Top 5 Parks for Families Lists for 5th #KidstoParks Day

National Park Trust is a non-profit organization working to preserve parks today and create park stewards for tomorrow. Help them reach their goal of 500,000 pledges for Kids to Parks Day on May 16th and be entered to win a Nikon camera and even more prizes!

They are already more than halfway there. Take the pledge and be counted! You don’t even have to join an existing event – just take the pledge and take your child to a park on May 16th.

I hope you take your kids to parks, or at least outdoors to play, every day.  Here are some ideas of where-you-can-go contributed by readers of this blog. Get inspired and play outdoors!

Top 5 Parks for Families in Orange County

1. My favorite park is Harriet Weider Park here in Orange County. The kids always have so much fun! -Jenn
2. Our favorite park is Yorba Regional. -Lin
3. Our favorite park is Irvine Regional Park for its lovely picnic areas and variety of fun activities (bike rentals, train, zoo, special holiday events, etc.) -Stacy
4. Our favorite local park is Fullerton Sports Park. -Amy
5. Courtney’s Sandcastle got 2 votes.
   • Our new favorite park is Courtney’s Sandcastle in San Clemente.  We tried it out over spring break and fell in love with the play structures for all ages and abilities, and the sensory garden. I also appreciate that it is completely fenced in so the little ones do not wander out into the street. -Jennifer
   • Local park….we love Courtney’s Sandcastle in San Clemente.  There is so much to do for the kiddos and also has a brand new sensory section. -Shari

Top 5 National Parks for Families

1. My favorite park is Yosemite 🙂 -Alma
2. We have a wonderful Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge within an hour’s drive of us. They do the Junior Ranger project there. It is the only time we have been able to participate in it. My kids loved it and learned so much. The refuge is great too, with wonderful hiking trails. -Cristy
3. Our favorite National Park is Redwood National Park.  It is simply awe inspiring and beautiful in every way! -Krista
4. If you are talking about National Parks, my favorite National Park is Zion.  We went on a National Parks tour vacation a few years back and I just fell in love with the stark beauty and family friendliness of this park. -Jennifer
5. Sequoia Kings Canyon also got 2 votes.
   • National Park….Sequoia.   It’s the best around. Thank you!! -Shari
   • My favorite national park is Sequoia/Kings Canyon, but I’ve never been to one I didn’t enjoy. -Catherine

GIVEAWAY CLOSED ON MAY 14, 2015

BUDDY BISON GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACKAGE ($75 value, prizes will be mailed from the National Parks Trust office):

• “Buddy Bison” mascot stuffed animal,
• 2 National Geographic Books (National Geographic Secrets of the National Parks and National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.),
• a CamelBak BPA- and BPS-free reusable bottle,
• a T-shirt,
• and a NPT Park Activity Guide.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITIES:

To enter the National Parks Trust Camera Giveaway: Take the pledge at KidstoParksDay.org to get entered in the drawing for the camera through the National Park Trust website.

To enter our separate Buddy Bison Giveaway on FunOrangeCountyParks.com: Leave a quick comment on this post naming the park you plan on visiting for Kids to Parks Day. Your comment will be entered in a random drawing where we will pick ONE winner. To be eligible for the drawing, you must leave your comment by Thursday, May 14th at Noon (Pacific Standard Time). We will notify the winner via email (so make sure you use an active email address that you check regularly). If you are picked, you will have 24 hours to respond or we will pick an alternate winner. If you win, you will also be required to send us your mailing address so we give to the National Parks Trust for the purpose of mailing your prize package.

It’s not required for the giveaway, but we’d recommend interacting with National Park Trust in the following ways:

• Twitter @NatParkTrust
• NationalParkTrust on Facebook
• ParksAreYours on Pinterest
• Find out about the #buddybison school program.