Sacramento's Best Parks For Kids

William Land Park

3800 S. Land Park Dr.
Sacramento, Calif. 95821

Known as "Land Park", the best thing about William Land Park is its location. It's in the heart of the city, so it's close, and offers tons of room for kids to run around. Among its attractions, you'll find two lakes and a pond, a fenced-in playground, a wading pool, basketball courts and beautiful gardens to explore.

If more structured play is what you're after, Land Park has that as well. It's home to Fairytale Town, a nursery rhyme-themed playground, the Sacramento Zoo, and Funderland, an amusement park just for little ones.

You may want to avoid visiting the park on Labor Day, Memorial Day and July 4. Finding a parking spot on those days can be tough.

William McKinley Park

601 Alhambra Boulevard
Sacramento, Calif. 95816

Located on the west end of the Fab 40's neighborhood, McKinley Park is a great spot for kids. The main attraction is an amazing playground made all of wood that'll keep kids entertained for hours. It also has tennis courts, a basketball court, swimming and wading pools, a library, and a 1.5-acre rose garden containing over 1,000 plants.

It's also bordered by a jogging path for moms with strollers looking to do more than just stroll.

Southside Park

2115 6th Street
Sacramento, Calif. 95818

This place is a really fun place for kids to play. It has some colorful, unique playground toys that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. It has the usual favorites: a merry-go-round, slides, and swings, but it also has some interesting climbing toys that you have to see to believe. With its obvious alien theme, portions of the park are much as a work of art as it is a play place.

Kids can get down and dirty in the sand play area, which is stocked with good digging toys and more. For the summer months, it also has a swimming pool to help you stay cool. It's fenced in and is in small enough area that moms don't have to chase the kids around, and can spend a little time getting to know other moms.

It's located conveniently close westbound Highway 50.

Capitol Park

10th and L Streets
Sacramento, Calif. 95814

Shrouded in history, this park is a great educational resource. There are several gardens surrounding the park, with exotic trees from around the world. It also features memorials paying tribute to significant contributions and events in the history of the state. It features the a Civil War Memorial Grove with samplings from famous Civil War battlefields, a life-sized statue of Father Junipero Serra, a Catholic missionary sent to help colonize Spain, the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which has bronze life-sized statues of men and women who served in the war, and the California Veteran's Memorial.

While you're there, take in the awe-inspiring architecture of the capitol and see the beautiful rose garden where there's bound to be a wedding or two being photographed. If you have time, also check out the California State Museum.

Bertha Henschel Park

160 45th St.
East Sacramento, Calif.  95819

At 2.5 acres, it's small, but fun. It's nestled in a quaint neighborhood near Sac State University. The park can be pretty packed on weekends, especially on Saturdays during soccer season, with all the kids' games. It features a wading pool, a play area, a tot play area, two basketball courts and picnic areas.

Tahoe Park

3501 59th Street
Sacramento, Calif. 95820

This 19-acre park is located just south of Highway 50 and 59th Street, like most other major city parks, has swimming and wading pools, basketball courts, volleyball courts and a playground. It also has a well-lit walking path around the perimeter, big shade trees and plenty of places to park.

The park lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood, so if you stop to ask for directions, be specific.