Lake Merritt Playground at Lakeside Park
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
Where: Perkins Street and Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, California
When: typically open in warm months (check before visiting)
Hours: typically daylight hours
Cost: free
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Tucked into Lakeside Park on the shore of Lake Merritt — the nation's oldest wildlife refuge — this tried-and-true playground suits all ages with big and little swings, slides, and climbing structures. A stroll along the water reaches the bird sanctuary, the Gardens at Lake Merritt, and Children's Fairyland.