41 Monument Avenue
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
Kids Castle is now open! The new Kids Castle opened on September 1, 2026.
We expect that in the coming days and weeks many people will visit the playground. Additional parking can be found behind Funkys Skate Center. Follow the brown signs for Purcell Park.
The shelter next to Kids Castle (shelter 2) will not be available for reservations during 2026.
Fantasy Faire Celebration: On Thursday, October 15, 2026 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, Kids Castle celebrations will continue with a Fantasy Faire: an evening of playing, mixing potions, digging for treasure, adopting dragons, decorating crowns, and feasting on cotton candy (served atop unicorn horns, of course). Mystical, magical, wild, and whimsical costumes are highly encouraged for all ages!
Purcell Park is a 67 acre park located on Monument Avenue on the east side and on South Main Street on the south side of the park. There are two entrances to the park - one from Monument Avenue and the other from Miller Circle off of South Main Street. The park has three softball/baseball fields, three tennis courts, two pickleball courts, a playground, three picnic shelters, several restrooms, and a 1.5 mile walking trail. A large portion of the Bluestone Trail also runs through the park.
ARPA-Funded Replacement of Kids Castle - In December 2022, Harrisonburg City Council approved utilizing $2.65 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the replacement of the Kids Castle play structure at Purcell Park.
Designs for the new and improved Kids Castle Playground were presented to the community. These designs are based on more than 1,000 suggestions and comments received from across Harrisonburg, including numerous drawings submitted by local elementary and middle school students. The new playground will include a castle, zip-lines, a tricycle track, multiple slides, play spaces for children ages 6 months to 2 years old, and much more. See the presentation materials below for more details on what will be included and for design images.
[10MB] Kids Castle Design Presentation
[15.6MB] Purcell Park Master Plan - 2020 - The Purcell Park Master Plan was undertaken by the City of Harrisonburg’s Parks and Recreation Department in response to playground safety concerns and recurring flooding issues from waterways through the park. A thorough assessment of the underlying site conditions and community desires, and the feasibility of various options studied, was needed to develop a plan that would serve the City in the near future and provide a blueprint for future development. This document describes the master plan process and resulting recommendation