Possibility Playground Was Built by Volunteers in Six Days

On the bluff above Lake Michigan in Port Washington's Upper Lake Park, Possibility Playground is a fenced, poured-rubber playground at 510 North Lake Street. It was built for children of all abilities, so a child in a wheelchair and a sibling who wants to climb can play side by side.

Volunteers put it up in six days in September 2008, and more than 400 volunteers came back for a $250,000 expansion in 2019. This guide covers what is on it, how it works for kids with disabilities, how it came to be, and what else to do in Upper Lake Park once the kids have worn themselves out.

What is there to play on

The original 2008 build has a pirate ship with a Lake Michigan theme, a lighthouse, monkey bars, swings, a sandbox, balance beams, tunnels and a police car.

The 2019 expansion added a tall sea monster named Nessie, a merry-go-round that wheelchair users can roll onto, a child-size copy of the bandshell in nearby Veterans Park, and a stainless steel slide topped with a tree house.

Travel Wisconsin's listing adds a musical alligator drum and bridges children can cross without worrying about balance. The whole thing covers roughly the area of a football field, per Wikipedia, so bigger kids can run while smaller ones stay in the sand.

Built for every ability

Possibility Playground was designed so children with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities can play alongside children without them, which is what Travel Wisconsin means by universally accessible.

The ground is poured rubber rather than wood chips, which lets wheelchairs roll across it, and some swings are built to hold children with little muscle strength, per Wikipedia. The stainless steel slide added in 2019 was chosen because plastic slides build up static that can interfere with cochlear implants.

A picket fence runs around the playground to keep children from wandering off, which helps parents of kids who bolt.

The Ozaukee Press called the 2008 original the first community-built playground of its kind in southeastern Wisconsin.

How a town built it in six days

Construction started on September 16, 2008, the volunteers finished on September 21, and the playground opened on October 11, 2008. The Port Washington City Council allocated the land for it.

The $250,000 expansion, built with more than 400 volunteers, was completed in September 2019 and reopened with a ribbon cutting on November 3, per the Ozaukee Press. Founding organizer Mardy McGarry told the paper, "We can't wait to see the smiles on the children's faces when they explore all the wonderful new additions."

The rest of Upper Lake Park

Upper Lake Park runs along the top of the bluff north of downtown, with lake overlooks, picnic areas and views back over the harbor and the lighthouse.

During Fish Days in 2025, the Kids and Family Zone and the Maker's Market both set up in Upper Lake Park on the Saturday, so expect crowds at the playground that day. The full festival schedule is part of Port Washington Fish Day, which moves around the whole lakefront.

North Beach sits about 0.2 miles from the park at the bottom of the stairs, so a playground morning can end with feet in the lake. Picking between that one and South Beach is easier with the Port Washington beach comparison in hand.

Make a morning of it

Everything near the playground is within about half a mile, so you can leave the car parked.

Veterans Memorial Park, about 0.1 miles south, has the full-size bandshell that the playground copies, another playground, picnic tables and pavilions you can rent. Its listing says no animals are allowed in that park, so leave the dog in the car or walk it elsewhere.

The 1860 Light Station is about 0.2 miles from Upper Lake Park, and older kids who like stairs can climb its tower on the museum's open days, one stop on the Port Washington lighthouse walk.

For a treat, Frankie's Airstream ice cream trailer sells Cedarcrest ice cream and donuts on North Franklin Street, about 0.3 miles away.

Who it suits best

Possibility Playground covers roughly the area of a football field, which leaves room for a wide age range.

Toddlers may like the sandbox and the low balance beams, and school-age kids the pirate ship, Nessie and the slide. Families with a child who uses a wheelchair, a walker or a cochlear implant get a playground that was planned around them rather than adapted afterward.

Practical notes for a visit

Travel Wisconsin lists the playground as wheelchair accessible. It is in Upper Lake Park on North Lake Street; Travel Wisconsin gives the address as 510 North Lake Street and a phone number of 262-284-5881.

The bluff sits right on the lake, so it can be windy and cooler up there than downtown, even in summer. A layer for the kids is worth packing on spring and fall days.

Stretching a day out in Port Washington beyond the playground is easy: Sauk Creek Nature Preserve is about 0.9 miles west and downtown is a short walk south.