Ahhhhhh.....Summertime! It's quite possibly a child's favorite time of the year. School is out, no more waking up early, no more test taking, just time to hang with friends and family. The best thing about summer is the weather allows us to be outside most of the day. The mornings are mild, the evenings are brisk. It gives us so many opportunities to take advantage of many local parks and utilize what they have to offer. Outdoor playgrounds are all around us. We would like to take you on a tour of some of our favorite local parks with amazing playground equipment in Northern and Central California. Maybe we will inspire you to check out something new near you!
Something for Everyone!
Check out these parks that have a little something for everyone! Each playground design had the entire family in mind when developing so everyone can enjoy the fun!
Jennie McConnell Park
This renovated park has something for everyone to enjoy! The playgrounds were renovated with separate areas for 2-5 and 5-12 year olds with customized Miracle play structures with bright, fun colors. The outdoor musical space is a place where people of all ages and abilities can collaborate in creative ways. The Concerto line of instruments from Miracle Recreation will nurture discovery and bring joy to children, families and communities. Adults and children can also come together and work out on the Miracle Recreation Fitness Equipment which is installed around the playground. Wabash benches are placed around the play structures so parents can relax and have a great view of their children playing happily on the new playground.
Heather Farm Park
Heather Farm Park is the largest public park in the City of Walnut Creek inclusive of an Aquatic Complex, Tennis Center, Skate Park, ball fields as well as lakes with walking trails throughout the park. The City wanted a truly unique, destination playground that also offered fully inclusive play for children of all abilities. The custom designed playgrounds by Miracle Recreation & HAGS, along with the rocks, boulders & fallen trees by Rocks & Ropes as well as the special shade structures throughout the play area by Sun Ports all work to add to the exciting space. Miracle Playsystems was able to help the City through the design process to ensure the new playgrounds would work to serve kids of all abilities. This is seen throughout the park with the ramps which allow for a child in a wheelchair to access the playground from ground level up to a 6’ elevated level enabling all kids to experience the thrill of play!
Play Big!
Play big or go home! That is the theme of these playgrounds. Mega structures and mega play time is what draws kids to these parks year round!
Burnham Smith Park
The play equipment is the first of it's kind in California. First X-Gen play structure in California. It also has a Gravity Rail which is a swing zipline, an Aquarius Climber, a DNA Climber, and ADA accessible play equipment. The play equipment is meant to get kids moving and exercising without realizing it. The benches were made in house by the city using recycled materials. The playground was made possible by a generous contribution from the Corcoran Community Foundation.
Rick Gonzales Sr. Park
Rick Gonzalez Sr. Park is a brand new park in Woodland and is located near Woodland Community College and Pioneer High School. The park includes a perimeter path and running trail, fitness stations, large picnic shelter, restroom, sand play area, informal ballfields, non-traditional playground complete with rocks and ropes course and a zipline which is a big attraction to the kids in the neighborhood. A future phase will include a basketball court, tennis courts and parking lot.
Todd Grove Park
This park is true Ukiah gem! Situated on 16 acres, it has something for everyone. The playground features a unique spaceship structure and tall climbing area with slides. The rest of the park has volleyball courts, shaded picnic areas, beautiful grassy area with redwoods and barbecues. During the summer the City holds Music in the Park here with live music, food vendors, dancing and more!
Sinsheimer Park
Talk about a kids paradise! Kids are enjoying the recently revamped playground at Sinsheimer Park. The half-acre playground is a multi-level, action packed hub of activity. Taking advantage of the sloped site, the design features a 3-story tower, five large slides ranging from 12 to 18 feet tall, a climbing wall, a snowboard simulator, swings and a zipline. One of the most popular attractions is the synthetic grass covered slope, 14 feet high, that allows kids to free-form slide, roll, and tumble into the protective surfacing below. You can just picture the squeals of delight coming from the children as they experience all of these fun elements. The play environment is almost entirely accessible; the exception being the top floor of the tower. This provides a rare opportunity for mobility-impaired people to enjoy a richer, more integrated play experience. The park, located next to Sinsheimer Elementary School, is one of 33 in the city and also features a pool complex, baseball stadium, softball field and tennis courts.
