Affectionally known around here as “The Dragon Park,” this playground is among the coolest in North County.
Run by the City of Paso Robles, Sherwood Park stands out for its life-size dragon statue! There are also two castle towers (one w/a little wooden door that you can’t go into, unfortunately), a bridge, and a fairy tale throwback to the sword in the stone.
The city told me that sometimes the dragon blows cool mist out of its nose as a spray park feature. It had been off for years because Paso’s hard-water buildup in the pumping equipment causes problems.
But then one day in July 2018 we magically saw it on!! And the kids played in the water.
FUN FACT: City maintenance uses that little wooden castle door to access the water pump.
NOT SO FUN FACT: When the mist is on in the hot months, it attracts bees! So watch out for that before your kiddos kick off their shoes to play.
Elsewhere at the park are two playgrounds:
- One directly next to the dragon that’s designed for big kids.
- And a second structure across the path for little kids featuring shorter equipment and tunnels.
If you have more than one kid, and they each choose a different play structure, it’s difficult to keep eyes on them at the same time but it’s doable.
There’s also one restroom stall in a little permanent structure and several sports fields; here’s a map to scout the different features. I’ve always liked the benches there too bc they’re shaped like rocks with seats.
There’s also a popular dog park next door that’s entirely fenced in.
Mist or no mist, Sherwood Park is a great park to hang out in. It opened in 2007 and is a welcome reprieve of open space in the otherwise densely-populated area of apartments, houses, and some commercial use as well. The playground itself is called Sherwood Forest and the park as a whole is called Sherwood Park. Find it where Creston Road meets Scott Street on Paso’s eastside. If you need an address to plot into Google Maps, use Sherwood Dog Park at 290 Scott St. and the playground is next door.
ANOTHER FUN FACT: The dog park is aviation themed because the city used to have an airport in that area of town.