Came here on a Saturday morning around 11am. Tickets for train and carousel is $5 per person and…read morefree for kids 2 and under. The train ride is less than 10 minutes with no cover so we brought our hats. It's a quick ride and you pass by the parking lot and a park. My girls enjoyed it. After we played by the nearby park. There is a bathroom close to the train ticket booth and lots of tables to enjoy a snack or even lunch. They were just starting the grill to cook the food for lunch but our girls were hungry so we left to get food elsewhere.

A fun family outing on a nice, sunny day. Train ride tickets are $5 each and the train ride itself…read moretakes you on a loop through the Vasona County Park. Very relaxing ride that takes about 10 minutes. All seats are uncovered so make sure to bring your hat or sunscreen. Right next to the train is an antique carousel, tickets are also $5 per person. The ride lasts relatively longer than the average carousel ride so I feel like you get your money's worth. Billy Jones Railroad is located within a larger park so there are several playgrounds and lots of open, grassy picnic areas or picnic tables to enjoy some lunch or snacks outside.

Never seen a more lovingly restored and authentic carousel with real horsetail hair on the carousel…read morehorses and 3 massive Wurlitzer music machines. It was so amazing to dissect all the different levels of instruments, drums and animated angels playing bells. Everything from the music machines and the carousel itself looked sparkling new. I admire and respect the work that went into restoring and maintaining these working historical artifacts. Of course, simply taking a smiling ride is the pure pleasure of such a carousel.

Nothing says Santa Cruz to me more than this old fashioned caroused! My love of amusement parks…read morestarted on this carousel as a toddler and 45 years later, I enjoy it as much now as I did then. Riding the carousel and grabbing the rings to throw in the clown's mouth is one of the boardwalk highlights for me not only because I grew up doing it, but also because I continued the tradition with my son.

Monterey Bay is always a nice getaway. Love the wharf, even if it's touristy, but I like that vibe…read more The shops are cute to browse and get souvenirs and gifts, it's never crowded, the views are incredible, you can spot some Marine life. It has an old-school vibe which is more than OK with me. Not a lot to do, but it can be a good stop on a road trip or you can kill time if you spend the night in town.

The views are nice of the Monterey Bay and the boat harbor. Otherwise, the wharf area has become a…read morevery touristy / borderline junky collection of souvenir shops, plus a few restaurants hanging on. It feels like an area that's trying too hard to get attention and extract dollars from visitors. Dear Hubby and I normally wouldn't be visiting the wharf when in the area. Especially because I have a dear friend who lives in Carmel and knows all the best places to go from a local's perspective. We rolled in to town just as the sun was setting, and we wanted to get something simple and have a view of the water. I had Googled "clam chowder, water view" and there was a listing for the Grotto, and it was close to our hotel, so off we went. I hadn't been to the wharf in probably twenty years, and I was surprised at the transformation. I remember it as being more of a place to find / buy freshly caught fish, with a few restaurants serving tasty seafood dishes. It was more about buying and enjoying food, with only a few options for other kinds of shopping. Now it's about all the kitschy shops full of forgettable souvenirs that line the foot of the wharf. There were a number of families walking around with young kids begging and pleading for their parents to buy them stuff they didn't need. We did end up having a good meal, and the weather was pleasant with no wind or fog. That made enjoying the views out over the Bay and the boat harbor very pleasant. Paid parking is required until 8 p.m., seven days a week. I think it was $1.25 an hour. There are pay stations readily available to use with a credit / debit card to pre-pay for parking.

If you're in the Carmel/Monterey area with kids, you have to stop here. It's a total hidden gem…read more There are so many wonderful play structures that kept our kids (ages 2 and up) entertained for hours--everything from the suspension bridge to the hedge maze and the classic steam engine. The park is also very well-maintained and clean, which isn't always a guarantee with public playgrounds. It's the perfect place to let the kids burn off some energy in a safe, fun environment. Highly recommend!

PLEASE place updated schedule on website/Yelp!!!!!…read more Went on a Tuesday and it was closed. Other than the aquarium this was the main reason we chose to come to Monterey and stayed an extra night just to have the day to visit the park. Lucky (I guess) I saw a worker and asked why it was closed. He said if kids are in school, then Tuesdays is when they close for maintenance.

