Virginia McGee Totland — Berkeley

A decent size toddler park (but elementary kids enjoy it too) on a not so busy street in Berkeley.

Most tot parks I’ve seen are small but this one is very open with lots of different play opportunities.

This completely gated park has plenty of shade (perfect for warm days but creates a chill on cold days). With plenty of open grassy area, there is room for picnics or playing kickball. There are picnic tables (both adult and kid sizes which is a cute thoughtful addition to a tot park). Throughout the park, there are benches that give a perfect view of different corners of the playground. A bright mural is painted on the clubhouse that contains the bathrooms (flushing toilets and low urinals) and a meeting space used by the Young Artist Program (YAP) during the school year and by the Berkeley Day Camp during the summer months. It also hosts Jon's School of Music: Instrument and Fun Based Music Classes for 1 - 8-year-olds (registration and fee. drop it or quarter-long tuition).

For play, there is a perfect structure for tots and elementary age kids, a rope web, swings (bucket and standard but not next to each other in one set), a spinning seat, a playhouse, and a sandbox with a water feature (great for getting your feet wet on a hot day but not a splash pad). The structure is mostly wooden with steps, a climbing wall, climbing rope, two slides (a sidewinder and a double), monkey bars and various activities including a scavenger hunt.

Street parking was easy. pay attention to the parking limit and street sweeping.