Garden Grove Park

Garden Grove Park has a renovated playground which opened in October 2022 with its cool-toned aviation theme and rocketship. This is the City of Garden Grove’s biggest park space with tons of lawn area, picnic gazebos, and community events.

Every time I have visited lately, I’ve seen food trucks, community members on walks, gathering for dance classes, or even resting on the benches scattered around the park.

Just to orient you, the park is situated in a large rectangle. The 22 Freeway is the top boundary. Then Atlantis Way is on the left side of the park. Deodara Drive and Bolsa Grande High School are on the right side of the park. The bottom of the park is Westminster Blvd. The Garden Grove Park playground is roughly in the middle of the park area. Atlantis Play Center is at the top. Both are reachable via Atlantis Way. The dog park, Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center, and outdoor fitness equipment are best reached via Deodara Drive.

Location and Directions for Garden Grove Park: You can’t miss this place, although it’s hard to actually see the playground from the main street that goes by: Westminster Blvd. It is in between Brookhurst and Magnolia off Westminster Blvd. You’ll take Westminster Blvd and turn onto Atlantis Way and turn right at the first driveway. (Park Address: 9301 Westminster Blvd, Garden Grove) MAP TO GARDEN GROVE PARK

Highlights of Garden Grove Park

It’s so new! And it’s also an all-inclusive park which means it has some accessible features, but it’s not universally accessible since not all parts of the playground are available to all abilities.

I love the proximity to Atlantis Play Center so you can play at both the Play Center and Garden Grove Park in the same day. This park is also home to:

• A dog park off Deodara
• Picnic areas scattered throughout
• Outdoor fitness equipment also off Deodara
• Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center off Deodara

The City of Garden Grove highlights: “The new playground includes ADA accessible play equipment; various musical instruments; words and symbols etched into several pieces to assist those with limited or no verbal skills; and sensory walls to stimulate, engage, and calm users.”

The pieces of equipment I noticed to be accessible were:

• A play stand that is designed like a ticket window
• Ramps to a glider with wheelchair access
• A lot of the sensory walls and games build into the play structure
• The merry-go-round on the flat surface so you can take your wheelchair
• Also a blue merry-go-round with seats facing out, so you could potentially transfer more easily

The playground is rated for 5-12 year olds, so many of the slides are reachable only by challenging climbs. Even though this is a “Be Aware” for younger kids, it’s definitely a plus for older kids who crave climbing opportunities and taller slides.

This playground does a good job incorporating musical instruments!

There is a smaller play structure that looks like an airplane taking off from a runway — with a bit less challenging climbs and it’s closer to the ground.

There are signs highlighting the history of the park as a former airfield. You can go to the QR code to learn more!

I, of course, visited the playground. But I also found the video from the City helpful when exploring what the park has to offer and hearing directly from the kids what they think!

Video of Garden Grove Park Opening

Be Aware:

• From reading comments online, there seems to be a difference in quality of visit depending on a number of factors — like: what time of day? who is in the park? are there dogs present? are the dogs off-leash? is there litter on the ground? I visited 2x recently. Both times in the morning hours. It was very pleasant with minimal litter and a great community feel.
• It is a BIG park. Take a look at the aerial/satellite view of the park on a map before you go to scope out where you might want to park. The driveway in the middle of the park that runs from Deodara to Atlantis Way is where this playground is located. Did you catch my paragraph at the start about how to orient yourself?
• This is one of the few cities that actually has a Park Patrol, so you can always contact them if you have concerns.
• Kids will definitely have to navigate up rope climbers or ladders or netted tunnel bridges to access some of the slides or towers. These just have inherent dangers of falls.
• No swings.
• For restrooms, I would recommend visiting Atlantis Play Center ($2 fee for entrance during the 10am-2pm hours most days – closed Mondays, and 12pm-4pm on Sundays) or Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center (a bit of a distance away) for restrooms.

Checklist:

• Playground surface: recycled rubber surrounded by lawn
• Restrooms in the park, but not always unlocked/open. Your best bet might be the Recreation Center at the back of the park near the high school and dog park. Or if you are visiting Atlantis Play Center that would be a great option!
• Dog Park and Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center off Deodara Drive
• Atlantis Play Center in the SAME park off Atlantis Way
• Garden Grove Skate Park and basketball courts are nearby
• City of Garden Grove information about the park opening with photos and details of the park
• Visit the City of Garden Grove Community Services page for more information
• How to make park reservations for Garden Grove Park
• Nearest public library: Garden Grove Main Library

Nearby Parks:

• Atlantis Play Center & Splash Pad (summer)
• Stanton Central Park & Splash Pad (summer)

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