A restaurant with a playground is the closest thing to an easy meal out with kids.
You get the benefits of going out to eat, but your kids get what they want most… a playground.
These restaurants with playgrounds in Massachusetts are the ones to save when you want an easy outing, a summer night spent outside, or when you need your meal to come with built-in entertainment.
Restaurants with Playgrounds and Animals That Go Beyond a Meal
If you’re already looking for fun farms for kids, these are the ones where you can actually stay for a meal too.
Between the playgrounds and the animals to visit, kids stay busy long after you’ve finished eating…
Ward's Berry Farm (Sharon, MA)
Ward’s Berry Farm is a 175-acre working farm in Sharon, MA with a deli counter, smoothie bar, soft-serve ice cream window, and a huge old-school playground out back.
Sandwiches and wraps are made-to-order, the farm store is stocked with prepared foods, baked goods, and Mrs. Ward’s famous jams… and there’s a petting zoo with baby farm animals you can feed for $1.
Playground is free… Bounce Pillow and Pedal Carts are $5 each.
Come for lunch, stay for strawberry picking in June or pumpkins in October.
Belkin Family Lookout Farm
(South Natick, MA)
Lookout Farm is one of the oldest continuously working farms in the country (established in 1651) and the kind of place where one stop checks every box.
The Lookout outdoor dining is open seasonally with BBQ and farm-crafted beer and cider… the year-round Taproom serves smash burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and apple cider donut ice cream sandwiches.
From May through October the kids get a tractor play area, bounce pillow, caterpillar train rides, and weekend entertainment.
Pony rides and camel rides show up in the fall.
Lilac Hedge Farm (Rutland, MA)
Lilac Hedge Farm in Rutland, MA is a working livestock farm with a seasonal kitchen and bar that does pizza, burgers, pulled pork, and loaded fries… all using meat raised right there on the farm.
The kids’ area (called the Backyard) has a playground, bounce houses and a bounce pad that’s $5 for unlimited play.
There’s also a camel, an emu, goats, turtles, and an ice cream stand. Live music on weekends.
Come hungry and don’t rush, the food is made-to-order and that’s the whole point.
Stone Cow Brewery (Barre, MA)
Stone Cow is a craft brewery on a 1,000-acre working dairy farm in Central Mass, set inside a beautifully restored century-old barn.
Brick oven pizza, BBQ, garlic sticks, and ice cream from the farm store… local craft beer for the adults… and a big playground in the back overlooking the field where you can see the cows grazing.
There are also goats, a miniature horse, and other farm animals to check out near the parking area.
Restaurants with playgrounds that scream summer
If you’re building your summer bucket list, these are the restaurants with playgrounds in Massachussets that makes it feel like a 90s summer.
Order at the window, grab a table, and the kids are already on the playground before the food shows up.
The Summer House (Southwick, MA)
The Summer House is a casual order-at-the-window restaurant and ice cream shop in Southwick, MA that locals have been going to for decades.
Burgers, hot dogs, fried specialties, soups, and 24+ flavors of ice cream… plus daily specials and seasonal favorites like strawberry shortcake.
With a playground to keep the kids busy… this is the move on a summer night.
Cindy's Drive-In
(Granby, MA)
Cindy’s Drive-In is one of the very few real drive-ins left in Western Mass, family-owned since 1995, and only open in the warmer months.
Over 100 flavors of soft serve, milkshakes, sundaes, vegan options, burgers and what some call “the best hot dog in Massachussets”
The outdoor area has a playground made entirely of Little Tikes-style toys, picnic tables, and live music on weekends.
George's Surf 'n Turf (Mendon, MA)
George’s Surf ‘n Turf has been a Mendon institution since 1987, family-owned, and only open from March to mid-September.
Fish and chips, whole belly clams, lobster rolls, scallops, clam chowder, and ice cream… all served from a window with carhop service available.
There’s a small sandbox-style play house area for younger kids and a casual outdoor atmosphere that feels like eating in a park. Cash only.
Eskimo King Ice Cream (Swansea, MA)
Eskimo King has over 350 soft serve flavors, plus hard ice cream and sundaes, all served from a seasonal stand with a small playground in the back.
Lines get long (sometimes 30 minutes) but the playground equipment, picnic tables, and shaded chairs under the trees mean nobody really minds.
