• Location: 1325 Portland Ave. Albany, Ca 94706

• Phone: 510-524-9283

• Website: http://www.albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=588

• Pricing: Free

• Hours: Dawn till Dusk

 

Description: Memorial Park in Albany is a great park for children of all ages! There is a sectioned off and gated baby/toddler section, which is nice to keep younger children from getting ran over by the older kids at the park. The baby/toddler section has baby swings, a smaller play structure with little slides and steps, and benches for parents to sit down- it also has some much needed shade for your younger family member. The main part of the playground is big with many more challenging activities for older children. The structure has many smaller slides, monkey bars, different ways to climb up, and most of all the grand winding slide at the very top. It is a giant curling slide at the tip top which takes you many, many feet back down. It took my daughter a few years to muster up the courage to go on this slide by herself. But once she did you couldn't stop her from riding it ten times in a row! There is also a swing set and a challenging climbing wall. There are many paved paths to ride bikes or scoot around, including a somewhat inclined hill that will have children going up and down again and again. There are also picnic benches to sit on for a bite to eat or that can be rented for birthday parties. Also Memorial Park has basketball courts, a baseball diamond, a sectioned off dog run, and it is located right next to Albany High School swimming pool which offers family swim time on weekends.

 

Highlights: One of the best parts is the ambiance of the park. The park (not the bathrooms) is always very clean, inviting, and family friendly. There are lawns of rolling grass everywhere and multiple families are always playing some game of ball, chase, or frisbee toss on the grass. Certain areas of the lawn are shaded and make for a nice picnic spot. It truly feels like what a park should be.

 

Tips: Bring your child's bike or scooter- there is lots of paved paths for rolling around. Also bring hats and sunscreen- the park can get hot! Lastly bring hand sanitizer! As nice as the park is, the bathrooms are not up to par.