Carousel Columbia the first thing you see when entering Great America. How can you come to the park…read moreand not ride the carousel. Pick your horse or a bench sit down and enjoy the view. They even have a leopard horse and if you know, you know. Fun for all agents and a seat for everyone.

It's a classic. I prefer the upper deck where all the horses go up and down. Sometimes it's really…read moredifficult if you have shorter legs to get on the horses that are in the fully up position.

Went on a trail walk and ended up at this park to eat the snacks and e brought with us. It was a…read moreMonday afternoon, so it was pretty quiet. We sat closer to the bathrooms, so far enough away from the playground. If you're going to sit on the grass just be careful about not sitting in geese poop. They have several areas where they keep picnic tables. You might just want to bring a wet rag or something to clean off the space. If you're looking for entertainment for the kids, you can take a mini train ride throughout the park. On weekends they have the snack bar open. They sell candy, soda pop, hamburgers and hot dogs. Never had anything there but in case you came to the park and decided to stay a little longer, then there's food available. They keep the park relatively clean. Plenty of garbage cans so no littering. There's a beautiful creek that is close to the park.

My only complaint about Oak Meadow is the parking situation is super tricky! The lot is way too…read moresmall for such a big and wonderful park! Other than that, the carousel and train are so much fun and I can't say enough good things about the staff that work tirelessly here on weekends! I had my kid's birthday party here and it was so much fun. The only downside was parking was difficult for guests and our magician. I had to haul ass to the parking lot multiple times to help with parking and it was a bummer. But I will love this park forever.

Old time Beautifully maintained Carousel. $2.50 for adults and $1 for children. Ride is long enough…read moreto enjoy and has traditional music. The attendant was nice and interactive.

Beautiful, charming, affordable. A must do if you're with children in GG park. The only con…read more is that there is really only one spot to take a pic. We will be back! P.S. don't get discouraged by the long line in the area-it's for a coffee/food stand

Sunday, April 6, 2025: The birthday girl (Jenbert Jr. 2 will be three on April 10) and her big…read moresister attended the Breakfast with the Easter Bunny event. For us, the $100 was well-spent on one adult and two children. The event started with the Easter Bunny greeting every attendee and handing children a basket for the egg hunt. Breakfast included pastries, pancakes, bacon, sausage patties, scrambled eggs, and nearly every non-alcoholic breakfast/brunch drink under the sun. All attendees got unlimited Merry-go-round rides, which continued even after the event ended at 11am and the Merry-go-round opened to the public. Jenbert Jr. 2 loved the Merry-go-round and didn't want to get off-- and since she was unlimited, she didn't have to! The Easter egg hunt was very well-organized, with lots of eggs for even wobbly toddlers to find. The employees were good about making sure that there were lots of eggs for everyone. Jenbert Jr. 1 & 2 are still raving over the goodies that were in their baskets. Finally, there were a bunch of fun Easter-themed inflatables with bunnies, chicks, and even a Scooby-Doo with Bunny ears and a carrot! And let's not forget about the photo-op with the Easter Bunny! I'd bring back JJ1 & JJ2 next year, it was money well-spent and a very well-put-together event.

Super cute classic merry go round…read more I'm so glad we came here The Littles had a blast Tickets are $4 Last ride is at 5pm Definitely a must do

Back in the mid-80's, my younger brother and I had a bit of cabin fever, and decided to walk from…read moreour grandparents' central Watsonville home, up to Mount Madonna park. We made it about 2/3rds of the way up the winding, two lane road before a passing motorist stopped for us. The driver told us to pile into the bed of his pickup truck, then shortly after dropped us off at the park. My brother and I briefly explored the park, but dusk was approaching. Back in the days when there were public pay phones aplenty, we used a dime (or perhaps a quarter) to telephone our grandparents to ask for a car ride back down the mountain. In our youthful minds, it was just a little adventure, but our grandparents spoke of it for years afterwards.

On a warm Sat at the end of Feb, I hiked with 2 friends on an 8 miles, 700 ft elevation gain,…read moreSprig, Merry-Go-Round, and Tan Oak Loop. Paid $6, parked at the Amphitheater at 9am. Headed over to the ruins of Miller's Mansion. The forest grove sure was pretty and tranquil. The lake was nice but far away. Saw some benches carved out of huge logs, very cute. Too bad we missed the white deer pen. We completed the hike exactly at noon, 3 hours hike.