Red Creek Park is located in Hampton Bays, just north of Sunrise Highway off of Old Riverhead Road. There is extensive parking, and as this is also the home of the Southampton Highway Department, all of the lots are well-paved and marked. Each of the two playgrounds has an adjacent lot, and parking is free throughout.

The larger of the two playgrounds is intended for older kids, but is easily navigable by smaller children as well. This playset is slide city, with two large corkscrews -- one covered and one open. There is also a long bumpy slide and two kiddie slides, one straight and one curved. The large slides descend from two covered pavilions that can be accessed via stairs or exterior wire climbs.

There are lots of climbing opportunities here, with a combination of wire ladders and bridges. The play surface at Red Creek Park is a soft composite, which we found to be in very good condition. Built-in games can be found throughout this set, including a nice jump board where kids can see what their vertical leap is by touching lines on a scale. This playground is fenced in on three sides, but there are no gates. There are no swings at Red Creek Park.

A large covered pavilion with many picnic tables sits just outside of this playground. There are a few vending machines near the athletic fields to purchase some drinks, but no food service is available. There are grills around the pavilion, and it's a good place to grab some shade on a hot day while you watch the kids play.

A second playground made for smaller children is convieniently located next to the public restrooms. This area is completely fenced in with a gated entrance. The play surface is composite like the other playground at Red Creek. There are a pair of short slides, with access via low stairs.

The entrance to a curved tunnel is marked by a steering wheel and a giant phone, which was a big hit during our visit. This area is ringed by trees, providing some welcome shady spots.

There is a built-in chime board here, which is common enough. But this one actually has the notes of the scale printed on it, which can be a valuable learning opportunity. It also has large buttons to strike the chimes rather than the standard levers. Of course, these boards rarely produce anything resembling a musical note, but they continue to appear on playground apparatus everywhere.

For the older kids, Red Creek is the home of a large skate park. There are rails and quarterpipes, ramps and jumps on a big paved surface. Memberships are available to use the skate park, $25 a year for residents and $50 for non-residents. Daily passes can also be purchased, $5 for residents and $10 for non-residents. The park is open after school hours, starting at 3:00 p.m. On weekends, they open at noon. The skate park is closed on Tuesdays and in inclement weather.

Red Creek Park