Parks and playgrounds in Sheffield

Hillsborough Park: playground, climbing forest and pump track

Hillsborough Park is a free council park, open at all times. The council lists toddler and junior swings, climbing units and a snake slide, plus a climbing forest for older children and teenagers. The pump track is free.

• Water: Courtside lists a large pond in the park, so keep toddlers close.
• Toilets: the Courtside hub’s toilets and baby changing are available during its café hours. AccessAble’s guide says the Changing Places toilet needs a RADAR key.
• Getting there: the pay and display car park’s charges are not listed. The park has its own tram stop.

Millhouses Park: zip line, climbing wall and skate park

Millhouses Park on Abbeydale Road South has no admission charge, and the council says it is open all day. It lists a playground, a zip line, a climbing wall, a skate park and a bike track.

• Winter limits: the boating lake is listed for weekends and school holidays from April to October. The council gives no dates for the water splash play pond, so do not plan a winter visit around it.
• Water and road: there is a boating lake and the River Sheaf. Abbeydale Road South runs along the northern boundary, so hold hands at the entrances.
• Toilets: at the café and the boating lake, plus a Changing Places toilet by the lake. The council page does not mention baby changing.
• Parking: the car park is pay and display.

Endcliffe Park: a large playground by the Porter Brook

Welcome to Sheffield, the official tourism board, says Endcliffe Park has a large children’s playground, duck ponds, riverside walks and a café. None of the official pages we checked lists an admission charge or park opening hours.

• Water and birds: keep children close by the ponds and the brook. Because of avian flu, the council asks visitors not to approach, touch or feed birds, including ducks.
• Toilets and parking: Sheffield Museums places public toilets in the park, but no hours are given and baby changing is not mentioned. The pages describe no car park.

Pound’s Park: city centre towers, slides and sand

Pound’s Park is a free council park in the city centre, with official opening times of 8am to 5pm. Its two pyramid towers reach 11 metres at the tallest. There are also slides, a climbing boulder, a sand pit and a musical chime floor.

• Streets: the council says the park is not gated, so keep younger children close.
• Water play: the council does not say whether the water play runs in winter. Plan around the climbing and sand instead.
• Toilets: the council page lists toilets but gives no hours, and does not mention baby changing.
• Parking: city centre on-street charging runs 8am to 8.30pm daily, but not on public holidays. Blue Badge holders park free in on-street pay and display bays.

Graves Park Animal Farm: animals in the city’s biggest park

Graves Park Animal Farm is a free council farm, open every day from 10am to 3.30pm. Welcome to Sheffield calls Graves Park the city’s biggest park, with a café and two children’s playgrounds. Animal feed costs a small charge.

• Hands: wash hands with soap and running water after touching animals or feed, and before eating. Wipes and gel are not a substitute.
• Facilities: toilets, baby changing and refreshments. The council page does not describe indoor areas for day visitors.
• Parking: limited and paid, from the corner of Hemsworth Road and Bunting Nook.
• Christmas: the council page gives no arrangements for Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. Farm Christmas events are ticketed.

Heeley City Farm: a playground with the animals

Heeley City Farm is a free community farm with a playground, rare-breed animals and a café. It opens 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day, and animals are usually out from 10am until about 3pm. Its café page mentions an annual Christmas closure, so check before you travel over Christmas.

• Feeding and hands: only with feed bought at the café. Everyone must wash hands before eating or drinking.
• Ground: the farm is on a hill with some uneven paths. Anns Road, by the café, is flatter.
• Rules: children under 8 must be with a parent or guardian. Dogs on a lead are welcome, but not in the small animal house.
• Pregnancy: the farm’s group risk assessment notes risks for pregnant visitors, so ask the farm first.
• Facilities: baby changing and a Changing Places toilet. There is no car park, but nearby streets have free on-street parking.

Whirlow Hall Farm: play area and a working farm

Whirlow Hall Farm is a working charity farm with a play area, animals, a farm shop and the Barn Cafe. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Everyday entry and onsite parking are free, though the car park closes in severe weather.

• Christmas Fayre: on 12 November the farm listed it for 28 and 29 November 2026 only, 10am to 3pm. Adult tickets were £6 and child tickets £0.
• Play area: the farm’s risk assessment lists parental supervision, age-limit signs and a maximum of 4 children on the climbing frame.
• Feeding: feed is sold in the farm shop to adults only, who should supervise children feeding. Feeding happens only when enough staff supervision is available. Never bring food from home.
• Animals: wash hands with soap and water after touching them. No visitor may enter the pens without qualified staff agreeing and supervising, and the public may not enter them on event open days.
• Before you go: the visitor pages do not mention toilets or baby changing. The Barn Cafe closes from 21 December.
• Access: on 12 November the home page said Broad Elms Lane was closed, so use Whirlow Lane.

Ecclesall Woods: a walk, not a playground

Ecclesall Woods is an ancient council woodland, open at all times with no admission charge. Its Woodland Discovery Centre opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Our venue page mentions no play equipment.

• Routes: a 2018 walks leaflet calls its 30-minute stroll suitable for pushchairs. Its longer walks include steps, and the 2-hour route crosses streams and roads.
• Fungi: the leaflet warns that some fungi are poisonous, so wash hands after touching them.
• Toilets: inside the centre during opening hours, plus toilets in the car park.

Which place suits your family?

• Big climbers: the Pound’s Park towers, the Millhouses zip line or the Hillsborough climbing forest.
• Bikes: the free pump track at Hillsborough Park, or the Millhouses bike track.
• Animals plus play: Heeley City Farm, or Whirlow Hall Farm from Wednesday to Sunday.

Frequently asked questions

Which Sheffield parks have a playground?

Hillsborough Park, Millhouses Park, Endcliffe Park and Pound’s Park. Welcome to Sheffield says Graves Park has two.

Are Sheffield parks free?

None of the places in this guide lists an everyday entry charge. Car parks at Hillsborough Park, Millhouses Park and Graves Park Animal Farm charge. Whirlow’s Christmas Fayre is ticketed.

Is the water play open in winter?

The council does not say whether the Pound’s Park water play runs in winter. It gives no dates for the Millhouses water splash play pond.

Can we feed the ducks?

The council’s avian flu page asks visitors not to approach, touch or feed birds, including ducks. At Heeley and Whirlow, use only feed sold on site.

Which places have a Changing Places toilet?

Hillsborough Park, where AccessAble’s guide says it needs a RADAR key, Millhouses Park by the boating lake, and Heeley City Farm.

Checked on 12 November 2026 against the official websites, through our Sheffield venue pages, and written up on 13 November 2026. Prices and opening times change, so check before you travel.

Photo: Jonathan Clitheroe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).