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Fenced Parks in Orange County

by Michele Whiteaker

Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach lead the count for most fenced parks in Orange County.  The list started out with only 7 parks, but has grown to over 10! Some moms call these playgrounds with fences “baby jail” and others call them “a lifesaver.”  I had some great comments on my page on Facebook for this one:

Catherine said: “If you have more than one little one (such as 2 two yr olds in my case) I’ll take a “jail” over constant heart attacks when one makes a run for the street and the other for the free fall off the 2nd floor playground. I love fenced in parks and can actually enjoy my kids knowing everyone is safe!”

Courtney added: “As a mom of 4-year-old twins, the fenced-in park was a god-send when my girls were about 18 months to almost 3 years old. There’s nothing about a jail there at all. It’s called peace of mind!”

So here are the parks I know about and will add to the list if as people send me suggestions . . .

Grand Park in Aliso Viejo – very small, near Aliso Town Center, no restrooms, great views

Grand Park in Aliso Viejo

Aliso Viejo Community Park – a much bigger park with a fenced in toddler area, has restrooms, can be busy with sports and school pickups

Bluebird Park in Laguna Beach – one of favorite parks of all time, has restrooms, it’s bigger but manageable

Bluebird Park

Village Green Park in Laguna Beach – small park but fenced right off PCH near Crown Valley, no restrooms, not a lot of parking

Village Green Park

Village Green Park

Lang Park in Laguna Beach – across from Montage, beautiful ocean views, has restrooms

Lang Park

Lang Park

Courtney’s Sandcastle Universal Playground in San Clemente – next to the Vista Hermosa Aquatic Center with a separate fenced sensory garden

Courtney’s Sandcastle

Irvine Adventure Playground – very large park that’s completely fenced, but can be super busy during school breaks and summer

Irvine Adventure Playground

Stanton Central Park in Stanton – large 11 acre park with fencing all around (but still some access to the dangers of the parking lot)

Stanton Central Park in Stanton

Harry M. Dotson Park in Stanton – bigger park with all areas fenced except entrance

Harry M. Dotson Park

Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove – small fee, large park but it is fenced, whimsical play equipment

Atlantis Play Center

38th Street Park in Newport Beach – fenced all the way around except for gate near restrooms, small park and manageable

Pirate Park in Bellflower is not officially in Orange County, but it’s very close to the border of north Orange County and perfect for toddlers.

Holderman Park in North Tustin – Heather says it is “great for toddlers. It’s super small and is entirely fenced except the entrance. Only downside is no bathrooms.” Play equipment is designed for 2-5 year olds only.

More fenced parks:

  • Ocean Breeze Park in Laguna Niguel (mostly fenced)
  • Eisenhower Park at Seal Beach Pier (low fence)
  • From a reader (see comment): Montbury Park in Lake Forest – no playground
  • From a reader (see comment): Birdcage Park in Long Beach – off Carson

Happy playing!

Originally published in April 2011.

About Michele Whiteaker

Writer mom and nature guide promoting play and empowering families to prioritize nature time since 2008. UNOFFICIAL information provided as a FREE community resource to over 300,000 OC families each year. Subscribe to my FREE email inspiring you with creative play ideas.

Comments

  1. Linda says

    April 5, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    We love Courtney’s SandCastle playground in San Clemente. Thank you for this post, can’t wait to visit these fun parks!

  2. Stacey Levine says

    November 26, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    There is one in Long Beach. I don’t know the name but everyone calls it bird cage park. It is behind the golf course of heart well park on Carson.

  3. Courtney says

    March 22, 2012 at 11:27 am

    There is also a mostly fenced-in park in Lake Forest called Montbury Park. It’s on Northcrest right off El Toro. It is a huge park that is fenced on 3 sides. The top part of it is not fenced, but if you have small children, they will have room to play and run around for hours in the areas that are not near the side that does not have a fence. There is no play ground there, and there are no bathrooms, but it’s really a huge park where the kids can run around and play games.

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michele profile photoWriter mom and nature guide promoting play and empowering families to prioritize nature time since 2008. UNOFFICIAL information provided as a FREE community resource to over 300,000 OC families each year. Click to subscribe to my FREE email inspiring you with creative play ideas.

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