Adventure Playground

Always a great place to take my family. My daughter looks forward to the rock climbing walls

I would give this 10 stars. I can’t believe it only has a 4 star overall rating right now!
This place is what childhood dreams are made of! Giant muddy water pits, rafts, giant tire ziplines, and an area where kids can learn how to use tools and let their imaginations go crazy trying to build things with their own hands!
I went here a lot as a kid. It was some of the best times. Go here and have an awesome time!

Upon arriving for the first time I almost turned around and left. It’s pretty small, the «waterside» wasn’t open and the rope bridge was gone and the forts they can build were really kinda stupid (its just a few raised platforms the kids bang hammers on). THEN, my daughter went to do the rafts. which I would imagine as a kid would be really fun. I then learned they open the waterslide every 30 minutes, for 30 minutes. Once they opened the waterslide I was sold. Now, let me warn you… it’s not much of a slide. The kids have to scoot their bums down the tarp, however, the smiles on all the kids faces once they came splatting into the little water pond at the bottom was priceless. Every kid was having a blast and for $ 3, it was totally worth it. I will definately be going back for years to come.

We’ve only been to one other Adventure Playground, the one in Seattle, and so I don’t have a lot to compare this one to. That said, there seem to be an awful lot of rules and restrictions for an «Adventure Playground». Kids under 7 need to be hovered over, kids under nine can’t work on one tree house, no climbing the trees, rafting is timed and when the time is over kids have to get off the rafts and walk out of the pond. The thing that kind of put me over was one guy with a bullhorn yelling at everyone to stop running.
To be fair, we came on the very last day of the summer season, so I’m not surprised the staff seemed burned out. I am surprised they didn’t make me sign a waiver, which might have helped ease some of the rules, but whatever. My kids are 6 and 10, and both seemed to have a fun time for a couple of hours.
I like the idea of this place, and we’d be willing to give it another shot. I’d come with a larger group, because the building is more fun with more minds and hands collaborating. My son says he’d war his swimsuit and rash guard next time, because he was uncomfortable once he got wet in the pond.

So much fun! This place is a boys paradise! My son is 7 and had an amazing time with his friends. He loved rafting and was obsessed with the mud slide. With a price of $ 3 per child and adults free you can’t beat it! My 12 month old daughter had fun too playing in the sand and watching all the action.

Love this place! The kids (5 and 8 years) had a blast! Make sure they wear clothing that can get wet, the mud slide gets them soaked.

We finally visited the Adventure Playground Park (aka: Mud Park) in Huntington Beach (video below). You can’t beat this sort of fun for just $ 3 per kid! A hidden gem to the right of the Central Library, up a sprawling hill with a cemented path that should be painted like ‘the yellow brick road’ (seriously, so people can find the place).
The Mud Park is only open during the Summer and owned by the city. In fact, there is limited information about the park for the exception of the city’s’ website, Unilocal reviews and a few blogs. Right off the bat, map the address for directions and park in the Central Library’s lot. What’s awesome about the parking (besides being free) is that it’s shaded by solar panels, which will keep your car cooler. You can even fit a small RV in there if you wanted to.
DETAILS:
— Open ONLY mid to late June through the end of August | Mon-​sat 10am — 4pm.
— $ 3 per child (adults 16 and up are free and children under 5).
— Suggested age is 5 – 12 (I think for independent play), but okay for smaller kids ages 3 – 4
— Participants MUST wear closed toe shoes! No water shoes.
— There are no lockers.
The Nitty Gritty | What to expect, what to take.
WHAT TO EXPERIENCE:
— A dirt mud park! Simple as that. There is nothing fancy about this place so
— leave your good shoes at home.
— Muddy/​dirty water. Leave the goggles at home!
— Mud Slide with muddy water pit. Its just cool.
— Pallet Rafts to stand on and navigate with a pole.
— Obstacle Rope Bridge (closed for repairs this Summer-​15′).
— A construction area with Tree Houses/​Forts to build on with lots of wood, hammers, nails, and saws which are regulated by staff.
— Large Sandbox for the wee ones.
— Small play area with huge tires to climb on and a chain link web to climb on.
— Shoe co-​op in the case you want to save your shoes from getting dirty.
— Some tables are available if you can snag one.
— Plenty of trees, but be ready to share the shade.
— Outdoor showers (only two small ones that are good enough to rinse off).
— Porta Potties. Pee before you go.
— Roofless outdoor changing shacks (don’t worry, no one can see you!)
— No running! I guess it’s a liability thing? It’s not okay to run but it’s okay to handle a saw and hammer! ;-)
WHAT TO TAKE:
— Bring cash or check (No credit cards accepted) to pay entrance fee and for snacks/​drinks.
— A change of clothing when you’re done.
— Wear clothing/​shoes you are willing to get filthy. You can wear a bathing suit.
— Trash bag to hold dirty clothes.
— Sunblock, hat and towel.
— A chair to kick back and relax on.
— Sand toys/​bucket for your smaller kids.
— Nails! Smuggle in some good wood nails if you want to keep your kids busy building. They only give you 3 nails to start with and you must earn more nails by picking up trash or returning bent nails.
You have to experience the Adventure Playground at least once if you are a SoCal native. The place is conducive to old fashion constructive play and will stimulate critical thinking skills. Need convincing? See our video. Our group of kids had a blast and can’t wait to go back. Great for Scouts and youth groups.
VIDEO:

