Lakeside Park

Compact park with both open and forested areas that forms the «tongue» at the north end of Lake Merritt. It’s home to Children’s Fairyland, a small playground, and a small pavilion that often hosts charity walks and public festivals. Depending on your vantage point, you’ll have great views of the downtown or lakeside skyline. Also, the park feels reasonably safe during the day; it isn’t open at nighttime hours.
Beware of the flocks of geese at certain points here; they’re often out in force and excrete prolifically. Something to keep in mind if you’re sensitive to jogging or picnicking in the stuff.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. So take a gander at the geese in this great park near Fairyland, on Lake Merritt, with nice vistas, a picnic table, children’s playground, walkers and runners and yoga trainers here in the middle of Oaktown. Trees for shade, grass for frisbees or a little catch, or a little picnic.
Just keep in mind that the goose and the gander, although Canadian Geese, are not so polite that they don’t honk or poop.

Cool little spot for the kids when the wind is blowing all the smoke away from their lungs. Here is a tip for you, come early as most of the adults getting high on all the benches surrounding the playground won’t be there. Just a few drunks, but hey we don’t judge! Mind the goose droppings!

If you’re trying to enjoy your lunch hour and you happen to be in Oakland you should grab a sandwich and eat it at Lakeside Park great way to kill some time and enjoy the view.

I love this park. It’s great for adults and children. There’s a lot of grassy areas if you want to have a picnic or kickball game. There’s a great view of the lake and it’s usually really sunny.
There are a lot of geese and seagulls running around, so make sure you clean up after yourself. The geese can be very aggressive so don’t feed them where you plan on sitting because they will snatch a sandwich from you.
The play area is awesome because they have the big kid version and the little kid structures also. I bring all the kids to this park because it something for every kid. If the kids want they can roll in the grass or play tag.
The old thing I don’t like is the fact the water is right there and there’s nothing stopping a kid from jumping in the water.
Overall, this is a great park and I love coming with or without the kids.

Great park near the lake. I’m not a big fan of Oakland but this park and Lake Merritt is very nice.

Great place — except for all the bird shit!

Shit place. Literally bird shit everywhere! Without that the park would be perfect. I don’t see a difference between these birds and rats!

I decided to take my nephews here after a great morning at fairyland (just to tire them out a little bit more for dinner hah). There are two play structures, a swing set, slides, monkey bars, the whole bit! It’s relatively small, but just enough for the young ones to run around and entertain themselves.
… So why two stars?!
GEESE. GEESE EVERYWHERE!
As I was walking into the park area, I had brought a bag of cheerios for the young ones and the first thing I noticed were huge beating eyes staring me down across the lawn… I didn’t think much of it, but then they started running towards me! I frantically ran toward the play structure because the avoid entering the area, but I knew that they were just waiting for me.
I overheard a couple talking about how these geese never migrate because they love it here so much, so don’t count on them going away anytime soon. There is also a bird sanctuary right next door to this park, so they’re protected under the law.
** A women also lost her child here because of she wandered off across the huge lawn here, so parents keep an eye on your children! (but thank God she was found.)

This review is for the area around the play structure.
Parents and citizens of the world: Please quit feeding the birds/​terrifying geese here!!!
Seriously, they are getting more and more aggressive and they scare the little ones.
This park is a good place to bring kids, and a package of antibacterial wipes.
The nature center is nice, and there is a bathroom which is convenient.
It can be impossible to find parking on the weekend.

This park is HUGE and has so much going on– the bonsai garden is spectacular. Lawn bowling greens are well maintained. The nature preserve is open to the public. There’s a community garden. A gazebo… a wonderful playground for toddlers and kids.
There is also a 4 inch thick layer of goose poo on every imaginable surface, so outside of any of the fenced areas, which seem to be spared, good luck enjoying any of it…

Year –round refreshment and rejuvenation. An oasis in the city. Check out the first-​class Bonsai garden and Japanese Garden inside the garden center enclosure. New pathways will make circling the lake really pleasant.

#Oakland — Everyone should visit this *free* and amazing gem of botanical splendor. We were treated to a personal tour from one of the nicest volunteers I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. The wealth of history, knowledge and beauty of these plants was expressed through the pride and selfless tour of a man who would gain nothing from letting us tag along behind him. Their bonsai garden (!!), palm garden, sensory garden (originally created for the blind), rose garden, succulent garden — 12 gardens total, all maintained and kept by devoted volunteers (and extremely nice people). Even more exceptional is their recycle area — check out the sand below your feet — it’s all ground glass.

Now this is a great park. Right on the corner of Ellita Ave. and Bellevue Ave., Oakland. There’s 3 sets of swings. 2 sets for kids and a set for babies. The climbing structures are great. There’s even one that looks like a little fort. The play area is separated from the street by an expanse of grass, so if you have escape artists, you can catch the before they even get near the street.
There’s plenty of sand to dig in and grass to kick a soccer ball on. Perfect spot for a picnic, after the Saturday Farmers’ market.
Plus the best part of all is the view of Lake Merritt. As my little persons dig holes to China, I get a great view of the lake. It’s on a pretty quite street, with not a lot of traffic, away from the freeway. It’s also close to the Rotary Nature Center. If you’ve got little naturalists, they might like to stop by there too.
The Junior Center for Art and Science is close by too. Great classes for kids and todders! Plus they have FREE Parent/​Child classes for preschoolers and their parents.
Another really cool thing about the park is the Labyrinth. Just a bit down the way on the grassy area, is a really cool labyrinth cut into the grass. My kids love walking around it.

My almost 5 yr old loves this place. We walk… well I walk and he rides his scooter… around the lake to get to the park. It’s very pretty on a sunny day, if, as others have mentioned, you don’t look to closely at the duck and goose poop everywhere.

It’s beautiful of course — on the lake, lots to look at, including all the people running/​walking around. The only downside is the goose poop — which I hate spectacularly.

Love that it is there and has baby swings as well as a few different climbing structures. Really wish it was cleaner. I have found too many gross used condoms in the sand to let my little one unabashedly dig but she loves the swings and I love that it is walking distance from our house!

small fairly well kept park next to lake merritt. good for a quick stroll if you live in the neighborhood. not really a destination. parking is $ 5 i think, but you can usually find 2hr parking in the neighborhood within a 5 min walk.

Lovely! I’m blessed to work nearby. I come here nearly every day I’m at work if the weather is nice. So much to see. An urban oasis for sure!

I wish I loved this park but it is dirty. Dirty parks are no fun for kids that want to take off their shoes.