Prob would be 5 if the train and rides were open - check their Facebook page for status! I guess it was closed due to anticipated rain. Easy parking, decent bathrooms, great playground area and lots of seating for picnic/snacks. read more

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Growing up, we visited Kennedy park often. I remember this place being a very distinct part of my childhood, but wow has it changed! I came back with my dog, just to relive some childhood memories, and the construction they did really changed it. The new differences I love: - New paved walkways instead of just grassy fields. I think this is much more pleasant for parents pushing strollers. - They have a new tea cup ride? They only had the carousel when I was little! - The okay structure is wow! I wish we had this as a child, but it was lovely to walk around and hear the kids playing and laughing. It brought back some really good memories. I always begged my parents to push me on the round wheel swing. - New infrastructure looks nice and beautiful - They still have the train, it seems only on weekends. - They have a Bocce ball area New changes that I wasn't so fond of: - For the expensive infrastructure, they didn't have those pop bad dispensers, which was surprising. It doesn't affect us much, as we carry a poop bag holder, but I can see it catching folks off guard. - There is no longer an area to greet and feed goats... though, I guess they isn't a bad thing, as my sister got rammed by a goat here as a child. I do miss those goats though. - Lastly, it feels like there is a lot of unused space. So much empty grass! Though, I guess it gets busy in the weekends. Overall, a pleasant new change to a place that's been such an important part of my childhood! read more

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We found ourselves here on a Saturday for a kids birthday party and my goodness it is a whole vibe. If you arrive before 11 am, there is plenty of parking. When we left at 1:30 pm, there was hardly any parking and you'd need to park far on a weekend. There are a lot of sections you can reserve for parties and areas that are open to anyone. There is a carousel and train and tea cups that require pre-paid tickets that are $3 each at the snack/ticket station. They take card and cash. Supposedly anyone over 3 needs one but the signage on the attractions say mixed things. My kid was in awe of the beautiful train that goes around the entire park. The conductor is a really nice man that runs that thing non stop. I even saw him go with just one passenger! It won't wait for you, you gotta be on the platform! My toddler also loved the carousel which had tiny horses appropriate for his size. There is no petting zoo or pony rides as of Sept 2025! The restrooms are all located at the snack bar. This means that if your party is on the opposite end of the park, you gotta run all the way over! Tip- stay in the playground or carousel area and make your kid go. Or get your steps and cardio in like I did. Lastly, the Paleteros and vendors are in full force here! Support them and bring cash. The facilities were super clean except the men's restrooms but I did see a staff cleaning them half way through our time there. The trash cans have a compost, trash, and recycle components. Party areas have extra regular trash cans. Though the playground is not shaded, there are shaded areas throughout the park. read more

The most amazing park located in Hayward. Shout out to my bro & his family for planning a play sesh with all the little kiddos here. Kennedy Park is large in size, offering tons of fun for the entire family. There is plenty of shade so don't feel stressed in having to find some. Picnic tables are scattered throughout, there are BBQ grills for use, & public restrooms are available. The park is pet friendly and visitors took full advantage of this- there was no shortages of fur babies roaming. Larger picnic areas are available for reservations and there is even a 2hr private event rental providing you with heater/ac, private restrooms, along with tables and chairs. What makes Kennedy Park special are the additional park rides on property. Here you will find a train that will take you all around the park, a teacup ride [which was currently not working], and a carousel. Tickets are to be purchased at the "snack bar" which will set you back $3/ticket. Each person taking part on the rides are required to have a one. Staff operating the rides are pretty great for the most part. You will absolutely come across a person or 2 who is upbeat and friendly. On occasion you will find yourself with a grumpy teen, busy scrolling on his phone. Lmao. The restrooms are fairly clean but during our visit, the soap dispensers were empty. Come well prepared with lots of hand sanitizer just to be on the safe side. 5/5 stars. This place is too bomb to pass up!! The numerous hosted events [birthdays, baby showers, & even a large family reunion] are very evident of that!! Do be advised that alcohol is not permitted on the grounds but other than that.... ENJOY!! I might just look into planning a little event here myself- wink wink. This park was obviously very much enjoyed & highly highly recommended. read more

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Our family recently attended a birthday party at Kennedy Park, we were very impressed! It was our first time at this park, and the features will keep your kids entertained for hours. The park is easily accessible off the 880 in Hayward, near the San Lorenzo/San Leandro border. There is plenty of parking, next to a Target in case you forgot snacks or party supplies in general. They have a large barn area, a carousel, train, and several play areas for kids to play! You can rent one of several covered areas to host an event. There are large grass areas to relax and have a picnic as well. We had such a fun time and want to visit again soon. Let your kids burn off a lot of energy and just soak up some sunshine. It's worth the drive if you're looking for a new park to explore and enjoy some new vibes. read more

