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
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
Village Green Park in Laguna Beach – small park but fenced right off PCH near Crown Valley, no restrooms, not a lot of parking
Lang Park in Laguna Beach – across from Montage, beautiful ocean views, has restrooms
Courtney’s Sandcastle Universal Playground in San Clemente – next to the Vista Hermosa Aquatic Center with a separate fenced sensory garden
Irvine Adventure Playground – very large park that’s completely fenced, but can be super busy during school breaks and summer
Stanton Central Park in Stanton – large 11 acre park with fencing all around (but still some access to the dangers of the parking lot)
Harry M. Dotson Park in Stanton – bigger park with all areas fenced except entrance
Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove – small fee, large park but it is fenced, whimsical play equipment
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.
Linda
Wednesday 5th of April 2017
We love Courtney's SandCastle playground in San Clemente. Thank you for this post, can't wait to visit these fun parks!
Stacey Levine
Wednesday 26th of November 2014
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.
Courtney
Thursday 22nd of March 2012
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.