Strawberry Creek Park — Berkeley

The quiet Strawberry Creek Park in the middle of Berkeley paired with some sweet treats from The Hidden Cafe is a recipe for fun!

The park is located on the former site of the Santa Fe railroad freight yard and has a small restored creek running through! There are basketball courts, tennis courts, a volleyball court, multipurpose turf, and a grassy area for kicking around a ball or having a nice picnic. In the center of the park is the play area with a totally awesome hillside slide, a giant web of rope bridges, ladders, hammocks and balance walks. The structure is wooden but also new feeling and really a breath of fresh air to see something like this since most new playgrounds are plastic. It has a slide, stairs, monkey bars, and a climbing ladder. Other playground extras include a swing set with solid plastic standard swings and a hammock swing, a spilling cup and a fantastic sandbox with boulders and a busy table to keep kids busy in case you’ve forgotten the toys.

We explored a bit and had a snack by the creek. There’s plenty of open grass between the park and the creek or if you choose a nice flat grassy space in front of the Hidden Cafe.

There are bathrooms. Street parking only. If you park on Allston Way and Bonare Street you’ll be very close to the playground. If you park on Addison Street you’ll be near the cafe.