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El Estero Park Complex & Dennis the Menace Playground



A block from Monterey Bay is the most popular park in downtown Monterey: El Estero Park, home of the famous Dennis the Menace playground.


Situated along the curving Lake El Estero, the park features green lawns, shading trees and benches, making it a perfect spot to relax from the bustle of the town. Bird watchers will enjoy seeing a wide array of ducks, coots, gulls, herons, and the ever-prominent Canada geese. The El Estero Exercise Course along the lake is an excellent way to combine fitness with beauty, while the lengthy lawns are a good spot for dogs to run and play – just watch out for the goose droppings!

If you want an even more intimate experience with the beautiful lake and its birds, paddle boats can be rented for rides across the water. For a picnic or a barbecue, there's the El Estero Group Picnic Area. Other community treasures in this park are the Frank E. Solletico Jr. Ball Park, site of many a softball game, and the El Estero Park Center (formerly known as the Monterey Youth Center, open every weekday and home of a preschool program, dance classes, nature and science classes, and other outstanding programs for children and young adults.

But by far the park's most renowned feature among locals and tourists alike is the Dennis the Menace Playground. Designed and funded by Dennis the Menace cartoonist Hank Ketcham, it's been lauded as the best playground in Monterey Country since 1956. With its suspension bridges, rock-climbing wall, spinner ride, hedge maze, and array of unique jungle gyms and slides, it provides an exciting array of activity for kids that they won't find at many other playgrounds. For older preteens and teens, just adjacent to the playground is the Monterey Skatepark for skateboard lovers. At its entrance are the iconic lion-shaped drinking fountains (the original is no longer functional, but still on display, while a replica provides the water) and an authentic 1924 Southern Pacific steam engine. For decades this engine was a favorite place for child visitors to climb – though it's currently fenced off due to safety regulations, it's still a fascinating sight to see and someday it might be climbable again.

Just across the street is the El Estero Presbyterian Church, making this park an excellent spot to unwind after a Sunday service. Just down the street is Monterey's only McDonald's, where parents can take their hungry kids for a Happy Meal after playtime at Dennis the Menace Playground.

No town is complete without a good downtown park, and for Monterey, El Estero Park fills that need very well.

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