We like using this one as a quiet downtown break -- it's right by the library and good for little ones learning to walk. No play structure, but a nice open space. -Play Area: No playground, but open grassy areas suitable for toddlers to explore. -Amenities: Benches and picnic tables. -Shade & Scenery: Anchored by a large coast live oak providing ample shade. -Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with paved walkways. -Parking: Street parking available nearby. -Good for: Families, nannies, caregivers, daycares read more

Awesome geocache. It's hard to find but great. They have the best pizza. I love their bbq chicken sliders.

This was a beautiful little park that was right across the street from the Heritage Museum that the honey and I dropped by during our little free adventure day. It's a larger park that I would probably use with a group of people to play soccer or picnic and the big tree next to the play area was just absolutely gorgeous. I also loved that little children's play area was completely gated in for safety. Though I felt that it was a bright and fairly serene space, it wasn't set up with benches or meditation spots to relax in, so I don't know how often I would drop by, thus the four. All in all though, one super adorable park and tree! read more

Heritage Park - Parks Near Me - Palo Alto, California

"I just want to go through Central Park and watch folks passing by. Spend the whole day watching people. I miss that." -- Barack Obama Heritage Park (HP) is a pleasant ±2 acre park that was built on the former Palo Alto Medical Foundation site. It's a fairly new park that had its grand opening in 2006, and is there thanks to a joint effort of the Medical Foundation, Summerhill Homes, neighbors and the City of Palo Alto (PA). Unfortunately, due to the timing of the park's planning and construction during a down economy, HP is want for a lot of amenities--but what it's missing in quantity, it makes up for in charm and location. Here's the goods: -Limited street parking only -No restrooms -Nice grassy area for running around, and other such nonsense... -Fenced-in Tot Lot that has some nice features: Train-themed playground, Climbing Rock, and a Brass Dolphin--that funky Dolphin! -Picnic Tables and a trellis for shade, but no BBQ pits. -Awesome location right across the street from the Museum of American Heritage; next door to the future home of the Palo Alto History Museum; and just a few blocks from Downtown PA. HP is a solid 2.5-star park, but (since we can't do 1/2-stars) I had a hard time deciding on a final rating; usually I'd give a park with such few amenities and a lack of a restroom only two stars, but HP had that certain je ne sais quoi that earned it the 1/2-star bump. There's a lot of room for improvement here, and I fully expect PA to step it up in the future and give HP the love it deserves. read more

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Reminds me of a much much smaller version of Dolores Park in the city. Probably not as hip but there are some similarities. There is a big lawn and there were a lot of people just getting some sun and some playing frisbee. The big tree in the middle of the park is striking. I did not even know that this park existed until I came of the Museum of American Heritage. I have a hard time giving something that is free less than 5 stars, so there you have it. Nice little park in the middle of PA to go hang out. read more

One day I got completely lost in Palo Alto (remember some people -like me- tend to go only to the couple of downtown streets with bars and restaurants) and do not see further. Getting lost sometimes has its advantages and one of them is finding surprises. People relaxing reading books in the grass, birds saluting the visitors, parents with children in the playground, all across the very interesting American Heritage Museum. It is a very pleasant park, not super big, but big enough to do a nice walk there, exercise, do your own yoga poses or improvise a romantic picnic with your date. I love this park. So clean, no weird people around. Perfect scenery. read more

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Best park that I have seen in all of the South Bay. It is CLEAN (!!!), enclosed and very enjoyable for infants, toddlers and elementary school children. We also love the proximity to downtown Palo Alto. Although there are no public restrooms at this park, downtown Palo Alto is within walking distance and it is across the street from the Museum of American Heritage which is open to the public (Fri-Sun). Take a break at this park; it will be well-worth the trip. read more

Great place for a walk, picnics and small outdoor gatherings especially with little ones. (Of course you can invite your pets, too) Not to mention its big lawn, it also has a decent playground, divided into mainly two sections from which you can choose based on your little one's age. Kids can slide, swing, climb and play with sand. read more

This is an awesome little park that's walking distance from downtown PA! I'm really happy that not too many people know about or visit this little gem of a park, it's smack dab in the middle of ritzy PA! It's dog friendly and even has a well maintained play area for children that's gated off. Great park for families and furry friends! What I love most about this little park is the plot of grassy land in which people can be seen sunbathing, picnicking, or just horsing around with their dogs. I've even seen companies gather around and play various sports here. It's not the biggest park, but it's mighty! And a great intimate setting for some outdoorsy fun. It's also across from the American Heritage Museum which is free!! I'd advise you to come here, marinade in the sunshine, and then pay the museum a visit after. Then if you're hungry, downtown is just three blocks away! There's also a Whole Foods down the street if you wish to grab picknicking fare, what's not to love! It's so convenient! It's street parking but you won't have too much trouble finding a spot. It might be more difficult on Sundays because there's a church nearby and parking is difficult on service days. read more

Palo Alto is quite concentrated but this park has the open grass field for a more spacious look. The playground is great for stay at home moms. On a warm day, you can just soak up the sun on their benches read more

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Super cute clean park. Gated area for little ones, and large grassy area with some tables as well as shade. No bathrooms on site. read more

