“Children still need a childhood with dirt, mud, puddles, trees, sticks and tadpoles”
– Brook Hampton.
If you are local to the Central Coast or just visiting and looking for a place where kids can be kids, Atascadero Lake Park should be on your shortlist. Last Thursday I took my boys (ages 2 and 5) to the park for a midweek adventure and we had a blast. The day started like most days start, with the boys asking “Daddy, what are we going to do today?”. After a couple of weeks of wet weather, we were ready to get out of the house and stretch our legs. So after some deliberation, we set our sites on the Charles Paddock Zoo which resides within the Atascadero Lake Park.
The zoo is relatively small compared to some of its larger counterparts in other parts of California and there aren’t any giraffes or elephants. But the smaller size actually makes it much more manageable and bitesize for the kids. What the zoo lacks in size it makes up for in the diversity of animals. We saw lots of animals including monkeys, red pandas, lemurs, meerkats, large tortoises, and even an alligator. The zoo also has over 150 species of birds to watch. When I asked the boys what animals they liked the most my youngest quickly blurted out “the flamingos”. My five-year-old thought the Malayan tiger was pretty cool. I think the thing that excited them most wasn’t the animals at all. The zoo has large coin donation funnels near the entrance and the boys were mesmerized watching the coins spiral down to the bottom of the funnels.
Charles Paddock Zoo Ticket Prices:
Adults 13 & Over $12
Children 5 to 12 $8
Children 3 to 4 $5
Seniors 65+ $10
Children 2 & Under FREE
Once a full lap around the zoo was complete, we headed up the hill to the playground. Full disclosure, this playground can be really busy on weekends but midweek we nearly had the place to ourselves. The equipment ranges from small steps and slides suitable for toddlers to large tube slides and rope bridges that older kids can enjoy. Going down the big tube slide for the first time was a big achievement for both boys. The playground also has swingsets that are accessible. After an hour of going down the slide and playing on the swings, we headed over to the lake.
One of the fun activities available at the park is to rent paddle boats and explore the lake. We skipped out on the paddle boats this time and instead opted to hike the 1.3-mile loop around the lake.
Mr. Putters Boathouse Hours:
Friday-Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Hour-long rentals:
$10 for ages 10 and up
$5 for ages 2 to 9
2 and under are free
As we headed over to the lake there was no shortage of ducks, cranes, seagulls, and turtles, for the kids to point out. The loop usually takes just under 30 minutes to get around but with the little guys, it was more like 45 minutes. By the time we made it all the way around the boys were exhausted (mission accomplished).
For us, a visit to the zoo, some time at the playground, and a hike around the lake was a full day of fun. But if you have older kids with a little more stamina the park has so much more to offer. The Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial at the front of the park is a great place to show respect to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
After viewing the memorial you can go rent bikes or take advantage of the horseshoe pits. For more information or to reserve a BBQ area, call (805) 470-3360.
If you have any good local park or zoo suggestions I would love to hear about them. If you’re looking for other fun activities to do with kids on the Central Coast check out my previous post on Things to do with Kids in Central Californias Wine Country. Please come on this journey with me by subscribing to my newsletter.
I hope you’ve found some useful tips here. I’d love to hear from you about ways that you experience life with your little ones. Thanks for reading. If you made it this far please follow me on Youtube, Facebook, or Instagram.
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