History

In 1991, a group of community volunteers came together to build Raleigh’s first accessible playground at Laurel Hills Park called the “All Children’s Playground.” It was a very progressive project at that time and we honor those citizens who made that initial commitment. Although designed with very good intentions, we now have so much more knowledge about how children play and the advancements in play equipment are phenomenal. The new design will provide a holistic environment that is not only code-compliant, but also engages all children in parallel play that is safe and challenging.

On May 5, 2015, Raleigh City Council approved the schematic design for the Sassafras All Children’s Playground at Laurel Hills Park and authorized City staff to proceed with construction documents and construction.

Sassafras has been a public-private partnership between the City of Raleigh, local businesses, community partners, and the Frankie Lemmon Foundation, acting as the fiscal agent.