Accessible Recreational and Leisure Activities for Children in Maryland

May 26, 2022

Fun For Children Of All Abilities

Playtime is essential in promoting healthy development, physically, emotionally and cognitively.  When children play, they are learning! Through play, children understand more about the world around them, develop curiosity and creativity, improve communication and language schools, and promote global motor development. We are all have different interests and abilities, and as such, a variety of play experiences are necessary to meet those different interests and needs.


In the first episode of the Spark A Movement podcast, our guest described the difficultly of finding outdoor recreation parks that would be accessible, inclusive, and interesting to her children. We thought creating a resource that lists inclusive parks and facilities would be helpful for our community members. If you know of a facility or park in Maryland that you would like to add to the list below, please email our staff at team@pmchag.com with "Local Accessible Playgrounds" as the email subject with your suggestions to add to the list below.


Please note, the facilities and parks below are ADA accessible, with most having paved or solid surfaces, inclusive equipment and/or inclusive programming.


Anne Arundel County

Severna Park: The Gym For All Kids

  • Ballenger creek trail
  • Sophie and Madigan's Memorial Park


Frederick County

Frederick:

  • Ballenger Creek Trail
  • Chuckie Cheese
  • C&O Trail
  • Frederick Airport
  • Green Meadows Petting Farm
  • Monocacy Trail
  • Pinecliff Park
  • Sophie and Madigan's Memorial Park
  • Spinners

Middletown: Catoctin Nature Center

Thurmont:

  • Catocin Wildlife Preserve
  • East End Park

Walkersville: Sharon's Dance Studio


Baltimore City

Baltimore:

  • The Maryland Science Center
  • The National Aquarium
  • Port Discovery
  • SkyZone


Carroll County

Mt. Airy:

  • Hailey's Wish Playground
  • Watkins Reginal Park

West Minster:Mt. Airy Bowling


Washington County

Hagerstown:

  • Martin “Marty" L. Snook Memorial Park
  • C&O Trail

Williamsport:

  • Byron Memorial Park


Howard County

Columbia: Blandair Park

Columbia: Bitty and Beau's Coffee Shop

Columbia: AMC Theaters

Ellicott City : Roger Carter Community Center


Montgomery County

Bethesda: Capital Crescent Trail

Gaithersburg:

  • AMC Theaters
  • Longview School Boundless Playground
  • We Rock the Spectrum Gym

Rockville: Regal Cinemas

Potomac: Hadley's Park

Snacklaces

June 4, 2025
Exposing children to food through various activities like cooking, coloring and sensory play/projects enhances their understanding of food, leading to healthier eating habits. Try a sensory project, like making snacklaces!

Kids in the Kitchen

May 27, 2025
A Fun Way to Introduce Your Child to Food!

Selective Eating: Say this, not that!

May 14, 2025
Our Registered Dietitian (RD) has some practical tips to incorporate into mealtime for a more successful, enjoyable child-food relationship. The goals of these interaction are to create a positive relationship with food, enjoy happy meal times, reduce anxiety, reduce battles surrounding food, and fitting all types of food into a healthy lifestyle.

What is Apraxia?

May 1, 2025
Apraxia is a motor speech disorder. Childhood apraxia of speech is a rare, but lifelong disorder that makes it difficult for individuals to move their mouth muscles in order to speak. The important thing to note about Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is that the child knows what they want to say, but may struggle with connecting the brain to the muscles that must accompany speech.

Selective Eating

April 30, 2025
If you have a child who is a selective eater, learn about some time-tested eating tips including: nutrition guidelines, tips for parents during meal times, and types of food children tend to enjoy. Try a combination of these tricks and find what will work best for your family.

Celebrating Liam’s Inspiring Journey of Recovery: A Testimony of Faith, Family, and Resilience

April 29, 2025
In a world often filled with uncertainty, Liam, a courageous six-year-old boy, has proven that faith, resilience, and the unwavering support of family can overcome even the most daunting challenges. His journey began on December 11th, 2023 when Liam fell down the stairs. What was thought to have been a seemingly innocent incident, quickly spiraled into a life-altering spinal stroke. Within moments, Liam went from a lively child full of energy to being paralyzed from the neck down, which left his family in shock, grappling with fear and confusion as they navigated the unknown.
Show More