Carissa Joy

Arlington Heights Sports Park


Our contributor Carissa is always on the lookout for fun parks in the Inland Empire. She found a great one and shares all about it!

Each year as summer arrives I find myself on the hunt for new parks and places to explore. Last summer we stumbled across a great park, just down the road. This park is a hit with all ages as they have a little bit of everything. There are 3 baseball fields, 2 basketball courts, several soccer fields, 2 playgrounds (one for big kids and one for the little ones), a fun water area, and lots of picnic tables with shade.

If you prefer to stay at home, the has jackpot games, slot games and top card games available 24/7 that will make you have a lot of fun while playing.

The water area isn’t big, but kids seem to enjoy the umbrella-type fountains and spontaneous pop-up fountains! The playgrounds are wonderful and are filled with hidden picnic tables, a variety of obstacles to climb, and all sorts of slides. My daughter’s favorite are the chair-like swings and I think they might be my favorite too as they are so comfortable to sit in and swing in together!

This has quickly become one of our favorite parks and we love that it is just down the street! There’s a 1-mile dirt trail that’s great for a family walk, clean bathrooms, and plenty of space for everyone!

Arlington Heights Sports Park
2595 Gibson Street
Riverside, CA 92503

Corona’s Citrus Park

Credit: Carissa Joy

The temperatures are soaring and nothing beats the heat like playing in the water. Our contributor, Carissa Joy shares about her favorite park to head to for some fun water play.

I don’t know about you, but I have come to love splash pads! My favorite splash pad that I have found is at Citrus Park in Corona. What I love the most about this splash pad is the layout and variety of water features that are available. There are interactive areas with water guns and various equipment that you can turn to increase or decrease water flow to certain areas. It seems there are always kids of all ages playing at the splash pad and there’s room for everyone.

Another thing I love about Citrus Park is the proximity of the playgrounds to the splash pad. There are 2 playgrounds at this park, one for little kids and another for older kids. Both are side-by-side. There is plenty of grass and space to lay out picnic blankets and umbrellas/canopies too! It is very possible to sit in a central spot and see all of your kids, even when some want to splash and others want to climb the structures. There isn’t much shade at Citrus park so bring an umbrella or easy-up and lots of sunscreen!

For additional info head here. `

Citrus Park
1250 Santana Way
Corona, CA

San Diego’s New Children’s Museum

Credit: Carissa Joy

One of my favorite memories from my childhood was the first time I visited the Los Angeles Children’s Museum in Downtown LA. I can still remember how much fun I had and how I didn’t want to leave at the end of the day. Now as an adult and a mom, I love being able to watch my kiddos have a great time at our local children’s museums. Our contributor Carissa had the opportunity to take her daughter to The New Children’s Museum in San Diego and shares all about it.

This past weekend we were in San Diego for a race I was running and we wanted to find something fun to do as a family. We noticed this museum was within walking distance of the race expo so we decided to check it out. What a fun discovery we made in this new museum!

Credit: Carissa Joy

From the moment you walk in the door you are surrounded by interactive exhibits and displays of art and are encouraged to explore it all! Admission is $10  and you can come and go as many times as you’d like throughout the day. Along with admission you get a list of local restaurants that partner with the museum, offering discounts on dining and quick seating.

Credit: Carissa Joy

The museums focus is on trash right now. Many of the exhibits are all about recycling and making use of waste in creative ways. While we were there we made trash monsters out of recyclable objects, painted an old car and tires from top to bottom, created clay creatures, drew chalk murals all over the walls, built towers and houses with blocks, sat inside “monsters”, climbed climbing walls, played in a rain shelter, played with magnets, climbed a playground made with tires and a recycled dumpsters, listened to music and stories in side a complex made of water bottles, and so much more! Everywhere we turned there was something new to do and a new area to explore.

Credit: Carissa Joy

At the entrance to each area/exhibit there are notecards for parents, labeled with different age groups. For each age-group there was a guide for questions to ask, things to do, and ways to discover and explore in that particular area. Loved that! There’s a big lunch area on the mail floor where many families sat and had their lunches that they brought from home. Just outside the museum, across the parking lot is an enclosed children’s playground. There are swings, obstacles to climb, and a few other interactive activities. It seems to me that inside and out, there was plenty to do for all ages!

It seems as though the exhibits may change periodically and new features are constantly being added. We can’t wait to go back again and see what else we can find!

To learn more about the New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego head here.

Carissa is a blessed Mommy of a pretty amazing 2 1/2 year old. She works part-time as a Child Life Specialist in the Pediatric Emergency Department at a local children’s hospital. She is  excited to share with you some great places she has found and hopefully help provide some really fun family days for you and your little (and big) ones!