Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground at Gathering Place is Named USA TODAY’s Best Public Playground for 2026
This is the first time the park has received this recognition
Gathering Place received the award for USA TODAY’s Best Public Playground for 2026 following a month-long public vote. After being selected by an expert panel and the USA TODAY 10Best editors, Gathering Place was nominated alongside 19 other public playgrounds across the United States before being voted on by the public.
“Gathering Place is honored to receive the award for Best Public Playground for the first time,” said Julio Badin, Executive Director of Gathering Place. “Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground was created as a place where kids can explore, imagine, and play without limits, and that’s what makes this recognition so meaningful for our city. It reflects the incredible support of the Tulsa community that brings this space to life for families and visitors every day.”
The USA TODAY readers’ choice recognition marks the fourth win for Gathering Place in eight years, following its prior recognition as Best New Attraction in 2019 and Best City Park in 2021 and 2024.
The top 10 winners for USA TODAY’s Best Public Playground for 2026 are ranked as follows:
- Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground at Gathering Place (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- The Nest at Downtown Cary Park (Cary, North Carolina)
- Gipson Play Plaza at Dix Park (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Variety Wonderland Playground at Forest Park (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Discovery Playground at Lewis & Clark Landing (Omaha, Nebraska)
- LeFleur’s Bluff Playground (Jackson, Mississippi)
- Anna C. Verna Playground at FDR Park (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Yanaguana Garden Playground at Hemisfair (San Antonio, Texas)
- Science Playground at Sugar Sand Park (Boca Raton, Florida)
- San Dieguito Inclusive Play Space (Del Mar, California)
Gathering Place was ranked in third place for Best Public Park for 2026 following Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, and Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, Florida. For more information about the award, visit USA TODAY’s website.
