Northgate Park in Durham is almost identical to Abbott’s Creek Park and Greystone Recreation Center, but much more convenient for those on the west side of Raleigh! It’s also nearby to the Museum of Life and Science if you need to waste some time before or after your museum visit. Now that museum tickets are on a reservation time slot only, we have found ourselves getting to Durham too early, so this park has been a great spot to kill some time!

Playground

The playground has two sections. One has the main playground structure and the other has a smaller playground and dinosaur climbing structure. Both are partially shaded with a mulch, woodchip surface. There’s also a small picnic shelter and walking trail entrance nearby.

The swings are separate from both playgrounds, and are located closer to the road. This park is not gated and isn’t far off a main road, so it might not be ideal if you have a runner!

History of the Park

The nearby Museum of Life and Science is actually pretty instrumental in the creation of Northgate Park! In 1946 it was just a small Children’s Museum that sat right in the middle of the park. Years later the Museum moved to Murray Avenue where it became the Museum we know and love today. The Lavender house that contained the children’s museum was built within the Ellerbe Creek floodplain and would sometimes become flooded after heavy rains. After repeated floodings, the House was deconstructed. But today you can still see the stone foundation of the house in the park! It has been appropriately been transformed into a stone play space.

During our visit, a food truck was setup in the parking. Lots of neighborhood families were walking up to grab a bite to eat. I’m not sure if this is a regular occurrence or not, but I’m thinking it probably is!

Northgate park also boasts a dog park, picnic shelter, tennis courts, walking trails, and much more! The most exciting part is that there’s also a hidden dinosaur on the trail past the dog park. We’ll have a separate post coming up soon with all of the details on how to find it! Stay tuned!