Phillip Marx Central Park
Named after the founder of Tehachapi, CA, Philips Marx Central Park offers 5 acres of mature trees and manicured grass to enjoy picnics, toss a Frisbee, enjoy Music in the Park, celebrate the Tehachapi Oldtimers Reunion or the Tehachapi Mountain Festival! A central gazebo, picnic tables, barbecues, restrooms and newly renovated playgrounds are also available.
Weber Park
This nautical themed park includes a 15,500 pound whale from UPC parks which kids can climb all over. Talk about big time fun! There is also a playstructure that looks like a ship. Kids can sail away on an big time adventure at this park!
Nature Play
These play spaces center around spontaneous, open-ended play in a natural surrounding. The spaces give children opportunities to learn, classify, observe, explore and interpret the natural phenomena around them.
Roberts Lake Eco-Recreation Station
Roberts Avenue, Seaside (located on the west side of the Roberts Lake dock)
This beautiful nature themed playground and outdoor classroom uses products from Norna Playgrounds which are unique and natural looking. It was installed last summer and is a big hit with children who attend classes on water stewardship at the outdoor classroom. This project positions Seaside as an environmental leader and recently received two state-level awards, the CPRS Award of Excellence for Park Planning and CALED Award of Merit for Collaboration.
Jean Sweeney Open Space Park
A project that was 20 years in the making, Jean Sweeney Open Space Park recently opened late last year. Alameda's own Jean Sweeney was the pioneer behind the development of this beautiful open space park. The story of how she championed this space to be preserved for an open space park, saving it from being sold to developers, is truly inspiring. The park officially opened late last year with the completion of the Cross Alameda Trail (a biking and walking path that runs the length of the park), a picnic pavilion, sectioned off gardens and one of two natural playgrounds. There are still many more plans to include an outdoor classroom, another playground and refurbishing the original Alameda Belt Line railroad building.
Beresford Park
San Mateo’s Beresford Park has something for everyone with ball fields, tennis courts, community garden plots, and picnic areas. The play area has a Miwok Indian Village theme and is designed to serve various age groups and is set in a natural environment with internal shade trees and a surround of boulders arranged for scrambling and interactive socializing. A varied palette of native plant materials surround the playground and attract butterflies and birds to the area. Three centrally located rustic wood-clad HAGS climbing towers feature internal nets and timber structures challenging playground users to reach the upper platforms. Stainless steel tube slides wind downward from the HAGS towers to the earth toned resilient surface providing a safe cushion throughout. Monkey bars connect the towers at the ground level. New belt swings are provided for older children. Tot swings, crawl tunnels, climbers and sand and water play scaled for younger users occupy the early childhood age part of the playground.
Lafayette Park Playground
This playground features several custom designed natural play elements. “The Gorge” in the center of the playground is characterized by two boulder covered mountains connected by an arched wooden bridge. Playground users clamber over the natural rocks and boulders through a narrow passage and up and down the mountain sides, enjoy new hillside tube slides, and are challenged by climbing nets, and pipe rail climbers.
The “Raised River” environment that meanders through the playground delights children in an engaging water experience. Water is be pumped by children’s hands in three locations and flows through narrow channels and pools at changing levels accommodating varying ages as well as those in wheel chairs. The natural rock “Snake’s Head” platform serves as an overlook and climbing destination, is connected to the crawl tunnel and forms the overhead for the children’s cave-house area.
Working with Miracle Playsystem's HAGS equipment line, Miller Company designed a small children’s area within the playground with its own sand play zone, climbing structure, and swings appropriately scaled to challenge toddlers as well as older children’s climbing tower provides upper body activities and features the world’s longest monkey-bar experience.
Caldwell Park
Located on the banks of the Sacramento River, Caldwell and Lake Redding Parks offer a linked play course by UPC Parks, a play area for children under 5 years old; Redding Skate Park, a 20,500 square foot outdoor concrete skate and BMX structure featuring 3 large bowls, 1 low rail, 1 high rail, 1 half pipe, and a vertical wall; a Recreation Center, Teen Center, and art gallery; soccer fields; horse shoe pits; a fish viewing facility; and an art walk.
Coming Next Summer!
Moss Beach Playground
Moss Beach, CA
