Wakeham Park in Costa Mesa is an old school neighborhood playground where you can see the kids from every angle and there is lots of room for play and pretend.
A parent wrote in to recommend this park with photos attached to her email saying: "Please add to your website! It’s a medium-sized park that has a toddler-friendly playground. One side is shaded by a large tree. Two sets of swings. Bathrooms available. Basketball courts. Volleyball court. Several picnic tables."
I thoroughly enjoyed my playground scouting visit with a surprise discovery! It must be amazing for the nearby apartments and homes to have this available for play.
Directions to Wakeham Park in Costa Mesa: This playground is very close to South Coast Plaza with a small circular parking lot reachable from an approach off Sunflower Avenue. From I-405 South, exit Fairview Road and turn right towards the mountains. Turn right on Sunflower Avenue. Then turn right onto Smalley Road. Smalley pretty much dead ends where you will make a left into the parking lot. (Park Address: 3400 Smalley Street, Costa Mesa) MAP TO WAKEHAM PARK IN COSTA MESA
Highlights
I love the openness and mature trees at this park. It's the first thing you will notice. There's even a big tree shading the smallest playground equipment.
You'll find a boulder area right at the parking lot which could keep some children occupied for quite a while! It's nice to have some rocks you're actually ALLOWED to climb on for once.
This is may be the best part of the park! I hope they never change it - or preserve the tree proximity to the playground. This big sycamore is shading the smallest play structure rated for 2-5 year olds.
There are two swing sets bringing you 6 bench swings and 2 baby swings.
The bigger kid playground (5-12 year olds) equipment has a small zip track, monkey bars, and classic slides.
The surprise discovery for me was the redwood trees! Or at least trees in the redwood family. These are the trees near the loop in the walkway at the far corner of the park. The photo doesn't do them justice. If you love redwoods, I have a guide to all the places I've found redwoods in and near OC.
Since I have done some scouting on the subject, I figured out it's really not that surprising considering there are other redwood trees near here.
The Noguchi Gardens are nearby and feature a section with a redwood "forest" and a few more trees are in the Avenue of the Arts area.
There are also more trees like this nearby off Anton at the lakes behind the Silver Trumpet Restaurant -- you'll just have to pay for parking to access. All these trees are in the general area of each other (which makes sense).
So it was such a treat to see the redwoods here at this park. I found more than two trees at Wakeham park apart from the two pictured in the back loop. Can you find the extra trees when you are there?
There are 3 good-size picnic shelters near the playground. They provide great shade and they are reservable.
Be Aware
- It's a little bit of a walk to the playground from the parking lot.
- Playground equipment is dated, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I'm only mentioning so you know what to expect.
- The edging of the playground is partially surrounded with telephone pole stumps. Some of them are uneven or have been removed, so there are rough, exposed edges of concrete.
- This is truly a neighborhood park, so respect the neighbors by being kind and keeping the park in good shape. There were a good amount of walkers and leashed dogs in the morning when I visited.
Checklist
- Play surface is sand with some recycled rubber
- Restrooms right near the playground
- Free parking in a small lot
- Basketball court
- Sand volleyball court
- Picnic tables scattered on grassy area under mature trees
- Also 3 reservable picnic gazebos with tables, trash receptacles, and grills
- Official City of Costa Mesa information on Wakeham Park
- City of Costa Mesa parks reservation information
- Read my guide to 7+ places to see redwoods in Orange County
Nearby parks
- George Upton All Access Playground at Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana
- Angel's Playground at TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa (accessible)
