Cambier Park Playground in Naples Gets a Fresh Start as Old Structure Comes Down

City of Naples

I don’t know about you, but playgrounds were my entire personality as a kid. The second my mom said, “Let’s go to the park,” I was already halfway out the door, shoes barely tied, ready to swing so high I could see the whole neighborhood. And don’t even get me started on recess. That was the best part of school. Forget math. Forget vocabulary. Give me 20 minutes on the jungle gym and I was living my best life.

So when I heard Cambier Park’s big castle playground is coming down, I felt a tiny emotional wobble. Like… the castle?? The place every kid pretended to be royalty or a secret spy? Yep. According to a press release, starting Monday, November 24, 2025, demolition crews are rolling in to take down the old structure. They’re expecting to wrap up the whole removal by Wednesday, November 26. Three days. Poof. Castle gone.

But hold up, it’s not all sad news.

A bunch of the fun stuff is staying put while the City works on a full replacement. For the 2–5-year-old section, the swings and shade structures will still be there. For the big kids (or honestly any adult who thinks they're still flexible enough), they’re keeping the climber, shade structures, swings, and all the monkey bar towers. Yes, the monkey bars survive. My childhood blisters salute them.

Now, this is a replacement project, not a full redo of the entire park, so Cambier Park itself isn’t going anywhere. What is happening next is the grown-up part: the City will put out an RFP or RFQ (which is basically fancy government talk for “we need a company to build something awesome”), then the Community Services Advisory Board and City Council will review those proposals, pick the best one, and lock in the design.

Honestly? I’m kind of excited. Playgrounds are core memories. They’re where friendships start, where confidence grows, where imagination does its thing. A fresh new playground at Cambier Park means a whole new generation gets to feel that magic.

If you want updates or you're just nosy like me, the City is posting everything here:
naplesgov.com/CambierParkPlayground

Can’t wait to see what they build next. My inner kid is READY.

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Meet Budman, dynamic host of Marconi Award winning radio station WXKB's WiLD Bunch Morning Show, on B1039. Budman likes to write about funny news, a good Florida man story, stupid criminals or anything involving a superhero. Budman, a comic book and pop culture enthusiast, even named his daughter Kara Zor-El, after Supergirl. His only child is his true passion beyond the mic. Being a dad is his favorite role. Budman, a true family man, balances his love for radio with quality time spent with loved ones and his trusty dogs.