Sometimes our adventures are ambitious.
Sometimes our adventures are just to get out of the house and enjoy some of the Southern California fall sunshine. Last week this Mom wanted a quiet family day with her toddler without tickets, parking stress, or crowds. So we packed up in the car with snacks and drove to the Alga Norte Community Park in Carlsbad.
The Alga Norte Community Park is a perfect destination for a low key adventure with kids or pups in tow.
The park is tucked away in a residential pocket of Carlsbad. Although there is a lot of construction happening in the area the park is removed from it and is isolated from the constant buzz of the freeway. It is a calm little oasis. Parking is ample and free. There are multiple areas for the community to enjoy: a sprawling playground, a nearby but removed skateboard park, a dog park, aquatic center, and multipurpose sports field. Our destination was the sprawling play ground.
The playground sits atop soft sand pits that are surrounded by rubberized playground surfacing. There are two large play structures: one for smaller kids and one for bigger kids. One of my favorite features of this park is there are shade sails above the play structures and nearby picnic tables. Coastal southern California is a very sunny place but it is rare to find a playground with built-in shade cover. Another bonus is thereĀ are public bathrooms at the park right next to the playground.
If you need an easy destination for your kids to burn off some energy or meet friends for a low-key playdate this is your spot! There was only a handful of people there on a recent fall weekday morning we went. It is more crowded on the weekend.
Milmomtip: bring sand toys! The clean and soft sand under the play structures is great for sandy play. Also brings snacks, water and coffee (if you need it). We did not see any vending machines and there is nowhere to grab coffee, food, or snacks without getting back in your car to drive.
