Sweet Shade Neighborhood Park

Like most parks in Irvine, this is a beautifully landscaped park, with two kids playgrounds.
The toddler playground has baby swings and a large sandy area. The second playground is more for the older kids. The park also offers 2 basket ball courts and a large grassy area with sidewalk for jogging or talking a relaxing stroll.

«Whether it’s the suburbs or the city, chances are there are plenty of neighborhoods your kids don’t know very well. By making it a point to visit new neighborhood parks throughout the city/​town you live in can help introduce your kids to other parts of their hometown that they may not get to visit very often.»
From:
My nephew and niece love parks. It has been an adventure for us to visit different neighborhood parks just to see what’s out there… as the saying goes «…right in our back yard.» I made a point to Google local parks not just in their city, but in neighboring cities in all four directions. As a result, those two are pretty much playground connoisseurs now. I chuckle to myself when I hear my nephew rating them. «Oh Auntie. I don’t like this one. There aren’t enough slides.» Or, «This one is small, but it has plenty of stuff to climb on!» And, «Oh. This one is boring. And there isn’t enough shade.» Future Unilocaler right there, I tell you.
Sweet Shade is probably the nicest surprise we have ever gotten when visiting a park. As we pulled into the parking lot, I heard, «Oh WHOA!» and «COOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!» coming from my back seat. This place is a wonderland for kids. This whimsical playground has the most unique equipment I’ve ever seen, is well maintained, and has plenty of shade. There is a community center with clean restrooms, and a huge field nearby that I assume is used for various team sports such as soccer and football.
See playground here. (playground connoisseurs attached lol):
If you have any little ones in your lives, tell them that you’re going to take them to the park, but don’t give them any details. They may roll their eyes and say that they’re not quite in the mood, but their reactions upon arriving will make it all worth it.

Awesome place for the kids and for pets. Clean and convenient and in this area most people are super courteous all around. Definitely good for a nice walk or getaway when the kids/​pets need some playtime.

Awesome park, happened upon it with a friend who used to live in the area. Two different areas for kids to play at dependent on age which I love. The smaller section is just that, smaller and made for smaller kids. The larger area is absolutely awesome. Normally at parks you will get like the standard fort type structure with slides coming off of it and maybe some side entrances. At Sweet shade there are a bunch of strange and unique structures with rope and climbing stool type things all over. Kids love climbing on the stuff that they have never seen before and it was designed very well to accommodate that exploration type thinking.
As expected by the name, there are large sail type shade sheets above you to help with some of that direct sun. Enjoy! Highly recommended!

Sweet Shade indeed! One of my favorite parks to take your kiddos to!
Tucked amidst the beautfiul Sweet Shade Neighborhood, this park has a litttle bit of something for everyone… from kids to dogs to adults.
It is VERY clean, spacious, luscious green grass and trees, picnic tables, clean bathrooms, basketball courts, two playgrounds, and BBG grills.
The luscious grass fields are big enough where you/​your kids/​dogs can run around… play or kick some balls.
The two playgrounds are awesome! One is tailored for toddlers and the other one for older kids. It’s under the shade and certain area of the ground are made of foam.
You can just tell whoever designed the playground was definitely thinking kids safety!
There are lots of sands so be sure to bring sand buckets!
There may be more kiddos or family on the weekends but for the times I’ve been, not an issue.
Guaranteed your kiddos will want to stay around for awhile to play at this park!

Came to this park today and it is great. There’s an area for kids 2−5yrs and another area for 5 and up. The park also has covered picnic tables and clean bathrooms located on the side of the park office. I liked this park because the play area has tarps that cover some of the sun, and they have plenty of sand. Bring sand toys!

My two kids ages five and four absolutely love this park. There are so many different playground options to choose from and they are newly constructed. They are also clean and clutter free and safe a fun time was enjoyed by all. Lots of sand, don’t forget to bring your sand bucket

My nephew is 2 and he loooves this place! He can spend over 1 ½ hours here before getting too tired to walk back home. Some time spent on the playground, then the basketball courts, then running around on the field — the day is half gone already. My dog loves running around here, too.

Cool little neighborhood park down the street from my house. Just like everything else in irvine, the park is well kept and clean, with lots of amenities — basketball court, BBQ grills, picnic tables and one bitchin playground for the kids. During the day this place is packed with kids and moms. The park isn’t too big but has a nice grass area with a running track if you are looking to get some laps in.
I don’t have kids but if I did, this would be a great place to let them run around.

It’s beautiful to just take a walk. It’s right near my friend’s condo!
Peaceful, breezy, and i love checking-​in here!
A great place to bring your children as they have a cute playground as well.
Love it!

This is a great park owned by the City of Irvine in Columbus grove. They have a really big open field and also have BBQ areas and basketball courts. But no lights for night. The playground is divided into separate areas for the older and younger kids. The slide in the older kids area is actually a bit scary!

Its close by.
Its clean.
My son likes to dig sand.
Grass is green.
Trees and flowers are alive.
Apparently there is a kid here who owns everything in the playground.

I don’t have any kids… (Well, at least that I’m aware of.) ‘But I’m always looking to try different parks that I can take HAPA, my bully-​pit to… ‘And thus far, the parks/​beaches in the South OC have yet to disappoint. I’ve found overall, most of the dogs we’ve met are well behaved. However, I have encountered number of incidents with bad behavior… ‘And that’s from the dog’s owners. Lets face it, some can be straight up @ssholes. Proper training starts at home. If you’re an @ss, more than likely the poor dog isn’t going to have a better chance at NOT being one… ‘Not the dogs fault.
Plus, it’s a great way to meet single moms… ‘And sometimes not so single.
Also, the ever popular line — «Hey, little kid, wanna pet my dog…» Yes, I drive a grey, primer painted van w/​blacked out windows. I’M JUST KIDDING! (Please save your time & energy from sending me hate mail.) It’s just a joke… My van is painted primer red, no windows. 8)
Okay, I digress…
‘Another great OC Park!
Great local park for the community! As I read the reviews, I kind of expected a smaller, more quaint park but I was happily disappointed! It’s a great size! (Approximately 7.9 acres)
Park Overview —
Park Hours:
Monday-​Saturday 10 am-​6 pm
Facility & Picnic Reservation Information:
Sweet Shade Neighborhood Park has a Multi-​purpose room (MPR) with kitchen and a courtyard available for reservation.
Rec Center —
Patio & Courtyard —
For a list of rate categories, capacities and hourly fees see official website.
Picnic area is available first-​come, first-​serve for group sizes of 50 people or fewer. Reservations for the picnic area are not accepted.
Playground —
Park amenities:
1 multi-​use building
1 restroom
3 drinking fountains
2 child play areas
1 open play area
2 unlighted basketball courts
1 group picnic area
2 barbecues
4 picnic tables
Electrical outlet
— — — — — — — — — — — — — -
— Big Aloha!
Food: n/​a
Ambiance: 5
Service: 5
Value: 5

We rented the rec center for my daughter’s first birthday. This place is absolutely perfect! It’s not too big, not too small. I love that the rec center has a little kitchennette, clean bathrooms for my guests that isn’t outside, but attached to the rec center. The rec center is very modern, lots of grassy areas for the kids to run around and play. There’s also a playground to entertain the kids, while a basketball court to entertain the dads and bigger kids. Lots of parking without having to walk far!
The rec center looks very cute, like a house which really adds to the décor. We would definitely rent again.
Note: Even though the park says seats 83 banquet style, you could actually seat another 18 – 20 people easily without feeling crowded.

I love this park, especially because it’s right across the street from my house so it’s super convenient. I bring my dogs here all the time for their walks because the lap track around the grass keeps them entertained and it’s always clean.
The playground is really nice and has lots of unique equipment divided up by age. One of my favorite things is that the playground area has this really fun springy material on the ground so if the kids fall, it won’t hurt as much. I think. I don’t actually have kids and haven’t fallen myself so I don’t know but I assume it would hurt less.
There are also two full basketball courts, public restrooms and a bunch of picnic tables and BBQ grills. There are birthday parties here basically every weekend so plan ahead for events.
Basically, this is a great place to go for some good outdoor fun and I definitely recommend it.

Great neighborhood/​community park that provides endless fun for the kiddos … two playgrounds, one for the infants and toddlers in a sandbox and another for the older kids (5+) that contains an obstacle-​course like playset (and no sand!). plenty of room for sports in the meadow and 2 full basketball courts … there’s even a marked pavement around the meadow if you would like to measure how many miles you’ve walked/​jogged. nice picnic areas with a couple of bbq’s and even a multi-​purpose room that can be rented. the bathrooms are nice and clean and it even has a fancy hand blower …