Took my kids (11, 10 & 7) to Adventure Playground today. It was ok, not great. The rope is closed for improvements which left 3 options. The mud slide (which was also closed for a large portion of our play time there), the pond and forts (building area). It was crowded so we did more waiting than playing and one of the employees was rude and short with my 7 year old (he didn’t realize I walked up behind him) for something she had no control over, which put a damper on both her and my experience. Probably won’t return.

MUD n Dirty Water to Raft on… Huge Hose Driven Mud Slide into Epic Mud Pit… Tree Houses… with wood Planks… Hammers and Nails to build n Bang on… my son loves it… and it’s almost free @ $ 3.00 — FREE Awsome shoe coop no need to ruin your own shoes!
Tip: I BRING TWO BIG BLACK TRASH BAGs…
ONE — TO BAG HIS DIRTY CLOTHES.
TWO — TO SIT ON AND NOT MUDDY UP THE CAR! :)

OMG I went as a kid so great it wish they made one for adults love love love

I took my boys, ages 6 and 8, and a friend with her son, aged 6, to Adventure Playground today and it was fun but not the marvelous experience I was hoping for. My initial impression was that it was small. There is a building area, a mud slide, rafts, a rope bridge and a sandbox area. The kids spent most of their time in the sandbox.
The building area is a neat concept with a huge pile of wood and a lady handing out nails, hammers and saws, if you are old enough. The mud slide is literally a piece of plastic on the side of a dirt hill, with an employee spraying a hose down the slide. The simplicity of it was kind of fun and I had no issue with it.
The kids participated in each activity a few times then spent the rest of the time in the sandbox. We spent almost 3 hours there and that was more than enough time. I honestly don’t think we will make the over 1 hour drive down again, but I’m glad we experienced it.

The nickname for this place is mud park. Thats because its dirty and muddy and don’t come if you’re expecting to find anything clean. Thats the point of this park. The restrooms are portapottys, the changing rooms are just outdoor shacks. There is nothing fancy here so don’t come if you are offended by dirt, lol. This place is great for kids (and adults who like good old fashioned play). There is a construction area with lots of wood, hammers, nails, saws which are regulated by staff. They even have special stuff for the younger kids. There is a mud slide that is very popular and kids line up for it. It is a small hill with a small ditch carved into it and covered with plastic and a dirty pool at the bottom. The staff spray it with water to make it easier for the kids to slide down. The pool at the bottom is surprisingly deep. There is a pond where the kids can stand on rafts and use poles to guide themselves around. This was most popular with my kids, especially my 3-​year-​old. There is a rope bridge that crosses the pond too. There is also a small sand pit (don’t need to bring your sand toys, there were plenty already in there). And a small play area with huge tires to climb on and a chain web like thing to climb. I came with a group of all ages up to 11, and this place was great for all, although my 3-​year-​old was less excited about it than everyone else. Smaller kids like him will need parent supervision, but older kids are okay to go off on their own. while parents sit at one of the benches (or bring your own chairs/​blankets and snag a spot in the grass). There is shade. You must wear shoes but we brought sandals to change into after, and I brought a squirt bottle and wipes to clean up with after we were done (we also brought towels, change of clothes, and lunch). There is NO RUNNING which I thought was strange, but they are very particular about this. Great staff, great fun, worth the $ 3 admission. Only open during the summer!

