Parks often earn their name from their main attractions. Kids proudly proclaim them: Bumpy Slide Park, Dinosaur Park, or Dizzy Park for the spinning contraptions. Well, I’ve got some park suggestions that will take you somewhere! OC playgrounds with cars for driving, trains for riding, and rocketships to take them to the Moon!
Cars
The best playground car I’ve ever played on was at a wooden playground in Woodland Park, Colorado. It had room for adults and kids. The safari jeep (above) lives at Dinosaur Park in Laguna Hills. I’ve been on safari and spy missions many times. Aurora Park in Mission Viejo sports a yellow cab for playing! The first one I’ve ever seen at a playground. Forster Community Park in San Clemente is another great spot for going on safari. Huntington Beach offers Peter Green Park and its bright red fire engine. Here’s a quad at Melinda Park in Mission Viejo.
Trains
It took me a whole post to run down the parks featuring trains in Orange County. Whether you like to see big locomotives up close, far away, play on them, ride on them — we’ve got the parks for you. Rancho Santa Margarita Central Park is the first one that comes to mind. For more, check out my Play Places for Train Lovers post. My kids always request Cedar Grove Park in Tustin (pictured).
Rocketships
We have to start with Bluebird Park in Laguna Beach (below) which most families know as “Rocketship Park” for its big, blue playground structure. Moon Park in Costa Mesa doesn’t have a spaceship, just the destination. There’s a half-dome Moon rising from the ground with craters and all.
Hope this gets you and your family MOVING! Now there is one ride in structure I can never categorize. It’s at Valyermo Park in Mission Viejo. See if you can decide where it fits:
