Adventure Playground

Playground · Marina

Adventure Playground

Playground · Marina

160 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710

Highlights

160 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710 Get directions

berkeleyca.gov

@atlasobscura

"Berkeley’s Adventure Playground opened in 1979 and still has that old ’70s feeling, where kids run free and let their creative impulses go wild. Painted wooden shacks and other ramshackle structures are scattered all about, all built by children. A large rope net and odd discarded industrial pieces (old tires, giant pipes and the like) invite climbing and crawling and hiding. The always-popular zipline sends kids hurtling straight into a big pile of sand. Adult supervision is minimal. The staff provides a bit of guidance if needed, and makes sure the park is basically safe, but children are given the freedom to experiment and take small risks. By helping with a bit of cleanup, kids may earn hammers, saws, or paint; scraps of wood are always accessible. It can be a little unnerving to see a small child wielding a saw, or happily rolling downhill inside a plastic barrel, but giving children the space to take these kinds of risks is the purpose of the park. The adventure playground concept originated with Danish landscape architect C. Th. Sorensen in 1931 (his term was “Junk Playground”), and the first one opened in 1943 in Emdrup, Denmark, near Copenhagen. The idea spread slowly across Europe and beyond; today there are approximately 1,000 adventure playgrounds worldwide (mostly in Europe). The United States has just one other permanent adventure playground, in Huntington Beach, CA. Berkeley’s playground is located right next to the Berkeley Marina on San Francisco Bay, and has views of the bay and the surrounding metropolitan area." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

30 Curious Corners in California

View Postcard for Adventure Playground

Carol Archer

Google

Wonderful playground that offers a unique experience for kids. Must sign a waver before entering and most definitely monitor your children. The playground offers free donated wood to build with, tools - hammers and hand saws- nails, hinges, and water based paints. In order to acquire hand tools kids must use a magnet on a string to find lost nails or pick up trash. The playground has been constructed with donated lumber. The kids use their imaginations to build something. They can also add onto existing infrastructures and paint their projects. The playground inspects all new additions daily to assess any public safety issues. The playground is a close walk to ample parking and the view of the bay is stunning! Kids love this place!!

Janai West

Google

Something for everyone here. Kids use powerful magnets on a string to collect discarded nails, then turn them in for a tool (hammer/saw). It's equal parts a fun place to play and imagination wonderland. Kids can nail or saw anything they would like. The saws are pretty dull, so they are really hard for kids to use. The ziplone is for ages 6 and up. It's fun. Parents must accompany any kids under 18 and sign a liability waiver at the entrance. The entrance is free. There are public restrooms and a playground right next door. Great place to pack a lunch and spend the day.

Christina Nance

Google

Adventure playground is an awesome place to play and let your kiddos explore my son has been coming since he was 2 along side his older sisters. Now that he is 8 , he really enjoys building and adding on to the playground. The adventure usually last anywhere from 2-4 hours. We usually take a break at the park next door, eat and return to adventure playground.

Sunny Lee

Google

My kids' favorite place in Berkeley. They could spend good 3-4 hours easily here. They keep themselves very busy with building forts with boards and also hammering away. Great way to be creative with building materials. A little bit of supervising for safety (using nails and hammers), it's a great place for kids to experiment. The zipline there is an icing on the cake! All the staffs & volunteers I've met are so friendly and dedicated. I've noticed that they were always very patient with kids. This is one of those places that I would recommend to visit and experience while visiting SF bay area with kids in age of 6 to 13. It's now much harder to find this sort of kids playground in US.

Randie Bradley

Google

There are two parks next to each other. One is a good park for 5 to 8 year olds. There is also a fun park for older kids that is like the Peter Pan and Lost Boys. Hands made with wood and arts and craft areas for kids to make things or contribute to the area. There are several tree house-type structures and a zip line for kids 6 and up. Great fun for FREE. Donations are accepted.

Hannah Mrvichin

Google

This was my kids’ absolute favorite place to visit on our trip to Berkeley. It has something for every interest. Whether they are into construction and building, art, music, climbing challenges, treasure hunting, exploring, hide and seek, or even sitting quietly in a secluded spot, Adventure Playground offers it and more. While the zip line was an obvious favorite, there were so many other areas to play and explore that it wasn’t even listed as the best thing according to my kids. One loved the construction challenge and the other enjoyed pretend play and the slides in the large forts. It was actually so enjoyable that my kids asked to go back the next day because they hadn’t had enough of it. Even by the end of the second day, one of my kids commented that she hadn’t gotten to do everything. This is the type of place you could return to every week and find something new to discover each time. A must do in Berkeley for adventurous kids.

Sakin Shrestha

Google

Really awesome experience going to Adventure Playgroud with my 6 years old boy. He use magnetic tools to find the nails, use hammer and other tools, then also work on paints. There is also an amazing zip line and we were lucky as it was for 6 years and old. The small boat in the middle looks fun and he enjoying it. The old piano was awesome addition for music. Everything here is rusty and old but very unique experience and the place is also really cool and friendly.

V Tancredi

Google

Very creative and unique free play area at the Berkeley Marina. Free parking nearby as well as a conventional playground next door. Kids and adults can paint and hammer and build add-ons to the play structures. There's a zip line and numerous castles. You can pick up pails with tools at the front of the place. There are staff members to help organize things. People are allowed in in groups every hour or so. Heads up though there can be nails and pieces of wood around since the whole idea of the place is to construct and be creative. So keep an eye on your kids as they go to the most creative playground I've seen.