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Kennedy Park has to be one of the most popular parks in Hayward!! The remodel of this park is great, there's a huge play area for kids, and they have lots of BBQ places all around this park, and it's set up for multiple large gatherings. They still kept the train here that travels along the outer edge of the park, which is a staple here. They also remodeled the restrooms and parking lot, both are much better now. I've been here numerous times for picnics and BBQs throughout the years, and on the weekends, this place is almost always crowded!! This is probably the best park in Hayward!!! read more

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Nearest Park from home. Safe place to walk around , with family or with your pets. It took a while to renovate the place due to COVID but they did a wonderful job. Reasonable to reserve picnic areas. Friendly maintenance staff. read more

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One of the worst experiences I've ever had in a public park. On Sept 14, 2025 around 11:00 a.m., my 70+ year-old mother went to buy 10 train tickets at Kennedy Park for my 2-year-old. I gave her two $20 bills ($40). The attendant handed her 10 tickets but then shamelessly claimed she had only given $30. Even when another visitor confirmed my mother gave $40, the attendant refused to admit it. This is stealing from a senior citizen in broad daylight, inside a family park that is supposed to represent community values. Absolutely disgraceful. The park is named after President John F. Kennedy, who stood for honesty, public service, and protecting the vulnerable. What happened today is the total opposite: dishonesty, disrespect, and exploitation of the elderly. If management does not review the security footage and address this, it sends the message that cheating visitors is tolerated here. That is unacceptable. Kennedy Park needs to fix this immediately--or risk losing the trust of every family in Hayward. Do better. read more

Pretty popular park so expect decent crowds. They have a train ride that is very popular. Once upon a time they had a petting zoo, and not sure what happened to it. Still a very large park that is great for families. read more

Growing up in San Lorenzo this park was a staple in my childhood. As adults we were left unimpressed. While the park received a nice makeover with plenty of areas to rent for parties, the rest was a bit underwhelming. The toilets didn't flush, multiple stalls out of toilet paper by 3pm, soap was empty, the merry go round has been out of operation since June 15th (according to the sign on the snack window). The teacup ride was closed for nearly 3 hours before opening back up (30 mins before all rides stopped.) The line for the train.. forget about it. We waited and watched 4 cycles of people before our turn, leaving us waiting nearly 40 minutes. The playground was nice but the play structures weren't conducive to the amount of kids clamoring to the one or 2 structures. All in all nice park with nice walking trails. But for a place who just had a "remodel" you'd think the bathrooms and rides would be a little more unkept. read more

I was elated to find this park across the street from a Tesla charging station when I was on a long drive with my toddler. Not only did it have a playhouse, corn maze, and saucer swings, but it also had a railroad around the whole park and a carousel that you could buy tickets for. Plenty to do while we waited for the car to charge before we got back on the road. In fact, I think he's going to be disappointed when he learns that he only gets 30 minutes before our ride is fully juiced and we have to leave. read more

Kennedy Park - Corn maze and playground - Parks Near Me - Hayward, California

Lovely park I'm Hayward. Not the typical natural beauty parks you find in Berkeley but well manicured and maintained. Clean park with lots of amenities. Lots of picnic tables for eating as well as celebrating birthdays and other events. Very cool playground with a farm section which was fun. Thoroughly enjoyed the train ride with the kiddos and the carousel. Tickets only 3 per person which is not too bad. All in all very cool park! read more

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We haven't been here in over 10 years. The remodel is awesome, especially if you have younger kids. A group of us came here on a Saturday morning with a 15-month-old, and we all enjoyed a fun day of activities and picnicking. First, there is plenty of parking at about 10 a.m. There are reservable picnic tables, but also plenty of regular picnic tables, and most were shaded by trees. We had no trouble finding an empty table at lunchtime. As for the activities, there are quite a few play structures, including a dump truck that kids can climb aboard, get behind the steering wheel, or slide down the side. There's also a metal tracker that kids can climb on. There's a barn with two levels of slides to shoot out of. There's also regular swings and hammock swings. So much to do for our little guy. He loved the trucks and swings best. Besides the play structures, on weekends from 11-4, there are 3 rides available: train that goes around the entire park, carousel, and tea cup (2yrs+). The train ride is so much fun for the entire family. There's a section where you go through a barn tunnel that added extra excitement for the little guy. You can purchase tickets at the snack bar at 11:00 a.m. The center line is for tickets only, or you can go in the snack+ticket line but would have to purchase a snack as well (but that line is shorter). Overall, a very fun day. The trick is to come early before it gets too crowded. read more

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Alright folks. This is my second time here w/ the family. If you have kids less than 4 years, you are reading the correct review. There is a decent size parking lot to the park. Refer to my photo. Parking lot A is smaller but you will find PLENTY parking if you drive to the back to parking lot B. If it's full, I see folks parking at Target but park at your own risk of being towed. This is a fun and HUGE park. I wish they separated the toddler play area with the bigger kids. Mixing both creates a pandemonium of children running all over the place. With all that chaos, accidents will happen if you get parents that drop their kids and sit on a log on their phone. Some kids are RUDE and inattentive to anyone else around .... I guess it's expected at a public playground right ? The rides... There are three rides that operate Saturday and Sundays 11:00 - 4:00PM (as of May 2022). A tea cup that spins in circles, a carousel, and a train. The train goes around the entire park (10 minutes). You will need tickets for the rides. A ride cost one ticket per person regardless of age. Each ticket costs three dollars. You can buy them in the snack area. Go to the middle window for tickets only (no cash). You can skip the long line and hit the snack bar window to buy tickets but you have to buy food as well. There are no deals on tickets. 3 bucks per ticket period. That's basically it. Hope you appreciate the crash course. Enjoy and have fun. Your kids will love it. read more

Kennedy Park - Location of parking lots. - Parks Near Me - Hayward, California

Re-opened after renovations, featuring: -kids play area shaped like farm setting -shaded picnic tables and BBQ (reserveable) -Carousel, teacup ride, train ride -snack bar -big parking lot in back Surprised to find how packed it was on Saturday (like Hayward's version of Central Park in Fremont)! Wished there was more shaded non-reservable seating for drop-in's. read more

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I come here to walk my dogs often. The park is spacious, has a playground, carousel, tea pot ride, and even a train ride for the kids. There's a snack bar that's only open on weekends and many tables that you can reserve. read more

The park is pretty big with playground and lots of picnic area. Mostly new and clean. The train lady was not nice at all. She almost forced us to sit at the last row facing backwards. It's very uncomfortable. There were only a few parties waiting and it was not necessary at all. The Tea Cup Ride staff was nice but the ride almost made us puke. The Carousel was not open yet. read more

Ever since they reopened Kennedy Park last year, I have been loving it! This neighborhood park is located right across the street from the target plaza. It's got a lot of fun activities like tea cup rides, a train, a carousel, the playground, a bocce ball court, and even a snack bar. There's also quite a few different picnic areas for parties. There's tons of parking all along golf course road but also there are 2 large lots: behind the park and by the McConaghy house side. And even with all that parking, this park gets PACKED on weekends especially in the warmer months. A lot of people end up parking in the target plaza as well. Oftentimes on the weekends, you'll see an ice cream truck or street fruit vendor setting up shop to sell to the crowd. But mostly, everyone's having their own picnic. Sometimes the animal shelter will set up a booth by the barn and bring puppies that are ready for adoption. Other times there is a free Zumba class being taught under one of the gazebos. So fun to see the community activities! The maintenance team also does a great job of cleaning up after the busy weekends and activities. My favorite time to go is in the morning or during lunch on a weekday. It's hardly crowded and you can easily enjoy a nice stroll (and even catch some Pokémon on Pokémon Go while you're at it - there's so many poke stops and gyms here). Overall, a great park to hang out, walk around, and have a party! (P.S. cheers to my 300th review!) read more

Kennedy park finally opened after almost 3 years, and both my kids, wife, and I agree: the "improvements" are TERRIBLE! I don't know who the heck was hired to design the new playground but where are all the fancy, amazing climbing structures that all newly renovated playgrounds have??? "The farm" is a bunch of playground structures for 1-3 year olds with almost nothing of value for my climb-hungry kids. They seriously took away the 3 different sets of monkey bars with the old play structure to add...a big cow statue?? My kids literally got bored within 10 minutes. Did the designers only have toddlers or kids without an ounce of athleticism in mind when wasting our tax payer dollars on this infantile mess? I am so thoroughly disappointed that we waited years for this sad excuse of a renovation. One of the worst things they changed was that they removed the tennis courts and replaced them with a tiny parking lot! They didn't even add in basketball courts,or anything....just a Bocce ball area (if this gets any use at all, I will be stunned). They could have at least added a Pickleball court or something! The only positives I can give are the upgrades to the grass area that are well maintained (for now) where I can toss around a baseball or football with my boys but that is even dampened by the fact that they totally wasted the area where the petting zoo was. Instead of turning it into more play areas, it is just a useless bunch of bark and plant areas. Even the increased number of picnic tables and eating areas don't have nearly enough bbq grills to accommodate everyone. Terrible terrible... read more

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We went to Kennedy park today, Monday. I was not really impressed. A few slides n swings. The train, carrousel and tea cups were closed. Guessing it is because of the week day. It would be nice for a picnic or space for a bday party, but it was not as exciting as the long awaited wait. read more

Such a clean, cute park. I love that this park is so well maintained. There is restrooms. On the weekends there is a snack bar and rides that run. Plenty of tables and places to eat and hang out. The play area for the kids is adorable. I love the barn theme. The only negative I have is how little the play structure is compared to how large the park is. On the weekends it gets extremely busy. Which means the play area can't handle the amount of kids that want to play on it. Definitely recommend checking this park out! read more

Kennedy Park - Adorable play structures for the kiddos - Parks Near Me - Hayward, California

I've always driven by this park, today I decided to walk around to check it out. It's across target and many other food establishments, there's a Tesla charging station across too. Lots of parking spots around the park. I think this is a newly renovated park, the city did a good job. It has a wide open space, lots of sitting area where there are huge trees to cover you from the sun. It's well kept and clean. I always see birthdays during the weekend and looks more packed. The park has lots of spots where kids can play, swings, slides, there's a teacup and train ride too. read more

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This is one of the best parks in the area for families. Conveniently located off Hesperian and right next to a big Target this park has it all. Train rides, tea cups, and a carousel. Jungle gyms, swings, slides and even a maze just right for 2-4+. A perfect place for your next barbecue or picnic. I suspect the picnic areas need reservations pretty far ahead. The rides start at 11am and generally require a ticket per person. They also have some basic concessions like drinks, hot dogs and candy. We like to hit the Five guys across the street, but I'm partial. read more

Kennedy Park - Parks Near Me - Hayward, California

It's a nice park, open field. City does a lot to keep it clean on the daily. Parties always mess up the park but the staff does their job to get it cleaned up again the following day. It gets super packed over the weekend, when the rides and concession stands are open. Weekdays are the best for walking around and taking your kids to the playground. ******If you have a pet (please clean up after your pets ) Be courteous to everyone who uses the park. Keep in mind that Children run/roll around the fields. ***** read more

Fantastic park for kids birthday parties! So much to do! The train and carousel are a big favorite. Great for families!

This place is cute!! I was here with my 3 1/2 year old and he had a grand time. The rides were great (although slightly overpriced at $3/person, in my opinion). The park is gigantic, with a lot of covered picnic areas, the rides like I said, and some playground equipment. However, for how large the park is, I definitely think they could add more playground equipment in other areas of the park. Also, it's kind of sad that the Hayward Parks Dept signs say you can't fly kites on the property. I wonder why that is. But it's a shame. The playground "barn" is pretty large, but I can see that during very crowded times, there's probably not enough room for all the kids who would want to play. It's also not the best playground for little tots under the age of 3 or so. read more

a review from amom2kidsandapark.com The wait is over! The newly remodeled Kennedy Park in Hayward is open! With The Farm theme present throughout, it's easy to see how this will become a favorite for kiddos of all ages! The playground has a tractor, old-style pick-up truck, "corn maze", swing set, and climbing elements all centered around the large "structure". The tractor has a spot for two little bottoms to sit at the steering wheel as well as a small crawl space where the engine would be. It is a bit tricky to get up to the seat. Don't be confused, the old-style pick-up truck isn't your regular old truck! After walking up the steps to the truck bed, you can either enter the cab to steer the real wheel or go out the back and down the slide. The corn maze is such a great added touch to the farm theme! The swing set has bucket, standard, and hammock-style swings. Various climbing elements are trickled throughout including haystacks, a cow, beanstalks, logs, pumpkins, and a boulder with a saddle (yeehaw!) The central structure is enclosed (like a barn) with multiple levels, steps, and walkways inside leading to the twirly tunnel slide from the top floor or the double straight slide or single straight side from the middle floor. There is a rock-climbing wall on one section of the outside. Other elements that are new to the park include a teacup ride, a bocce ball court, and a lot more covered picnic areas (1-7 are on the McConoghy House side of the park, 8 and 9 are near the train station, 10-18 are along the Target side of the park, 19-23 are closest to the playground. 23 is the closest of these to the bathroom). Elements that remain from the Kennedy Park of the past include the carousel, the train (which travels along the perimeter of the park... no railroad crossing barriers so look both ways, and the petting zoo (although I'm guessing there will be a lot fewer animals since the gated area where we used to pet the goats is gone). There is a very large parking area with entry on Gold Course Rd and Hesperian Blvd or parking on Golf Course Rd. When you enter on Hesperian there is a small parking area near the McConoghy House. Continue driving along the park and youll end at the back side parking area. There are bathrooms (not gender-neutral) and a snack shop both located in the large building by the carousel. Tickets for rides are $3 each one ticket per person per ride. If I'm missing anything please let me know. It was a wet, busy morning. read more

