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For Boca Raton families, Sugar Sand Park is an institution, from its carousel rides and playground to the Willow Theatre and Children’s Science Explorium. Now, it’s in the running for USA Today’s 10Best’s Reader’s Choice Awards.

Sugar Sand Park’s Science Playground is one of 20 playgrounds being voted on by the public for Best Public Playground. Nearby Barrier Free Park in Boynton Beach is also on the list of 20. Other contenders include playgrounds in New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis, San Antonio and more.

“It’s an honor to be listed among some of the great playgrounds in America,” Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District Executive Director Briann Harms said in a press release. “We’re extremely proud of Sugar Sand’s Science Playground and how much it’s loved by our community.” 

A family walks past the new mural at Sugar Sand Park (Courtesy Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District)

At the playground, children (and kids at heart) can climb into a human head, crawl through the ribs of a Florida Imperial Mammoth, sit aboard a spaceship en route to Mars, and wander through a DNA double helix, coral reef, and other interactive activities.

The public is welcome to vote for Sugar Sand Park once a day until April 6.

Open since 1995, Sugar Sand Park’s playground’s design was inspired by local children providing input on what was their “fantasy playground,” according to the press release, and came to fruition thanks to more than 1,000 volunteers.

Christiana Lilly

Author Christiana Lilly

Christiana Lilly is the editor in chief at Boca magazine, where she enjoys putting a spotlight on the Boca Raton and Palm Beach County community through both print and digital. Previously, she was the company's web editor. An award-winning journalist, she is the past president of the Society of Professional Journalists Florida chapter and a proud graduate of the University of Florida. She is also the author of "100 Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale Before You Die."

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