The Heritage park is rather spacious oasis of greenery only three blocks from the University Ave! That's quite sizable by downtowns standards. Many other local little patches are also nice, but fade in comparison. The creation of this park is somewhat incidental. This site used to be home to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation many years ago. When the new compound was built and PAMF moved out in 1999, there were many discussions about the cite usability, in a typical Palo Alto tradition. It took serious negotiating between the new property owners who built the housing complex behind the park, Summerhill Homes, the city of Palo Alto, the neighbors, and the Medical Foundation, to set aside several acres for a park. The interim park was finally approved in 2003 and the groundbreaking started the following year. But those were recession times and the budget was tight. It led to somewhat limited amenities on these grounds than what was originally anticipated. I, for once, welcome the resulted field of over 2 acres of open space, which can be used for any activity. Since its inception in March of 2006 Heritage Park offers a quiet place to get away from the hectic downtown, and the beauty of it is that you don't have to drive to get there. The park features the sentinel redwood in the center, a kid's playground with the Palo Alto Express train structure, a brass dolphin sculpture, and a climbing rock structure. It's fenced and gated, too. You can peruse one of the several picnic tables to spend a quaint afternoon enjoying your lunch break, or seat on a bench and catch up with your yelping! It's all good, cheers! read more

Located across the street from the Museum of American Heritage, Heritage Park is a pleasant little respite in the middle of busy and often congested downtown Palo Alto. Here you can stop, take a breather and take notice of all the small town Americana that Palo Alto has to offer. As we rush around during our hectic days it easy to forget that the simple life this place used to offer in the days it focused on agriculture instead of technology. There are still glimmers of simplicity to be seen but, you need to slow down and take notice. This two-acre open space offers benches redwood trees as well as around the border of the lawn. Playgrounds for both tiny tots and older children are built around the shade of a stately heritage oak tree (for which I assume the park is named). A shade trellis and benches provide a convenient place to picnic while the kids play. There's a climbing rock for young explorers. Also available: three small picnic tables, including a handicapped accessible table, just outside of the playground provide a nice play for neighbors and friends to gather. A couple of other facts to note: The playground is fenced in as Homer can be a very busy street so, take even your bolting toddlers there without worry. There is no toilet facility! This seems to be a trend in Palo Alto Parks, I rarely come across one that has a bathroom in it. This makes me feel as if the parks like many other things in Palo Alto are intended only for the residents. It's not an officially stated rule (except at Foothill Park) but that's the implication. After all, no bathroom isn't going to be a problem for a park visitor who lives down the street from the park. read more

It's a clean park with lots of shade! My son loves the large sandbox! I always meet people from different areas that drive to this park specifically. It's super safe and gated. There is tables, benches and water fountains but no bathroom. read more

this is a good size park located in a residential area of palo alto, but still pretty close to the downtown strip (three blocks from university). it has a nice gated playground area with several play structures, a few picnic benches, and a large grassy area with various flowering plants. i often see young children playing in the gated area, and older children and teens playing on the grassy area. this is definitely a good place for families or hosting a picnic. i do feel that this park needs more walking paths as there seems to be only way in and one way out. read more

Heritage Park - Parks Near Me - Palo Alto, California

The bustle of Univ Ave traffic and people can be relieved from, just a couple of blocks away. Cool little park that's great to sit in on nice days. Not a lot of folks frequent it and it's just far enough away that tourists in the area wont seek it out read more

Very very small park but nice play structure for kids that keep them busy for long time. Well kept ground and everything. Nice chairs and tables and plenty of parking near by. read more

Great little park. In very nice neighborhood. Enclosed and safe for kids, so you can sit and relax without running around. It can get jammed fairly quickly because of its size. read more

Heritage Park - Parks Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Awesome park near downtown. With two little ones...we picked some food at a nearby restaurant and enjoyed our late lunch in the gated playground area. Find a shaded table and you'll be set for a few hours. :) read more

Wonderful park for toddlers and dogs. It is the size of one full block. A little more than half is grassy lawn. I most often see dogs playing, people laying in the sun reading a book, and families with babies having picnics on a blanket. The sign says dogs must be on a leash. They don't seem strict about this as long as your dog is well-behaved. There are also several benches and tables along the perimeter. The other part of the park is a gated toddler playground where dogs are not allowed. The ground is wood chips. It has two main structures one shaped like a train geared towards 2-5 and one for older kids. There is also a small rock climbing structure, a sandbox under a big tree, swings (2 baby seats and 2 regular), and a dolphin statue kids like to climb. The park doesn't have a lot of shade, but it has some. There is a water fountain, but no bathrooms. Older kids might be a little bored of this playground, but my 2 year old loves it! He always asks for the "park with the train". Also, whole foods is nearby which is perfect for some lunch and grocery shopping after playing at the park. read more

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My son loves trains and always like to pretend like he's a train conductor. We even had a train themed party here a little while ago and even had 2 entertainers one was dressed up as a train conductor and the other was a fairy for my daughter. The kids had lots of fun and there was enough space for us. Its not a huge park but its close, fun and in safe neighborhood. read more

It's too much to call this place a park. It is just a lawn. However I'm glad I can relax there during my long boring Tuesdays in Palo.

Beautiful park right on my street. Close to Whole Foods for snacks and University Ave and Caltrain for all other amenities. Homer Ave is one way, so be aware of that. read more

This is one of our neighborhood parks - the other being Johnson Park. There is a large grassy area and the playground is completely fenced in which is nice if you have to keep an eye on two roaming toddlers. My son calls this the "train park" because the little kid playstructure is in the shape of a train. They recently topped off the sandbox with some really fine grained sand as it was looking a little barren. There is also a big kid structure, a climbing rock, and swings. I find this park to be less stressful than Johnson park if you have a toddler that is still too young to be able to climb and navigate playstructures on his or her own. read more