- Didja know there's a discrete spot in this park that you can reserve? We didn't. Polees kicked us…read moreoff this lil amphitheater circle (33°40'15.0"N 117°53'48.6"W) after we were already all set up. Had to relocate our tables, canopy, etc elsewhere. The park should post signs at all reservable spots, save unknowing guests the hassle. - Restroom sink has low water pressure. And no paper towels. . Restrooms located next to Angels Playground: M4C3+CWV Costa Mesa, CA. . Decent amount of parking near Angels Playground, but crowded on weekends: M4C4+75C Costa Mesa, CA. . Alternate parking: M492+MW7 Costa Mesa, CA. + Otherwise amicable ambience. - No pickleball courts. + Nicely located near OC Fair and OCC, and right by the 405-55-73 freeway triangle.

Tewinkle Park is where coed softball memories are made. The park is well maintained and hosts our…read moresoftball League on Tuesdays. I played in my first softball league team here. We were a bunch of misfits, all gathered for a chance to play this wonderful team sport. When I joined, our fearless leader stated he didn't expect us to be good but he expected that we have fun. How do you say no to that! I learned how to play this game and the nuances of the rules compared to baseball. Above all else, I got to meet so many new people through our games and pick up games. Wonderful memories, wonderful adventures. Please come and create your own.

A cute hidden gem!…read more Such a cute little park. I love that it's not well known or busy. I came with my family and a 2yo and we had the whole park to ourselves! It has everything to keep a 2 yo busy. There's a slide, a small sandbox, a climbing section, and a few fun other things. I also liked that there was covering above in case it's a sunny day.

Perez Park near upper back bay! Small park for locals but does not have bathroom and one small side…read moreentrance gate is broken. I love this park it's perfect for kids especially little kiddos.

Situated along Bear Street near South Coast , I love walking my dog at this little park. There's…read moreplenty of shade and trees for a nice stroll. Lots of squirrels which my dog loves. Sometimes there isn't much parking, but there's plenty of parking in the neighborhood behind the park. I've hosted quite a few barbecues and events at the tables near the restrooms. There's two playgrounds sand volleyball court two handball courts two basketball hoops. With picnic tables and trash receptacles spread throughout the park. There is even a dog waste station filled with bags at the first cul-de-sac of the two in the neighborhoods. All in all, an outstanding little park and hidden gem of Costa Mesa!

Shiffer Park is a small park just off the 73 and 405 freeways next to South Coast Plaza in Costa…read moreMesa. The entrance is just off the street where cars might be driving fast and is inconspicuous that you might miss it. There's a small parking lot at the front of the park but there's also some parking in the roundabouts and neighborhood on the west side of the park. The park has basketball courts, a couple kids playgrounds, grassy areas, and public restrooms. There weren't many people here at all so it's not a busy park with a lot of foot traffic. Not many people come here and most of the noise comes from cars driving by.

Made a short drive to heller park and was (un)pleasantly surprised :(…read more This is one of those parks where you ask yourself "can any patch of grass with a swing set be a park?" Because that's all there was! Now in fairness, if you live in the neighborhood, this would be a "decent park" simply for the fact that it's already a part of your walk. Overall not a park I'd return to. It took me and my dog about 2 minutes to walk around the park lol

Heller Park is a small park located in a quiet neighborhood in Costa Mesa. It's not big and both…read moresides of the park are streets so just something to beware with kids and pets. Speaking of pets, there were some not on leashes so be careful of that as well. There are lots of grassy areas, a kids playground, benches, and public restrooms. Street parking only.

San Miguel Park is a small neighborhood park along the side of a road in Newport Beach…read more Interestingly it is Newport Beach's first universally accessible playground and has ADA features designed for children of all abilities. There's a private parking lot on-site. The park has multiple kids playgrounds, grassy areas, basketball courts, handball courts, a baseball field, a soccer field, and picnic tables. There are also convenient public restrooms.

