Stretching from 72nd to 153rd Streets, Riverside is one great stroll. Beautiful views, from the river to the houseboats at the 79th St. Boat Basin, and some of the city's cleanest and best playgrounds - what's not to love? Amazingly, some of our West Side friends hardly know it's there. They head blindly to Central Park, leaving Riverside uncrowded and under-utilized. Riverside's best playgrounds have animal themes, great for children learning to talk and make animal sounds. The Elephant Playground is on 76th Street and offers climbing, sandbox and swings. In the summer, the elephants blast water from their inner sprinklers. The Hippo Playground, on 91st, has great equipment, and hippo sprinklers. The Dinosaur Playground is just a few blocks north, on 97th, and has one of the biggest sprinkler areas. And the Dolphin Playground is on 123rd, near Grant's Tomb and Columbia University. In between the animals, you'll find many other play spaces for 2-5 year olds (tot lots). Check out the individual playspace entries for each of these playspaces and many more.
The Riverside Park Fund has lots of information about the park - super helpful! http://www.riversideparkfund.org/