Wilson Park

−−20÷100 Reviews for 2016–
Torrance has definitely been blessed with a great community park such as Charles H. Wilson Park aka «Wilson Park».
People come here to gather and play sports (hockey, baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, softball, etc.), visit the Farmer’s Market, celebrate birthdays and bridal/​baby showers, to exercise, etc. Whatever it may be, I believe this park is one of the best, and here’s why…
First off, it is simply beautiful. Just walking on the path, you can see the green, green grass, smell the eucalyptus scent, wander off into the awesome «tree house», watch kids playing and running around, smell the BBQ picnics, and see others simply enjoying themselves.
Wilson Park is a home to many sports. Just within itself it has a roller hockey rink, a basketball court, a tennis court, multiple batting cages ($ 1 per 12 pitches), fields for baseball/​kickball/​softball, a soccer area, a REC center where people can play volleyball, and huge fields of grass for whatever else people can think of to play. There’s a walk path encircling the entire park which is just under 1 mile (0.92 miles to be exact) that people love to run/​jog/​walk. Beware for some inclines! Haha.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8:00AM — 1:00PM the Torrance Farmer’s Market is out to play. There’s a plethora of vendors selling fresh fruits & veggies, homemade hummus & salsa, flowers, bread, and many other delicious items. Also, do not skip out on the food vendors!!! Their brunch/​lunch items are one of the best! Some of my favorites are the twisted potatoes, the breakfast burritos, one of the BBQ spots, and the agua frescas. I definitely cannot leave the park without either one of these yummy treats. I regretfully do not remember any of the food vendor’s names, but I can assure you that they are the real deal! The kettle corn is also really yummy! Freshly popped and made at the park.
Near the 223^rd St. entrance they have a mini train for kiddos and the «kids at heart» that run once a month on the first Sunday morning of the month and select weekends.
The hours of the park is from 6:00AM-10:00PM. All the lights near the rec center/​hockey rink start shutting off by 10PM.
So whether you’re planning a party, wanting to join a sports league, visiting the farmer’s market, taking the kids out to play, or just simply relaxing, I am confident that Wilson Park will fit your needs.

I’ve since moved away, but this is and will always be a place where community gathers.
Farmer’s markets, weeknight beer leagues, weekend barbecues, and once upon a time the place I walked and laughed with my girlfriend when everything was new. How do you put a price on that?
Miss you Wilson Park.

This is the home of the Torrance farmers market. I really love the farmers market. It’s open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. lf you haven’t been to this farmers market you owe it to yourself to check it out. Of course there are lots of farmers. It’s really fun to talk to the actual farmer and learn about the food they grow. There are always lots of free samples. I especially like visiting farmers markets to see new vegetables and fruits. I find that some of the best recipes come from asking the farmer how to cook it. There really is a huge range of vendors at the farmers market from honey to fresh flowers. There are always unexpected delights. A few weeks go I discovered a berry I had never seen before. The fall season is always a favorite for me as I just love squash and the farmers market frequently delights me with new varieties. The farmers market gets busy and parking can be tricky. Come early especially if you’re looking for a new and unusual varieties. You won’t be disappointed.
Beyond the farmers market is a huge park full of many wonderful spots. My favorite part of being at Wilson park is walking on the path under the eucalyptus trees. There’s often a light breeze at the park and you get this wonderful eucalyptus scent. It’s invigorating. There are always a lot of people using the park and it feels very safe even into the evening. The park opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. It’s well lit and they have bathrooms. Its dog friendly just remember to pick up after your little friend. There are so many different activities in this park including a sand volleyball court, baseball diamonds, and basketball courts. There’s a recreation center. For the little ones there’s a wonderful playground with swings and lots of open grassy places to play. There is a fountain that is currently drained due to the drought. But when the fountain has water there are often ducks to be seen much to the delight of children. The park has picnic areas as well as a barbecue area that can be reserved for parties. The most magical part of Wilson park is the twice monthly free live steamer miniature train rides. The free train rides are the first Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the third Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. the train rides are operated by a volunteer crew. They have a special Christmas tree Twilight train. The park has a really cool tree house. What makes the tree house so special is it is universally accessible. The park also has a gazebo.
In the fall there is a Halloween Carnival held at the park. The park hosts a Christmas holiday craft boutique with an amazing range of crafts people selling their creations. The holiday craft boutique has the most delicious baked goods. It’s a don’t miss event. The yearly 4^th of July celebration held at the park is charmingly old fashioned and fun. In the summertime the Shakespeare by the sea company puts on several Shakespeare plays in the park. The plays are free and great productions. Wilson park is worth checking out as it really has something for everyone.

I’d give Wilson Park 5 stars for everything minus the bathrooms (–2 stars). What a shame…
The park itself is huge. It includes expansive rolling greens, large mature trees offering ample shade, endless strings of picnic tables, convenient trashcans, nice walkways for jaunts with a stroller and even the largest farmers’ market in the South Bay and a mini train for kids to ride on select weekends.
The bathrooms are 3^rd world country BAD, especially the one near the train station. No toilet paper, no soap, no paper towels. There are 4 stalls in the women’s bathroom but ONLY ONE STALL HAS A DOOR. Look, women don’t face the wall when they do their thing, so what genius decided this was a good cost cutting measure?!? Inevitably, everyone waits for the stall with the one door. And we all know how having just one women’s toilet stinks.
Oh wait, there was that one time where there was someone in a doorless stall… IT WAS A HOMELESS PERSON PASSED OUT ON THE SEAT! I know everybody’s got their moments and it’s probably best this gal took hers to the bathroom… But, man, I feel really sorry for the family who threw a kiddo birthday party that day. All the invited mommies were like WTF?!?
I know we won’t throw a party here ever! GROSS!

I stumbled upon this place by accident when I went to the farmers market next door. The park is large and contains walking paths, Roller blading hockey court, basketball, tennis courts, baseball fields, automated batting cages, soccer fields, kids train ride and a large treehouse.
Parking was easy to find and since it was Saturday so it was busy. There were many families picnicking and barbecuing and several families even brought the large inflated jumpers. What’s great is there was no charge for admission or parking fees!
The farmers market on Saturdays is awesome and isn’t to be missed — free parking and admission.
I’ll definitely be returning again!