San Miguel Park played an oversize role in a remarkably important part of my late childhood…read more In 1990, my childhood friend Michael's family moved from Whittier to Newport Beach. I'm three years older than he is, but he was a handful as a kid, so his mom liked to have me over to occupy him, and we always got along famously because he was the adventurous little guy while I was the rule-following older guy. If our ages had been reversed, our friendship never would have worked. We were used to running around his inverted cul-de-sac in Whittier and using different shrubs and bushes as bases. They all had numbers, and I believe some of them had code names in case other kids in the neighborhood had gotten wind of the numbers when we were playing hide-and-seek. But his family moved to a gated community, and while we could generally run around the neighborhood there just as easily as we could in Whittier, there were suddenly annoying rich people telling us to get out of the street/off their lawns/out of the sewer (!), so it wasn't as much fun. Michael's mom trusted me implicitly, so she probably didn't know that I followed Michael in his schemes. Once we got sick of playing Bump 'n' Jump in the downstairs activity room with the spectacular view (Michael liked video games less than any kid I knew), he would suggest we go to the park to play. Michael's mom wasn't used to driving us around, and it took way too long to walk all the way around the gated community to get out of it and to the park, so we did what most pairs of thirteen- and ten-year-olds did and hopped fences and climbed down the hill. We didn't call it San Miguel Park. It was just this thin strip of green space alongside fancy houses. It had a baseball diamond, a field, a basketball court, and four handball courts. When I came recently to do research for this Yelp review, it seemed way more manicured and set off from the neighborhood than it used to be, which makes me think a lot of the amenities might not have existed in 1990. What did Michael and I do at the park? Our usual little-kid stuff, although I was just about to outgrow most of it. We would often take his dad's racquetball rackets and a racquetball and try to play racquetball in the handball courts, specifically the northwest court. As you can imagine, that never worked really well, so we eventually modified Mojo Risin', the game that Michael played with his brothers that normally involved throwing stuffed animals, into its Mick Jagger version, in which Michael would strut around imitating Mick Jagger in front of the handball wall, and I would pelt him with the racquetball. It sounds stupid, but it was really fun, and Michael was spectacular at being a realistically annoying Mick Jagger, even at the age of ten. The park itself is pretty neat, although it's sad that there's no actual baseball diamond. There's a huge backstop and space for a diamond, but there's no dirt, and they've even removed the small benches and bleachers that used to be there. Also, the local soccer leagues use the backstop area to store all their goal equipment, so baseball plays second fiddle to soccer, which was the opposite in 1990. There's a parking lot that is only accessibly from the northbound side of San Miguel Drive. I don't think you can park on San Miguel, but you might be able to park on Spyglass Hill Road. In any case, there are plenty of spaces in the lot. The basketball court is in good shape, but unfortunately, there are permanent, dangerously sited benches and trashcans right next to the court. The handball courts get a lot of use, but they're not in awful shape. For some reason, they close earlier than the park itself does. There's also a green area near the handball courts that feels underutilized. There are one or two picnic tables down there, but they're not shaded, so it might not be pleasant to eat at them. It looks like something was planned but never built in this part of the park. It definitely wasn't landscaped and maintained as nicely when I was a kid. I think it was all dirt then. If you're coming with little kids, be sure they don't wander by themselves over to the northern edge of the park. I believe the speed limit on Spyglass Hill Road is something absurd like 40, and cars come careening down that hill around the bend faster than that. Ridiculously, there are no painted crosswalks at the northeast corner of the park, at the intersection with Port Harwick Place. I don't understand how that is even possible in such a residential neighborhood. I know the local Richie Riches probably never walk or ride their bikes anywhere and have their parents or their nannies drive them everywhere, but I can tell you from personal 1990 experience that when Michael and I were crossing that street to get to the park, it was a little bit nerve-racking. In the 32 years that have passed since that time, the traffic has only grown worse and faster. Be careful when you're crossing that street!

Fairview Park is one of my favorite places to walk and run because there are endless route options…read more You can stay around the park on dirt or paved trails, climb the stairs for a workout, enjoy the grassy open areas, or connect to the Santa Ana River Trail and head all the way to the beach. The trails also connect by bridge into Costa Mesa, where you can grab coffee or food after your workout. The people on the trails are friendly, and the park workers are always courteous, stopping their trucks to let pedestrians pass. Wildlife is part of the experience, so be aware of coyotes, snakes, rabbits, and squirrels. I also recommend staying aware of your surroundings and avoiding walking alone in the early morning or late evening. Whether you're looking for a relaxing walk with a friend, a quick mile, or marathon training, Fairview Park is awesome!

Huge park with hiking trails. Plenty of parking spaces. Very nice neighborhood place to hang out…read more They have public restrooms and tennis/baseball courts there. People go here to have photoshoot sessions. I love going here.

This spot really lives up to the nickname as "Top of the World." The views from Alta Laguna Park…read moreare insane -- ocean, canyon, and city all in one place. On a clear day, you can see Catalina Island and miles of coastline. The park itself is pretty clean and well-kept, with tennis courts, restrooms, picnic tables, and trails that branch right off the viewpoint. It's great whether you want to chill and enjoy the view or get in a real hike. What to know: Parking can be tight though, especially around sunset. There's street parking nearby if the lot is full. There are other access points to get into the park, too. Not much shade, so bring water and sunscreen if you're hiking. The trails down into Aliso Canyon are beautiful but pretty steep coming back up -- be ready for a workout. I typically do Mathis Canyon and Car Wreck loop, which is a workout. You do see a wrecked car situated at the bottom of Car Wreck trail. This is one of those local gems that's perfect for showing off SoCal scenery to visitors or just getting some fresh air and perspective. I always bring my friends from out of town to this spot as an introduction to what's beautiful in Orange County. Definitely a five-star view and an easy must-do if you're in Laguna.

This place holds a special place in my heart as this is where we celebrated our engagement after…read moreproposing at a different location. It has changed over the years, but still remains a gem! There used to be an open grassy field, but now there is a basketball court, pickleball courts, and a playground. Love that for the kids and residents! I'm glad they kept the pavilions as that is where we celebrated. All of the new stuff I mentioned above are top notch and in good condition, as is the bathroom. There is still the amazing view from here and some short hikes that leave from here. The parking lot is plenty big and there is always street parking right outside the park if needed. It is well worth the drive up the hill!

Twenty-eight years ago, we were married here overlooking the coast. It's changed very little since…read morethen, and it's still just as beautiful. Our friends sang acappella and played acoustic guitars, our loved ones had a place to sit, and everyone enjoyed the stunning view! Be sure to check with the city for event planning here, and be respectful of the residents. We love visiting our spot.

Tucked away in a beach neighborhood is this "Vista Point." There is signage to eliminate proposals…read moreor fancy picnics. I was disappointed to see trash at the half circle concrete benches since there was a trash can only 2 feet away. The residence or city keeps the seating stones and statues in clean, good condition. Visitors and neighbors alike enjoy this quaint park with a cute beach and ocean view. Need some romance in your life? The sunrise here is truly a sight to see.