A 35-minute drive from Berkeley, Pixieland Amusement Park was a fun day for my kids (age 4) in a contained area small enough that it wasn’t a problem to parent alone. Think of it as a more modern (some say better, others say charmless), smaller version of Fairyland.
Admission is free but you pay per ride carnival-style. Tickets are $2.95 each. Buy books of 10 or 20 tickets with a discount for bulk purchasing, which gets them closer to $2 each. With that in mind, allow me to give you a tour…
Red Baron Airplane (2 tickets): Exactly like at Oakland Zoo. Preschoolers usually love this ride, while a big kid maybe bored.
Dragon Roller Coaster (3 tix): Perfect intensity for 4-7 year-olds. This ride requires a parent sit next to kids under 48″ so keep that in mind if you are the lone adult with multiple kids.
Teacups (2 tickets): Great if you like the spinny rides. Hopefully your kids won’t discover mid-ride that they are not a fan.
Froghopper (2 tickets): Great for kids of all ages, my kids wanted to do it over and over. There is even a larger seat in the middle if adults want to hop on.
Carousel (2 tickets/person and one adult free per child): Kinda fast for a merry-go-round. We learned that if you yell, “I don’t want to do it,” the operator will stop the ride for you and let you move from a horse to a bench. Little kids require adults and adults require tickets. Even on the bench.
Windy Grove Cars (1 each): Â This was a favorite ride — they both got to DRIVE the car!!
Pixieland Express Train (2 tix): Runs occasionally so check the schedule. It’s a train and, thus, a must-do. The train takes you outside of Pixieland and around nearby park and pond.
Okay, that’s it. You’ve seen the entire park. There is a concession stand, picnic area and a few coin-op games that we tried unsuccessfully to avoid.
Plan your visit to Pixieland Concord
Prices: Tickets are $2.95 each or you can purchase multi-packs, such as 30 tickets for $68, and share with your group. Tickets are less if paying with cash.
For myself and two kids, we spent about $95. That felt like a splurge of an outing.
There is a large, free parking lot.
Address
2740 E Olivera Rd, Concord
Hours
Pixieland is an outdoor fun park open on weekends starting around 10:30 with occasional weekdays hours when schools are closed.
Since days and hours vary throughout the year, check the Pixieland calendar before you head out.
Bottom line: Pixeland is a small amusement park, that was super fun for my four year old boys, I would save it for a special occasion since the ticket prices do add up.
4 thoughts on “Pixieland for Pint-sized Adventures in Concord”
Looks a bit like the rides section of the Oakland Zoo too, but much cheaper! Thanks Heather!
Lisa, Very similar to the Oakland Zoo. I maybe should have done a straight-up comparison with the rides area rather than imagining it like a mini Fairyland.
The car driving is a different style (PL has old timey cars and a longer track, OZ is a loop with modern cars).
The roller coaster is probably similar, but my kids haven’t been on the OZ one.
The carousel at PL seemed faster than OZ.
The trains are quite comparable with different scenery to view.
No teacups at OZ, right?
Same same airplanes.
No frog hopper at OZ.
What’d I miss?
Hello, I was just wondering if the parent can ride the rides with them as my Child is very unpredictable and may get freaked out midway in?
Most of them, yes.