Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach lead the count for most fenced parks in Orange County.  Some moms call these playgrounds “baby jail” and others call them “a lifesaver.”  I had some great comments on our 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

Grand Park in Aliso Viejo

Aliso Viejo Community Park - a much bigger park with a fenced in toddler area, has restrooms, can be busy with sports and school pickups

Aliso Viejo Community Park

Bluebird Park in Laguna Beach – one of favorite parks of all time, has restrooms, it’s bigger but manageable

Bluebird Park

Village Green Park in Laguna Beach – small park but fenced right off PCH near Crown Valley, no restrooms, not a lot of parking

Village Green Park

Lang Park in Laguna Beach – across from Montage, beautiful ocean views, has restrooms

Lang Park

Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove – small fee, large park but it is fenced, whimsical play equipment

Atlantis Play Center

More fenced parks:

• Ocean Breeze Park in Laguna Niguel (mostly fenced)
• Eisenhower Park at Seal Beach Pier
• Henry Dotson Park in Stanton (mostly fenced)

Happy playing!

Atlantis Play Center photos say more about this park than I could ever relay in words. It’s funky, fun, and HUGE! The number one comment I heard from visitors is that it feels safe because the kids are contained and outsiders can’t come in without paying admission. In fact, the City website states “Adults are not allowed without kids, and kids are not allowed without adults.” I’ll put Shuree’s new insider info in italics: This is one of the best parks ever because of it’s size, ample shade, and famous sea serpent slide. It’s been there since I was a kid and it only costs $1 to get in. Adults must be accompanied by children, and children must be accompanied by an adult- so you don’t get any creepy people lingering around.

Location: Atlantis Play Center is in Garden Grove Park. It’s an expansive public park with playspace of its own. Follow Atlantis Way past the public park until it dead ends in the parking lot. The back wall of Atlantis Play Center is actually the sound wall for the 22 Garden Grove Freeway – so the 22 provides the most direct access. Exit the 22 at either Brookhurst or Magnolia and take Westminster Avenue to the park. From the 405, I would take Brookhurst, turn left onto Westminster Avenue, and right onto Atlantis. [Address: 13630 Atlantis Way, Garden Grove] MAP to Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove

Recommended by: Tiny Oranges in November 2008
Recommended by: Shuree in August 2009

• Ocean theme engages kids immediately. Fun rhyming signs accompany each animal.
• Live animals roaming around grounds (chicken and bunnies).
• Funky play equipment – something for every age.
• Solitude, privacy, safety are all pluses.
• Great for birthday parties and small playgroups – shell pavilion with King Triton is great for Ariel birthday party
• Clam shell drinking fountains built into rock
• They even have a snack bar in the summer that serves Otter Pops for 25 cents and other inexpensive food items.
• It’s run by the city of Garden Grove. It’s clean, nice, and full of nice families with young kids.

• Equipment is dated and paint is chipping in some spots – what it lacks in bright/shiny it makes up for in charm
• Entrance fee of $1 (sign on window notes that they don’t take bills larger than a $10)
• Also a sign reading “no waxed paper” – guess it makes the slides go faster?
• Limited hours of operation compared to a traditional park. Once I went there and it was closed.
• Sometimes there are large groups of daycamp elementary aged kids during the summer.
• Sometimes kids come down the slide too fast and bump into the child in front of them. I usually stand near the bottom when its my kids’ turn to come down.

• Dedicated free parking lot
• Sand and recycled rubber play surface
• Restrooms near the entrance (decorated with Mermen and Mermaids murals)
• Very large trees provide shade and there is shade cover over picnic areas
• You could easily lose sight of your child here because of its great size – so it’s definitely more active supervision
• Very large picnic area
• Hours of operation: T-F 10am-2pm; Sat 10am-4pm; Sun Noon-4pm.
• Closed on Thanksgiving and for exclusive events
• Birthday party packages and exclusive rental available
• There’s a great post on LA Metblogs about a sister park in San Gabriel
• Visit the Friends of La Laguna site (remembering the work of Benjamin Dominguez) to learn more about the artist’s creations and legacy.