Cash only
The Bucket at Gulf Hill (South Dartmouth, MA)
The Bucket at Gulf Hill is the historic 1929 Gulf Hill Dairy Bucket, sitting right on the water at Apponagansett Park in South Dartmouth.
Lobster rolls, clam cakes, hot dogs, and ice cream (including pumpkin in the fall) served from a roadside stand that’s open seasonally.
Kids get the best summer activities in one place… a playground, a grassy lawn, AND a shallow beach to play on… all easy to keep an eye on while you eat. This is summer at the shore in a nutshell.
Captain Bonney's Ice Cream (Rochester, MA)
Captain Bonney’s in Rochester has 50+ ice cream flavors (including hard, soft serve, sherbet, dairy-free, and sugar-free), plus lobster rolls, clam chowder, hot dogs, and grilled sandwiches at family-friendly prices.
Outside there’s a playground, basketball hoops, and a volleyball net… plus a horse farm next door where the kids can watch horses roam while you eat.
The staff invents a new specialty sundae every month. Open seasonally.
Krispy Cones Ice Cream (Lanesborough, MA)
Krispy Cones Ice Cream in the Berkshires is one of the best ice cream stops you’ll find in Massachussets.
101 soft serve flavors, plus hard ice cream, blizzards, sundaes, and a full menu of burgers, hot dogs, wings, pizza, and fresh summer seafood.
The playground behind the shop is the real draw though… multiple themed playsets to explore and tons of space to play.
Open seasonally. Bring sunscreen, the playground area isn’t shaded.
Restaurants with playgrounds and a little something extra
Some restaurants with playgrounds in Massachusetts have more than just a playground.
Mini train rides, sandy beaches, koi ponds, tiki bars… the kind of places that turn a quick meal into the whole afternoon.
Crepes Tea House (Southwick, MA)
Crepes Tea House in Southwick, MA is a family-friendly spot serving handmade crepes (both savory and sweet), Eastern European comfort food like potato pancakes and dumplings, and 138+ types of tea served in beautiful glass mugs.
Outdoor seating includes a deck room with a fireplace and big sliding glass windows, plus a huge outdoor playground for the kids.
The Depot at Graham Central Station
(East Longmeadow, MA)
The Depot at Graham Central Station is a restored 1876 train depot in East Longmeadow, MA that’s now a breakfast, lunch, and ice cream spot… with a working mini train ride for kids and adults.
Train rides are $3 each. There’s also a playground, a Saturday farmers market, and the building itself is on a walking trail.
The Sunset Tiki Bar (Westford, MA)
The Sunset Tiki Bar is set up at the base of Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford, MA, with a sandy beach, a swimming pond with a lifeguard, Adirondack chairs along the water, and live music most nights.
The kids can swim (until 9pm), climb the playground, or play giant Connect 4 and cornhole while you order tropical drinks and Island Style pizza.
Pink Bean Coffee (Somerset, MA)
Pink Bean Coffee in Somerset, MA is an organic, fair-trade coffee shop that’s way more than a coffee shop.
Smoothies, açaí bowls, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, the famous house Mojó (an espresso drink that takes 36 hours to make), plus a playground, a koi pond, and a small dog park outside.
Tips for visiting restaurants with playgrounds in Massachusetts
The best restaurants with playgrounds in Massachusetts aren’t the polished ones… they’re the order-at-the-window, picnic-table, soft-serve dripping down your hand kind of spots.
A few things to know before you go….
Many of the seasonal restaurants with playgrounds are cash only
George’s Surf ‘n Turf, Cindy’s Drive-In, Eskimo King… all cash.
ATMs are usually on-site, but it’s easier to hit the bank first
The lines can get long (for good reason)
Show up at 6pm on a Saturday and you might be waiting an hour for your burger… good thing there’s a playground.
Many of these restaurants with playgrounds in Massachussets are only open seasonally
Check out their individual websites in advance, some are only open from May through Labor Day.
Bring bug spray and sunscreen…
If the playground is near a pond, lake, or any kind of grass… the bugs know.
Especially after 6pm… especially in the summer
The point of bringing your kids to a restaurant with a playground is so you don’t have to rush your meal.
Order your food, find a table, let the kids play… that’s the whole point of these restaurants.
Happy Travels….
