Adventure Playground - Berkeley, California

Janai West

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.

Clarkkkentwearsglasses

Super chill place. The playground is great for family and kids. Safe area and the police station is around the corner.

Down the hill there is a secret beach to use kayaks or paddle boards. Very scenic place for water sports like paddle boarding.

Randie Bradley

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.

Sarah Elbeck

Not sure why it's taken us so long to come here. Both kids loved this playground so much that it was hard to pull them away. The little one loved crawling around in the dirt & the 6 year old loved the Zipline, a bit of hammering & all the hideouts. It was recommended that we bring snacks but neither kid wanted to stop playing long enough to clean up a bit and step out of the park. Eating before going worked best the second time we went. Have fun & enjoy all the dirt/ dust/ paint!

Hannah Mrvichin

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.

Nathan Pierce

When I was a kid we somehow had wood around and built some amazing forts: underground forts, aboveground forts, 3-story forts, forts in the creek, and forts in the trees. Probably the older kids did most of the heavy labor. I remember getting chances at the hammer and saw and moving around some seemingly hefty lumber. Somehow, the structures ended up being sound enough to hold our weight. Some stood the test of several years. We laughed and played in those forts. Some among us, ran and hid in those forts. We knew how to carry plywood and boards. We knew how to swing a hammer and use a saw. Now I live in the city and I guess kids here don’t get those kinds of experiences. But thanks to Adventure Playground kids DO get chances to hammer nails and saw wood. They’re allowed to build or destroy things, mostly with wood. Play structures already exist with ample possibilities for climbing and crawling, over and under, and such. We’re not allow to cut like, major support beams, but seems like we’re allowed to add on or remodel to our heart’s content. To get a tool, you gotta minimally help clean up by finding, for example, 5 nails. And tools are limited in quantity, so you kinda have to wait your turn, but they have hammers and saws, paint and brushes, aprons, and fun getting-dirty and building-muscles kinda toys. There’s also a zipline! It’s FREE! ! !

If you choose to give a thumbs-up or not, I hope you found my review helpful!

Sunny Lee

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.

Julia Gidwani

Keep an eye on your kids and let them go wild with ? Rules: sign a waiver, find five rusty nails, or pieces of trash, and you can exchange it in for a tool or paint. You are allowed five nails at a time. This place my only be open on weekends and you must chaperone your children. Pro tip: watch out for wet paint on any part of the playground because there are no rules- you can paint ANYTHING! Also wear clothes you don’t mind getting suuuper dirty. A really different kind of playground experience. Sometimes I wonder how this place exists with so many rules these days… so it’s a treasure!