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These
are places in the Fresno area to find playgrounds for
kids to run off some energy. Unless otherwise stated,
these are playgrounds with climbing structures, not just
open parks.
To
find a park near you,
click here...then click on the park that interests
you & the description page will tell you it has a
children's play area.
Or
you can scroll down and find info on each park which has
a playground. This list is from the
Fresno Parks & Recreation site where I looked up all
the parks with playgrounds. I have only visited a couple
of them so far. I will add my personal input to each
park listing as I get a chance to visit them.
**Side
note from webmama--as the mother of a young child, I'm
always looking for new places to play with my child...I
have to say that Fresno does have quite a lot of what I
would consider good quality play structures spread
throughout the city parks. My big qualm is WHERE IS THE
SHADE FOR THE KIDS??? As we all know, Fresno has LONG
HOT summers! I find it absolutely ridiculous that the
city provides shade for the parents sitting nearby but
not for the children playing on the equipment. This is
largely why you will find most local parks empty during
the summer heat. (That and the bad air, but that's a
whole 'nother issue.)
Oso de Oro Lake Park
5550 N. Forkner, Fresno (Neighborhood Park), 9.3
Acres (559) 456-3292
This park is located on Forkner between Bullard and
Barstow Avenues
Get Driving Directions to Oso de Oro
**This is a great park! They have a whole lot
there! And the best part is they have running water
to play in! Bring food for the ducks, lots of
sunscreen (unfortunately there's not enough
shade...only over the seating areas, none over the
equipment), sand toys, sack lunch, and a change of
clothes in the warm months, because its just unfair
to keep little ones out of water when its warm out!
They only run the water on weekends,
though...Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays. These
structures, even though mostly plastic, get HOT in
the summer...go early, before the heat of the day or
the kids won't even be able to touch them.
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Woodward Park
7775 Friant Road, Fresno (Regional Park), 300
Acres FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 621-2905
This park is located along the San
Joaquin River between Freeway 41 and Friant Road,
north of Herndon Avenue.
**Everyone knows this park,
there's tons of room to run...and I counted 3
separate play areas with structures for kids. We've
checked out 2 of them...the second 2. And neither of
them have much in the way of shade for the kids
playing on the structures...but there are trees that
provide shade for parents.
-
First play area (from the
entrance)--we haven't checked out yet, but drove by
and it looks like a good structure...will update
later
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Second
play area--more for older kids...toddlers will have
a hard time getting up on them, and the height is
pretty high overall I think...Incidentally this is
the exact same structure they have at Roeding Park.
No shade for kids...trees are a distance away. Big
field for kite flying/picnics. This area has wood
chips, not sand, unfortunately, so no ground play
for little ones. They have a very odd double slide
at this playground that makes me wonder if the
designers of this structure ever tested it on
kids...it zig-zags left and right going down, so
basically children are slammed side to side the
entire way down...and yes, it hurts (as told to one
mother by her 2yr old). They have a rock climbing
wall that would be fun for older kids I think, but
as the parent of a toddler I skip this playground
completely because there's nothing there for her.
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Third play area--this one has a good amount of
shade AROUND it (for parents), but only a tiny
amount in the actual structure. And what were they
thinking putting a metal slide in a Fresno
playground? A child can get 3rd degree burns from
that puppy in the summer! Even plastic slides are
hot here.
Kaiser Park
425 E. Alluvial, Fresno (Neighborhood Park), 4.8 Acres
Adjacent to Kaiser Permanente Hospital, located north of
Herndon Avenue and Fresno Streets on Alluvial.
**This park has a nice climbing structure...but as
usual, no shade for the kiddos (why don't they think of
the kids when making these things???) The equipment is
near impossible to play on on hot days...OUCH!
Keith Tice Park
8695 N. Millbrook
(Neighborhood Park)
Across the Millbrook from Clovis High, just north of
Teague.
**This is one of our favorite parks in Fresno. We go
here regularly. Its a small park, but has a lot to
offer. Lots of shade, and in the late summer afternoons,
the smaller climbing structure actually does have shade
over it from the trees. The larger one does not get
shade though. There are only 2 swings, and they are the
baby kind, so older children cannot use them. :(
And there's wood chips, not sand...but there is quite a
lot of dirt/sandy sort of areas around some trees that
the kiddos always seem to zone in on. The really great
thing about this park, in my opinion, is the sidewalk
track that goes all the way around the play area and
field. And since there are no signs forbidding bikes, we
always bring our trikes/bike/riding toys. Really fun!
There's a big open field for running and lots of trees
for climbing and hanging out under. Also a bathroom,
although its pretty yucky and doesn't have soap, so
bring your own. This one does get busy when school lets
out sometimes, since there's an elementary school next
door and a high school across the street. Parking can be
an issue because of the high school students parking in
its small lot...but there's a bunch of space on the side
street that runs along the fields. The only issue for
that space would be on Thursdays, when our local
homeschool group meets there and then its pretty packed.
The rest of the week, though, this park tends to be
pretty empty...which I find to be very nice.
Railroad Park
On Alluvial near Peach
**This is a new park...NO SHADE...but so worth
visiting when its cooler. It has all kinds of sidewalk
trails...great for bikes/skates! They just put in some
great climbing structures too...I haven't personally
visited yet but I've driven past many times...and my
parents have taken my 4yrold there and raved about
equipment you can't find anywhere else in town. :)
Check it out!!
Here's
some parks I have yet to check out personally (will
update this page when do), but am told they have
playgrounds:
Belcher Park -- 2158 E. Alluvial, Alluvial @ Maple
Avenue (Neighborhood Park), 5.86 Acres
Located in Northeast Fresno adjacent to Mountain View
Elementary School.
Gettysburg Park -- (behind Gettysburg Elementary School)
S/Gettysburg between Fowler & Armstrong.
A park we don't know the name of
yet--
We turned east on Escalon off
of Fruit. Then we turned left {north} on Thorne and then
left {west} on Sample. Sample was a cul-de-sac and at
the end of the road it looks like you can park there and
walk into the park. Like I said earlier there may be a
better way to get there so at least you could get to the
area and drive around and check.
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