Best Toddler Park

This toddler park in North Berkeley has everything parents and toddlers
would want — picnic tables, slides, play structures appropriate
for the tykes, a water and sand table, bathrooms, a gated entrance so
your child can’t run out into the street, and lots of toys and
tricycles. It’s one of those parks where people have, over the many
years, donated numerous play kitchens, balls and shovels, and
ride-alongs (in kid-gear speak, little cars, trucks, and tricycles that
kids can ride on), for everyone to enjoy. What that translates to is
hours of fun for your little one — so much fun, in fact, that
parents usually have to peel their kids away from play time kicking and
screaming. The City of Berkeley officially took over this park in 1948,
and since then it has been renovated by neighbors, who even added a
clubhouse with a bright mural on one side. The clubhouse is used by the
Young Artist Program during the school year and Berkeley Day Camp
during the summer. This park designed just for the five-and-under crowd
is a few blocks from the North Berkeley BART station in a residential
neighborhood. And, of course, for families on a tight budget, it’s a
great deal.