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Just discovered this last month and the kids and adults love it! We've only been here on weekdays so parking has been easy. The kids love the farm theme. The kids love the maze, the tractor, the barn, I mean there's just lots of things to explore with the kids. I wish it had more swings though since that's popular with the kids. I'm not sure when they open the rides but that's a great addition to this park too. I love how there are so many picnic tables. A lot of the tables are well placed under trees so it's shaded. I can imagine it's a good spot to reserve during the summer. Since it's a huge place, there's also a nice open area to run around. I can see this park busy during the summer. read more

Such a fun park! Clean and plenty of picnic space. Beautiful park. Ample parking. Looks like they had teacups, carousel and a train but they were closed when we went during the weekday. read more

Train ride and carousel. $3 a ticket well worth it for the kid to experience. Large playground and tons of picnics area. I assume it requires reservations, great for hosting birthday party. read more

Playground was nice but definitely over crowded, probably because it just re-opened I didn't feel comfortable letting my toddler run around because older kids were too rough, tickets for all the rides were out by the time we got there (2pm), but my bad review os mostly for the concession stand, I bought two strawberry lemonades, vanilla ice cream, popcorn and nachos, They gave me fruit punch instead and tried to play it off as lemonade, their cups didn't have lids, popcorn and ice cream were ok, nachos were broken chips and cheese was all over the place, I paid $30 for everything and was not satisfied with it. read more

Kennedy Park - Parks Near Me - Hayward, California

Kennedy Park is a large open space park. sad to say, everyone in town knows about it and comes here at the same time. (on the weekends) 4 stars is for the concept, 3 for the actual experience. (weekdays are fine). amenities: petting zoo, slides, rides, mini train ride, (most fee based), large grass area (until people show up). not much parking available on weekednds. read more

Very nice park in Hayward with amusement rides for toddlers and a petting zoo. Gets really crowded and the neighborhood isn't the best, but it'a still a good park. read more

Kennedy Park is very nice, however, is always super packed. Pre-teens take advantage of little ones.

The area rented was a great location. The children enjoyed the train ride. The parking was great and convenient from the area that was rented. read more

Always kool to chill here ya diggg Negative 5 stars goes to the park personnel. These folks have no people skills...you would think they would since they have a public job...still always have a great time here read more

Kennedy Park - Parks Near Me - Hayward, California

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We went here on Saturday morning,my daughter loved the park. It is a very family friendly place,I just wish that the rides would run during the weekdays in the summer. read more

no animals lame the food is really nasty especially that dam pretzels didnt have any other food on menu taste the dam food before you just sell it to people. yall probably dont care and just want the money but after a while less and less food sells will be the case. read more

Beautiful park, well maintained, plenty of things for kids to do and plenty of parking. It's close to some eateries, Target which is nice, or Carter's in case they get dirty and need some clothes. Rides cost $ but the concession stand accepts card or cash. I think they used to have animals for a petting zoo but not anymore. read more

The good: After renovation, it seems like equipments are relatively new. It's a pretty decent park. Free parking. Could be good for picnic. The not so good: So many people and so many kids. If your kid is small, be careful not to be overrun by other running around bigger kid. The bad: Was trying to ride the train. There was no sign posted anywhere near the train station that you need to purchase a ticket. At most I thought we could just pay cash to the employee when it's our turn, but no you actually have to go to the snack bar place to purchase the ticket separately (and tickets stop selling by 3pm). I don't mind paying for the ride, but there should be some signs clearly stating where to buy tickets, etc... The ugly: You can't just buy the train tickets alone. You actually have to purchase something either a drink or some food together before you can purchase the ride ticket. It's not like the train ticket is free (about $3 per person if I remember right), but kind of feeling dissatisfied that you have to do a bundle purchase to spend more money. It might be better to do it in reverse way that if you purchase food/drink, that you receive discount on ride ticket price, instead of forcing you to buy food/drink in order to have the right to purchase ticket. read more