I went to the Taco & Beer festival yesterday with my niece. What a fun time! People were so…read morefriendly. We got to here two fabulous Latin bands. La Mar Cha is a local Bakersfield band. Excellent musicians and a fabulous lead singer who loves to engage with the audience in sing alongs. Then an LA band called Tropa Magica. Amazing guitar players who threw down an awesome guitar duel. But the icing on the cake was the best drum solo I have ever heard. Good food & libations. Stramler park is one of Bakersfield's older parks. It is a bit rundown but still a good venue for festivals here in town. The grassy areas are a bit uneven so you want to be careful where you step. But they have a huge area with metal picnic tables, so you can usually find a seat when you are ready to eat. There were lots of choices for beer, hard cider & seltzer's. About 7 food vendors, not quite sure. They have only one public bathroom, but there were ample port a potties set up. It was a good time had by all!

I love this park. As a non-profit organization, we need to be able to rent a fenced space so we…read morecan hold our biggest fundraiser of the year here. It holds at least 2000 people comfortably, and allows us to set up a full vendor village with over 50 canopies without feeling crowded. It has a large stage, a permanent structure from which you can serve refreshments, including BBQ facilities and deep pit; and it has a building that can serve as a ticket booth. There are four permanent restrooms. There are about fifty picnic tables as well, plenty of seating for a big crowd. We ended up renting a stage because the bars on the one they have are not conducive to crowds viewing the entertainers. There is a lot of electricity available, although the circuits are a little strange. Pay attention to the circuit boards, and don't overload the breakers. There's a sand pit and a volleyball net; we didn't really use that. It's becoming a little dilapidated, and serious renovation of the structures is probably overdue. They have pretty much gotten rid of the gophers, though, so the ground is a little safer to walk on. The rear parking lot is not marked for parking. This means you need to have your own chalk lines and cones, plus numerous staff people out there all day to make sure idiots don;t part badly. This is a serious problem. Attached to Stramler is Metro Park, and you can rent both at the same time. Metro has a playground for little kids, and that's a nice touch for family events. If you're renting the park, prepare for the paperwork avalanche of your life. Everything about the process is difficult. They require you to rent dumpsters and port-o-potties, to have serious liability insurance, which is part of the paperwork nightmare. They need extra paperwork that most agents don't just give you. Make sure you understand this. On top of that, they require your security company to provide the signed contract, AND a copy of THEIR liability insurance, with the similar demand for extra paperwork. Gotta love the County.

Another great park in Bakersfield. This parkway is on the bluffs of Bakersfield, known for its…read morehiking trails, waking/run pathways, and the views of the city, oil fields, or the mountains sides. It's also a great place to take a date and have a little one on one conversation.

The name says it all, the views are panoramic!…read more Now look, when I say panoramic, I mean Bakersfield panoramic. Bakersfield isn't known for being the most scenic city in California, but it has its moments. The park is situated atop a bluff with endless views of Oildale. The views are truly expansive and it's beautiful to spend an afternoon walking across the bluff or our favorite for visiting the park...feeding the squirrels! I have truly never seen as many squirrels as I did at Panorama Park! They are everywhere and they are wilding out! Before arriving, we went to Winco and picked up 6 pounds of unsalted shelled peanuts. Yes...6 pounds! We set up, started throwing, and out they came, baby! The squirrels be swarming!!! They have a bunch of little underground tunnels and they start communicating with each other and just make their appearance. The squirrels are uber friendly, to the point that they were taking peanuts right out of our hands. They'd eat a ton of peanuts and act like they'd never seen one in their life! The squirrels are hungry!!! It's a fun and wholesome way to spend the afternoon. Note though, like any public space, the park isn't all wholesome. We overheard some interesting and potentially (actually definitely) illegal conversations taking place, so like anywhere, be aware of your surroundings.

Very clean and well kept. full of various activities for the whole family. The family and I very…read moremuch enjoy going there every time.

Yeah a playground near the I-5! It's about 4 miles off the highway in town of Button Willow. Great…read morepit stop on trek from Bay Area to LA. Large Playground, clean bathrooms, covered picnic tables.

We had an amazing morning walking my pup at the Kern River Parkway! It was a gorgeous day, and…read morethere were plenty of squirrels for him to try to befriend. We obviously stopped to grab a morning cafecito as we embarked on our walk! There was so much life happening! People walking their dogs, jogging, biking, and just enjoying the beautiful Bakersfield weather. Such a fun and peaceful time. I'll definitely be bringing my pup here more often!

