Play is children’s natural occupation and parks provide wonderful playing spaces for children. While cities have different kinds of parks, some parks are not efficiently used or are poorly maintained. This study investigates three parks in the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, NY. Through direct observation, intercept interviews with parents and semi-structured interviews with city professionals, this paper finds that gaps exist between what children and parents want and what parks actually provide. While children like playing in groups and their play behaviors change quickly, and parents want more play structure and other basic facilities, city professionals’ concern is adding more facilities may take away green space. The paper concludes with some planning implications aiming to provide high quality parks and motivate children’s physical activity. Participation, consideration and trust are important factors in the planning process, which bring users, parks and the city together to build high quality parks.