lots of different parks this spring! Let me know which one we should visit next!
