From the category archives:

Shade (picnic)

Peralta Canyon Park in Anaheim: Where the Bluebirds and Wild Green Parrots Fly

May 25, 2010

Peralta Canyon Park in Anaheim sits off Santa Ana Canyon Road near the 91 Freeway. It’s another great find by reader, Lisa. In fact, since Lisa is so great at finding North County parks and sharing such detailed info with us — we asked her to be our official North County Parks Reporter. That’s not [...]

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Solvang Parks: Bring Danish Pastries to Hans Christian Andersen Park

April 24, 2010

Solvang parks are not part of my childhood memories of the quaint Danish village north of Santa Barbara. As a kid, I visited at least once a year if not more. We just stumbled across Hans Christian Andersen Park off Atterdag Road on the west end of town. It was the perfect place to enjoy [...]

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Iglesia Park: Find Family Resources in Aliso Viejo Neighborhood

April 16, 2010

Iglesia Park is right off what I call “church row” on Moulton Parkway. I’d never ventured off the main street to explore the parks back in the neighborhood. When we came upon Iglesia Park, I could immediately tell there was great community investment in the area. The Aliso Viejo Family Resource Center provides many services [...]

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Pearson Park: Anaheim’s Classic Town Square Steeped in Local History

April 12, 2010

Pearson Park used to be called City Park prior to its name change in 1960 to honor Anaheim’s mayor from 1945-1959. You can read about all the Anaheim by reading “A Brief History of Modern Day Anaheim” or watch this short 3 minute video by the Heritage Services Manager. The amphitheater, ball park, and restroom [...]

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Brea Sports Park Playground: There’s A Bluebird, But It’s Not On My Shoulder

March 27, 2010

Brea Sports Park’s playground lies at the edge of an incredible lawn surrounded by massive baseball diamonds marked by high black chain link backstops. There’s an awesome aerial photo on the planning firm’s website. You can’t miss it when you drive by on Birch Street. The picnic tables surrounding the playground make it really easy [...]

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Caspers Wilderness Park: Discover Nature and Beauty Off Ortega Highway

March 12, 2010

Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano is absolutely beautiful. I hiked and camped here with my husband when we were college students. Spring is my favorite time to visit because of the greenery. It’s an especially vibrant park in the official OC Parks system because of its representative native California plant species. We’ve seen [...]

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Yorba Regional Park: Yorba Linda by Location, But In Anaheim By Address

March 2, 2010

I can’t cover Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim in just one post, so look for more to come. In the meantime, consult the official OCParks.com page for Yorba Park. I was completely surprised to learn this park is in Anaheim. It felt like I was in Yorba Linda. PLAY AREAS NEAR PARKING LOT 3 Location: [...]

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Ridgecrest Park: Saddleback Valley Views and Shady Swings

February 1, 2010

Ridgecrest Park in Aliso Viejo provided us our first sunny play outdoors day after all that rain a few weeks ago. I don’t know if it’s because we were playground-deprived, but we had an especially good play here. I can see how it would be great in the summer with its shade over the playground. [...]

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Woodbury Community Park: A Training Ground for Mountaineers and Hamsters

January 7, 2010

Woodbury Community Park in Irvine is just what you’d imagine: a beautiful oasis centering a planned community. The park is at the center, spreading to apartments and housing, then big block retail on the outskirts. If you enter from Sand Canyon you’ll start with the retail. I prefer driving in from Jeffrey where you skirt [...]