10 Things We Love About The Playgrounds at Kids Planet, Century Park in Greer, SC

Posted on | 3 Comments

Are you in search for a unique local park with imaginative play spaces? We recommend Century Park’s Kids Planet in Greer. This park has multiple new playgrounds with a castle, bridge, zip line and accessible playground.

After patiently waiting since September of 2019 for the new and improved Kid’s Planet playground to be revealed at Greer’s Century Park, the wait is over! The New Benson Automotive Kid’s Planet is open to the public and we are in love!

For more info about the re-opening, check out our Century Park opening announcement

IMPORTANT: The playground will be closed for maintenance every Wednesday from 7 am – Noon.

If you want to spend the day in Greer, enjoying the new playground and the other things this cute city has to offer; we can help with our Ultimate Visitors and Locals Guide to Greer, SC

What We Love About The Benson Automotive Kid’s Planet

Fenced In Play Areas

One of the concerns parents had with the old playground, myself included, was that the play areas weren’t secure. The areas were fenced in around the perimeter, but there were no gates to keep little ones contained. The new playgrounds each have a perimeter fence and gates, to keep kids safe and within the play area. When you have kids like mine that both like to spontaneously run in opposite directions, this is helpful.

Inclusive Playground Equipment

Differently-abled kids want to have fun, just like any other. The previous playground had special needs swings, and this one does as well.
The thing that got me super excited was seeing the Seat for the Zipline, and I love that children with special needs can also enjoy the coolest part of the playground now! A tandem swing in the small children’s area allows a small child and adult to sit facing each other and swing.

Multiple Ziplines

Speaking of Ziplines, other Upstate parks have just one, if any at all. That causes long lines and other issues when I’m sure you can imagine that this will be one of the most popular spots on a playground! The new playground at Kid’s Planet has two separate zipline structures that offer kids a total of four ziplines to enjoy! That means more fun for more kids!

Fun Misting Area

It gets surprisingly hot in the Upstate, so kids (and the occasional adult) will be glad to have a misting area to run through. This isn’t a splash pad, so you don’t have to worry about bathing suits and towels. It’s just a fine mist of H2O to cool off sweaty kids while they have fun!

The Hillside Slides

This is one of my favorite parts of the new park! These hillside slides offer a fun and safe way to pick up speed while sliding down the hillside. The slide is embedded in the ground’s natural slope, so there’s nothing to fall off of! It’s as close to rollercoaster stomach flipping fun as you are going to find in Greer, and we can’t wait to see the funny videos of grownups going down them.

Shaded Benches

The amount of shade that would exist was a sensitive subject when the new plan was announced. People were upset about several things, one of which was the loss of many of the old-growth trees that provided shade. The picnic shelters are still in place, providing shade, as are the new benches and shade umbrellas. The new design gives parents a better view of their kid’s area; there are still trees in the playground area and plenty of shade.

The Fairytale Theme

My son just pointed out that there’s a mythical friend waiting for you in the tower!

The castle isn’t hard to miss, but there are so many subtle features around the playground that tie together the fairytale theme! The rubber ground cover looks like a more, and there are cattails, mushrooms, frogs, and I’ve not confirmed this with Greer, but if you ask me, that trampoline looks like a little tar pit for anyone looking to harm the magical kingdom.

How many fairytale features can you find in the new Kid’s Planet Playground?

Musical Creativity Station

The music station was a popular feature from the old playground and one of the first my kids ran to at the new one. The area is large enough that your whole family can get in on the action and have an impromptu show for other guests at the playground!

It’s Got A Trampoline!

At first glance, I thought this was a water feature on the playground. I was surprised to learn that it’s a trampoline! One day I might work up the courage to hop on and not care what I look like, bouncing up and down like Tigger!

Centrally Located Restrooms

This is one of the first things I look for when considering a park for my own personal preferences. When the bathrooms are clear across the park, and your children can’t time their needs to be synchronized, it’s a hassle to be running back and forth to the restroom. The facilities at Kid’s Planet are where they used to be positioned right in the middle of the two playgrounds. This makes it so convenient!

Bonus Things We Love:
The Sno Hut

The concession stand will now be occupied by the popular Greer shaved ice purveyors, Sno Hut. They’ve been keeping kids and grownups cooled off since 1987!

We are excited to be part of this great park!

Amanda Grainger / Sno Hut

The Perfect Spot For Parties & Playdates

The picnic shelters make a perfect place to plan a party right next to the built-in entertainment of the playgrounds. You can reserve a shelter for your special event through the City of Greer. The rentals start at $15 for a two-hour slot.

Getting Some Laps In On At Kid’s Planet

If you are training for that 5k, or just trying to shed some of the “covid-19 lbs” we all gained during quarantine; the playground is a perfect spot to close the circles on your apple watch!

  • 3 Laps / 1 Mile – Walking from the Sno-hut to the Hillside slides
  • 4.75 Laps / 1 Mile – Walking around the big kid’s playground and ziplines
  • 10 laps / 1 Mile – Walking around the big kid’s playground perimeter walkway

    A Map showing the lap routes can be found online.

Find even more parks on our Parks in Greenville page.

What’s your family’s favorite thing about Kids Planet in Greer?

About the Author
Melanie is a native New Yorker, who landed in the Upstate by way of Florida. She is the mom of two awesome kids, and the three of them love going on adventures!

Sign up for our email newsletter.

Subscribe
Notify of

3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
2 years ago

i love the hillside slides they are a pleasure and i went today which is Monday,April 5 2021. it seems a little scary but it is actually really fun to play on i rate the new kids planet awesome!

Kayla
1 year ago

The link to the map of the laps doesn’t work and I can’t find it when I’m searching. Any chance you can re-link?