I cycle all over the USA and some other countries, so last Sunday thankfully I was able to travel…read moreto Bakersfield to cycle the 20 mile (40 mile RT) paved Kern River Parkway Bike Trail I heard so much about. First I just have to say that the other cyclists I met on the trail here was so friendly that I thought that I was in Louisiana. What I mean is that when I am cycling in Irvine, Newport Beach or Santa Monica where I ride most of the time, less than 5% of other cyclists will say hello to you and less than 5% of other cyclists will respond if you say hello to them. But in Bakersfield, at least 75% of the cyclists that I past on the path said hello to me!! I could not believe it! I did not know what was going on? I was not used to that hospitality. What do they put in the water in Bakersfield? Maybe they all knew I was not from the City so they were being friendly--they probably all knew one another? It was a weird contrasting experience to life in LA. Anyway--I can write a book about my day on the Trail but will keep it concise: I parked at the River Walk Park which is located at 11298 Stockdale Hwy, 93311 (for those not from the city). Or you can can park at the outdoor shopping mall next door that has lot's of restaurants and a Target. (Don't park in front of any stores to bike ride--park in the middle or back.) From here, I first road the Trail West 9 miles to the end point. It's a lonely desolate stretch--I have never ridden anywhere where I was so alone for miles with no roads or cars. You can ride as fast as you want over here and bother no one. Every so often I came across someone. I did see a few single men and women riding alone that made me feel better. Then I returned to the River Walk Park--had lunch at the car from my cooler and then traveled East on the Path to the end. The East section passes bike stores, exit Coffee Road (which comes up right away) for Trader Joe's or Sully's Convenience Store or Starcrooks. You pass many parks and lakes and some restrooms. I saw on the East section of the path along the Kern River an Ecological Disaster with tons of garbage all over the river bed, graffiti, and homeless camping for endless miles. Some of the homeless were so entrenched that they had well developed tents, backyards, dogs, and even hanging clothes up to dry as if they have been living there for a long time. There were certain sections that were either scary or disconcerting riding the path alone. I felt like I needed to bring a handgun for protection to do this ride. As nice as it was having 20 miles of no car, well paved bike path in each direction, I am not sure I would do this ride again alone--I would if I returned with a riding partner. I gave the path 5 stars out of respect for Bakersfield years ago taking the planning time and resources to build a great bike and walking trail for the public. But what I saw going on along at least 8 miles of that path was an absolute disgrace that if was in charge of this city I would not tolerate for a second. I would fight every legal battle to return that River bed and it's adjacent areas to the condition it was 20 years ago. You do not have a right to set up residence in a public area. What I saw will cost tax payers Billions of Dollars in environmental cleanup. And yes, here is LA this is a problem too. Overall it was a Great day in Bakersfield--I can tell some of the best people in California live here.

Update the camp a year later is better than I can remember great memories with family back to fun…read moreand hard work to keep this place going

What the hell happened to this place?! This place used to be a WONDERFUL spot. Such a great hidden…read moresecret for veterans to go and be among our own kind. Then they killed the gun range and instructor range. They've done everything they can to destroy the spirit of this place. Opened up membership to non veterans. Dude.. it was a veterans park. It was a special place for US. It's like they've done everything they can over the last 6-9 months to make it the worst place possible. It's pretty clear that the board has chased everyone of so they can make their own (illegal) money off CCW classes at the back range. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You're not that clever. They don't want you or veterans there. It's all a private bar for the board now. Hope this place gets absorbed by the county. Was good while it lasted. You've done an indescribable disservice to the veteran community

I love Deer Peak Park! This was one of my main parks as a child and through my teenage years…read more There's plenty to enjoy here. My favorite part is the wide grass area which has held countless pick up football, soccer, wiffle ball, and any other field game. The basketball court is well kept and is a fun spot to practice skating when not in use for basketball. The playground has two nice sections, one designed for younger kids and another larger section with more advanced play equipment. They also have some of the better swings around.

Nice, quiet little park located in Seven Oaks…read more There's a large play area for children, basketball court, picnic benches (with BBQ grills), and a medium sized covered area for parties/get togethers. This park also has restrooms.

Love calm zoo! It's a local treasure that should be thoroughly enjoyed by Bakersfieldians - where…read moreelse can you see black bears enjoying cake and presents on a regular basis or enjoy the train on loop or the little park inside. It is one of my 3 year olds favorite places in town. We went Saturday morning and spring mid morning is the perfect weather for calm. We pack lunch for the trip or long drive home. And Take our time walking around doing all the areas and then concluding with the train. Calm's got small town charm with a little extra and is a regular joy for our little family. Excited for their future expansion!

Love visiting CALM , this place is a true gem located here in Bakersfield. It is located in a…read morebeautiful area and has a beautiful view.

Decent local park with sports park areas. Attached to the school. It's a good place to walk the…read moredogs or to take a walk- especially when the weather is nice. Kids at night load up the park- I wouldn't recommend going after dark.

Great expansive park with plenty of grassy areas to roam with the kids the dog - on a leash of…read morecourse. There's even a paved walkway all the way around the park which is great for walking. You'll find full sized basketball courts, four smaller baseball diamonds + one larger and a splash pad. We've also always see a ranger closing up towards the evening - which is nice to see. This is a great park for the community.