Encino Park

Last week the family and I picked up some dinner and headed over to Encino Park! I was let on to this park by a good friend of mine, Shauna! And it is a really cool park! Right off Ventura Blvd this grassy, shady picnic spot is perfect to unwind after a long day of work and just let the kids run around!

Great (looks like newly updated) playground

Pros and Cons

Pros

Public Bathrooms

Gated Playground (No escaping children!)

Lots of Picnic Tables

BBQ 

Clean

Cons

Metered Street Parking Only

From a Parent's perspective this is a great, safe place to park. Just make sure you pay the meter and keep a timer because like all of LA, the meter nazis are on this place. The gated playground is awesome knowing you can just sit back and watch your kids play without fear of them running into a street or wandering off too far.

From a Kid's perspective, what's not to love? I mean, your parents make you sit down and eat dinner while watching all the other kids have fun on the playground, but once you've finished your vegetables you're free to go! The playground is fun, the open grassy field is great for playing tag and kids don't care if there's only an old tire to play with, being outside with mom and dad is where it's at!

Address: Encino, CA 91316 (Across the street from the Stand)

Hours:
5:00 am - 10:00 pm

Johnny Carson Park & The Tonight Show Playground

Today we had a little errand to run in the Burbank Area so we hit up a park we've been to a couple times, the Johnny Carson Park. It's a great little park in the heart of Burbank right off the 134 freeway, next to NBC studios and St. Joseph Hospital. 

There are a lot of huge beautiful trees and green grass to run around, perfect for a soccer or football game or a picnic.  There are public bathrooms are close to the playground, which is always a plus. And there are bridges to explore and play on. There are a lot of people walking their dogs and new exercise equipment for adults plus a great walking/running path. 

Tiny little creek...but we wouldn't get in. Who knows where that water comes from...

Cool bridge to explore and play on!

Photo by Indie

Photo by Zoe

Decent Bathrooms...always a plus!

Peary!

Pros and Cons

Pros
Open fields to run and play.
Clean bathrooms
Old vintage playground.
Not crowded at all
Safe area

Cons

No shade over playground

Slides are a little high from sand

Freeway close by is noisy!

Parent's Perspective

Great places to sit down in the shade and watch your kids play in the hot sun. Totally safe, not very many people on a weekday and a fun playground!

Kid's Perspective

Who cares if the playground is old? It's awesome! Plus it's different than most the other playgrounds we've visited so far so that's a big plus. Not very many people around during the weekday so kids feel like they OWN the playground!

Address:

Johnny Carson Park
Burbank, CA 91505

Cheers!
-marc, zoe and indie

Anthony C. Beilenson Park AKA Balboa Park

We packed our backpack full of snacks, sprayed our sunscreen and hit the road to Balboa Park today. We love this park and frequent it often. Bike rides, runs, picnics, a couple birthday parties, you name it, we've done it all here.

Beautiful scenery! 

Seems there is always 1 bathroom out of order. And they are tiny!

Beautiful grounds. We do photoshoots here all the time! 

This ice-cream truck is ALWAYS here!

Pros and Cons

Pros
Huge Park!
Lots of picnic and BBQ Areas
"Big kids" playground and "Little kids" playground
Close Bathrooms
Lots of parking
Extra activities like biking, fishing, walking, ect.

Cons
Bathrooms are small and kinda gross with outdoor hand washing stations
Really busy on weekends
A little shade here and there but 50% of playground is not shaded.

Parents Perspective
It's great! Lots of parking, it feels completely safe (unless you're walking with a small child next to the lake and fear they will fall in!). There is a sensory wall in between playgrounds for the little ones and shady trees.

Kid's Perspective
What's not to love? Tons of swings, ducks, planes flying overhead is a major plus.

Address: 6300 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91316


Hours:
Sunrise to Sunset Daily

Phone: (818)756-9743

Cheers!
-marc