How can anyone complain? It’s free parking, adults are free and kids are $ 3! Adults can read a book, call a friend or just watch your kid get dirty!

Came here for the first time, ready to be wet and dirty. We prepared all the towel, extra shoes, clothes to make sure we would be ok after all the fun time. We had a great time!

A hidden gem where you kids can be kids! Three hours of playing and we had to drag our kids out of there. Ages 4−9…and ALL of them had an incredible time. Get ready to get muddy and have a blast at Adventure Playground.

We had a great time getting wet and dirty. It is a mud park, so do not expect to be clean. We spent about 2 hours there and the kids were tired. We ate a picnic lunch at the park next door and went home for rest. Make sure to read the tips posted by some of the Unilocalers. I am so glad I was prepared.

Best kept secret for cheap summer fun! This place is almost how I remembered it as a child, except no rope or tire swing. (Hence only 4 stars) It was very cool bringing my six year old here, she had a blast. We were there about 2 and a half hours, could’ve stayed longer but she was starting to get hungry and they only have snacks/​candy for purchase. Very well supervised! The staff is mostly young, but they are on top of it. If your child is not on their raft or not following the rules, they will be warned with a bullhorn. The staff has eyes in the back of their head. It was very crowded with summer camp kids when we got there at noon, but by 2:30, much of the camp kids had gone and hardly any wait for the rafts. My advice-​go after lunch when its less crowded. I agree the port a potties leave a lot to be desired, but this place is open less than three months out of the year, I hardly expect them to put in nice working bathrooms with plumbing. Just use the park bathrooms or the ones at the library if you want that fresher experience. While they don’t have sinks, there IS an outdoor shower to rinse off in. I had my daughter wash her hands in that and I also bring travel baby wipes in my bag wherever we go. Do not forget a change of clothes or at least a towel. Your child WILL get wet, your child WILL get dirty and it WILL be awesomely fun!

I think it’s funny that there are reviews complaining about the pond being dirty! It’s a pond in a mud park… are you serious?! Have you ever seen a clean pond in a mud park? It’s not a pool!
Anyway, ridiculously awesome fun for 3 bucks! No matter how much we wish we were that fun parent who lets our kids have wild fun, in reality we really don’t let our kids go jump in the mud like they want to. Well, here you do! The mud slide alone is worth the $ 3!
The building area is cool! My family is full of carpenters but they all live out of state. So my little beach bunny rarely gets to do tuff mcgruff stuff like that. She enjoyed getting to play in this area!
Tips:
Wear tennis shoes, an old worn out pair
Wear an old bathing suit or clothes that won’t add too much bulk when they get wet
Bring a lawn chair for yourself!
Bring a drink for the kids
Bring a old towel
Bring a change of clothes
Bring a bag to put the wet stuff in

Place was okay. Kids had mild fun, staff nice, place gross. Not sure why they have all this wood and tools, yet nobody built a restrooms only disgusting potter potties. No hand washing area. Tip walk to the public Library and use those restrooms or pee in the mud pond like all the other kids.

Adventure Playground has been around for as long as I can remember. I visited several times as a kid in the 80s. It looks exactly the same today, I appreciate that.
Admission is $ 3 per child, adults are free. The staff consists of a few teenagers (who do an excellent job supervising!) and a man, all city employees. They have their act together, making sure every child and their parent hears the rules before going off to play. They do a really good job managing and running this place.
There’s a rope bridge, a tire zip line, a mud slide, some «rafts», and a tree house building area. It’s not a very large place but it should keep elementary school age kids busy for a few hours. The boys from our group were completely entertained in the tree house area the whole 3 hours.
The only bad: there’s no real bathrooms or hand washing stations here. Their «office» is operated out of an old shed/​shipping container so it’s not really a permanent place with running water or electricity. They’ve brought in port-​a-​potties (ughhhh) so it’s better than nothing, but be prepared.
They have canned sodas, snacks, candy, and other items for sale (camera, batteries, towel rental) at kid-​friendly prices. I’m kinda obsessed with these fruit shaped bubble necklaces they sell for $ 1 each. I refuse to fully grow up haha.
Adventure Playground is a fun and affordable summertime outing for kids. I’m glad the city has kept it going all these years.