Carter enjoys Edison Park.
2:14pm | A couple months ago, I used this column to pose a somewhat self-serving question: I asked readers to name their favorite playgrounds in Long Beach. Some suggestions were familiar to my family, but many others were located far from our usual paths about town and beyond. Recommendations in hand, my son Carter and set off to explore and compare these discoveries. We will not rate these playgrounds, because there was not one in which we did not have a wonderful time; each offered its own unique experience. What follows then, is not a ranking but the first in a series of reviews of excellent playgrounds in the Long Beach area.
Images courtesy Google Maps unless otherwise noted
College Estates Park: I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but College Estates is an often-overlooked neighborhood, tucked between Studebaker Road and the San Gabriel River, just north of 7th Street and the 22 Freeway. Its sleepy park backs up against the river where Stevely Avenue abruptly turns north. The seclusion of the park’s playground, surrounded by shady trees, makes it ideal for hot summer afternoons, when many parks are congested with vacationing children. While the range of playground equipment is a little limited, not having to compete with as many other children makes this less of an issue.
Edison Park: The funny thing is that we stumbled on this Seal Beach park when we were looking for College Estates Park, but then decided to come back the following day because it looked so promising. The park is quite expansive, taking up an area under high tension electrical lines (hence the Edison name); this means there is plenty of space to play chase. With College Estates Park just on the other side of the San Gabriel River (though a half mile distant by foot), there is little congestion here as well. The playground equipment is substantial, with lots of different opportunities to climb and slide. A nice feature is a tire swing, something Carter had not previously been able to experience. The relative isolation, large size, and low use of this park makes it ideal for birthday parties.
El Dorado Park: Due to the size of this park (one of the largest urban municipal parks in the nation, according to The Trust for Public Land), there are several options for playgrounds. We took Carter to one playground located just north of Wardlow Road, west of the pond. Obviously, there was no shortage of open space for running around. The play equipment was broken up into different areas, which is good when the park is full, but does interrupt flow for less formal play. The climbing equipment was great, including a set of slides, ladders, bridges, and stairs all designed to look like a cluster of tree branches and trunks. Another fun feature is a series of swings mounted in a circle, so that people can swing inward without touching. Carter was cracking up as his mother made faces at him as they swung toward each other.
Photo by Google user JK78
Heritage Park: This 15-acre park in Cerritos demonstrates what sales tax revenue from car dealerships and two large shopping centers can do for a small city’s budget. Located on Bloomfield Avenue across the street from Cerritos High School, Heritage Park has something for everyone, including baseball fields, basketball courts, and a recreation center. But the crown jewel of the park is an island in the middle of an artificial pond that is home to a two-thirds scale New England village. The cluster of old town buildings contain a series of interlocking slides, ladders, bridges, and stairs that allow children to travel between the buildings. A series of long tube slides can carry you from the top of the island hill down to the shoreline. Adults beware: the child-sized scale of these tubes can lead to embarrassing situations for larger-sized people curious enough to try sliding down them.
From the perspective of more cash-starved municipalities in Cerritos’s environs, what adds insult to injury is that yet another tot lot sits adjacent to this theme-park-like playground all in the boundaries of Heritage Park itself. Though the equipment in this second area appears a little worn, it is designed in so as to provide many fun ways of play. Because they appear to have been constructed in the 1980s, the metal and wood structures provide possibilities for play that differ from those afforded by the plastic structures more commonly used today. There even appears to be an early precursor to contemporary “universal play” equipment: one structure is composed entirely of wide bridges and ramps (not stairs), making it wheelchair accessible. Our only difficulty with this park was that with the proximity of the artificial pond to the two playgrounds, Carter was constantly enticed to make a run for the water. What a problem to have.
Livingston Park: Malibu’s swanky shopping district sports a small playground; together, they constitute one of the most vibrant public spaces in Southern California. The Livingston Park tot lot, located just off Belmont Shore’s Second Street, is a similar example of this combination of family recreation and commerce. Recently upgraded and expanded due to a Herculean effort from the local community, the playground now overflows with activity. The modern play equipment provides possibilities few other parks currently possess, including a net climb and rope swing. Carter had a great time playing with and watching the army of children around him. If you are adverse to the congestion but your children like these kinds of play equipment, you can find a similar playground at Calbrisas Park in Signal Hill on California Avenue, just north of Burnett Street.
This overview does not discuss several other playgrounds Carter and I have visited. In a future post, I will review some of these additional playgrounds, including those at Park Estates, Reservoir Park, Rotary Park, Mothers’ Beach, and Whaley Park, as well as any other suggestions that come along. Thanks to all of you for contributing your favorite secrets across the city (and beyond). This has been a fun adventure for us, so please keep sharing tips about your favorite playgrounds.