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Ponderosa Park

4.2 (17 reviews)

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Pamela M.

This park has such potential but unfortunately many patrons abuse it's beautiful facilities. We came here a Saturday and it was very busy, logically as it was a hot summer afternoon. It's hard not to people watch and think about how pretty this park would be if people actually cared. So sad that disrespectful adults make disrespectful children, I observed children sitting on top the limited working sprinklers without letting others have a turn. Kids unsupervised running amuck. I would be wary of I had toddlers as many children here behaved in ways that made me cringe. Sadly, the thing that is hard to miss is the amount of litter. The bathrooms are disgusting and the trail is used a a dumping ground. Patrons picnic here and there are BBQ areas, we saw two birthdays today and half a dozen pizza boxes and other large garbage that should have been disposed of properly. It's incredibly frustrating to see such a beautiful park turn into this. I wish people took pride in their parks, and not use them as a dumping ground and most importantly teach their children to love and respect nature.

Jessica M.

My review is based on visiting on a Tuesday afternoon in July for Ponderosa Spray Ground use. I want to love this place but I felt it was overrun by people looking for a free time. From afar the landscaped grounds are beautiful and the park itself seemed perfect. There are a lot of beautiful grassy areas with and without shade that can be used for a picnic area. Packing a cooler is a great idea as there is only an ice cream truck available. I also noticed park grills and a picnic area similar to those on other parks grounds. You should also consider packing sunblock, a picnic blanket, chairs, towels, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, buckets/pails your child can fill with water and water fun spray/blasters/shooters/water guns. Water shoes are a Must! The area is covered in a durable rubber and burns if you don't have shoes on. I did see barefoot kids here and all I thought of was coxsackievirus. The major problem that we had with this place was disrespectful unsupervised kids that acted like wild animals that were seldomly released into the public that caused so many issues on the spray ground and playgrounds. Such as sitting on top of the only sprinkler available. It seemed there were possibly 6 small sprinklers and they were set on a 15-45 second delay alternating between them. Only 1 sprinkler jet was on at a time and every kid would fight over it, sit on top of it or roll across it. Rude little kids would trample your kid if you weren't watching. The playground area was nice. They did have newer unique equipment. If your child is wet from the sprayground beware they come shooting out of the slides like flying bullets and actually can get hurt. We did not use the restrooms so I cannot comment on that. If I were to return I would definitely go either first thing in the morning and hope it's empty or not go at all. My kids did love their time here and had no complaints at all. My rating for Sprayground is 2 stars. My rating for the Park is 3 stars.

park rest area
Xiomara L.

great place for the kiddos! my 7 and 3 year old loved it! i enjoyed it too! there is a little river and lots of fun for the kids!

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Clean - has equipment for various ages and has bathrooms! I am also a big fan of pour in place surfaces.

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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11 years ago

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7 years ago

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

Very nice park. Have been here many times. Kids never get bored and there is lot to do for ages 3 to 6

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13 years ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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12 years ago

I love the park Especially during the summer when they have the sprinklers on i enjoy that

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Review Highlights - Ponderosa Park

Splash pad and playground is a great, free activity for kids under 5 to do for a couple of hours on a hot day.

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Kids Empire Watchung

Kids Empire Watchung

3.7(49 reviews)
3.1 mi

Chris was absolutely amazing throughout the entire event. He was constantly checking in to see if…read morewe needed anything and made sure the water, soda, and juices were always refilled on time. He also served the pizza and cake with a pleasant smile and great attitude. We truly enjoyed our experience here and would highly recommend this place to anyone. We hosted our daughter's 6-year-old birthday party, and all the kids had an incredible time. Honestly, they didn't even want to leave at the end of the day--they wanted to stay longer! Thank you for such a wonderful experience.

The kids had school off so I looked around for things to do so they weren't stuck at home. I saw…read morethis place and went for it! I did do some research first, luckily, but also... they aren't that much of a stickler for certain rules. Do remember to sign the waiver online ahead of time. It'll save you time - especially if there's a line. Also: don't forget socks or you'll have to pay for a pair of theirs. Seeing as school was out, I made sure to get there as soon as it opened. As it was, I got there 10 minutes before they opened... and I was not the only parent who decided to do that. There were already 4 other cars parked and waiting. Doors were open a little before opening time but no matter the amount of people in the waiting area, the lady would not begin checking people in until opening time. It lead to a lot of awkward eye contact where she started puttering uselessly about until it was 10 am. My family was clearly new because others knew what to do. You get a bucket/basket and put your shoes/jacket in first. There are no shoes allowed inside the play area. You can bring your own bag/backpack in but - supposedly - you cannot eat outside food inside unless it's food you purchased from them (they offer snacks along the junk food vein, beverages, and I spotted cotton candy). You can eat it in the waiting area or leave for meals. You can return anytime as long as you show the receipt, which I thought wasn't too bad (it's about $22.50 per kid and 2 adults free per kid). They also sell a "stamp card" of 10 plays that was a pretty good deal compared to the $22 each time per kid, but since I wasn't sure how it would go, I didn't want to commit quite yet. I did opt for a play card... they have games, claw machines (play until you win), and cars there that use it. First off: there are loads of tables. A huge amount. I unfortunately didn't take pictures that didn't include my kids, so maybe next time. The place quickly filled up to the point where I thought it was getting to too many kids and the tables still weren't half full. There's a huge play area in the back as well as a toddler/baby section towards the front. My kids, ages 8 and 4, had an absolute blast there. They both stayed in the back. My youngest did think some parts of it were scary and depending on the other kids... just hope they aren't too rowdy or the younger ones may not like it as much. We ended up staying for almost 3 hours, which impressed me. Some notes: - Service is SLOW. There was only one person working there for at least an hour until I finally saw another employee, who mainly focused on making sure the kids were following the rules. - I saw another parent pull out a bag of chips and munch on them within 5 minutes of claiming her table. - The place actually appeared clean. I wouldn't bet on someone coming in a swabbing everything to put under a microscope, but at least it looked clean. Definitely wash your hands before eating regardless. - Based on this visit, I can see it easily getting overly crowded ... especially if there was a party going on. There was no birthday party on the day we went. I do not know if they will control the amount of people entering but I doubt it. Not if they don't already have timed entrances in place. I actually think I would return again but only if we can do it as soon as they open. We don't like crowds. My eldest loved it. My youngest enjoyed it a lot but some might be better for him in a year or so (there are some areas he refused to explore in the back play area) before he's completely okay with everything. They enjoyed the games on the side as well! Perfect to get all their energy out for an entire day, if you end up making it back the same day before they close.

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Kids Empire Watchung
Kids Empire Watchung
Kids Empire Watchung

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Ponderosa Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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