La Moine Park, better known to the locals as the Cheese Park, is located in a quiet hillside neighborhood in Richmond near El Sobrante. This 18-acre park features play structures for preschool-age kids and a large concrete slide with climbing opportunities for more adventurous kids.
La Moine Cheese Park Features
Location: 3444-3530 Morningside Dr, Richmond, CA 94803
Unique Features of Playground: Mouse/cheese themed concrete climbing area and slide. Large grassy area. Younger kid play area with fire truck toddler structure; rock climbing; slides; swings.
Swings:Â Two bucket swings in the cheese play area; to bucket swings and 2 regular swings in the little kid playground.
Fenced in? Not really, and there’s a lot of room to run, but it’s set off from the street.
Surfaces: Unforgiving and slippery concrete with sand around the cheese structure and slide. Cushy rubber mat surface around the little kids play structures; large grassy area between the two playgrounds
Bathroom: Nope. Bummer.
Unique Features of the Park Overall:Â Peaceful neighborhood area with unusual play structure with lots of climbing opportunities.
Lunch tables & seating: Plenty of benches scattered throughout and several tables with BBQ’s under shaded area.
Parking: Ample free street parking.
Shade: Many trees provide shade at cheese structure with partial sun; full sun in the little kid playground.
Covid-19 Restricted Occupancy: No posted signs anywhere.
Pros: Mixed-age appropriate; lots of wide open space; unique play structure.
Cons: Precarious concrete slide for little kids; some dog poop in the field; no bathroom.
La Moine Park highlights
I found this park while searching for unique playgrounds and the name, Cheese Park, and the colorful structures immediately caught my attention. Keira was excited to go to the Cheese Park. When I told her she imagined a park made up entirely of cheese! The playground gets its cheesy name from the large old school concrete structure with swiss cheese structures and whimsical mice paintings. The top of the play area can be a little slippery for younger kids to run around.
The cement slide is old-school and should be used with caution. Many kids, including my 3.5-year-old, fly off the slide at the bottom or over the side. Yikes! Thankfully there were no injuries this time, but the curved design does create a centrifugal momentum that can throw kids off the slide if they are not careful.
Pro tip: Cardboard is littering the area around the giant concrete slide, children use the cardboard as a barrier to protect clothes, but it also makes them go much faster.
La Moine Park overview
La Moine Park is divided into two parts: lower with concrete slide and BBQ grills and covered tables; and upper with preschool-aged play structures, swings, and benches throughout. The toddler side provides very little shade, so I can see it get super hot during summer days (sunscreen and hat combo is a must, and bring plenty of water as the park does not have a water fountain).
The playground features were a perfect combination and layout for my 3.5-year-old and 23-month-olds. They had so much fun, we spent about 2.5 hours playing!
Playground Favorites
Upper:Â The firetruck play area and monkey bars were great for imaginary play. The rock climbing and multiple slides offer a lot of variety for running up and down the large structure.
Lower: The giant colorful cheese concrete slide and many hide-and-seek holes to poke your heads out of provide for hours of play. The benches, swings and grassy field are also big pluses.
The expansive grass area that spans between the two playgrounds is well kept, but watch out for occasional poop left by furry friends.
Overall, the park is well kept, the City staff came for cleaning and a sweep of the park when we were playing in the afternoon. The sunset is also a beautiful feature here. We’ll be back.
1 thought on “Visiting La Moine Park (AKA, Cheese Park)”
What year was cheese park built and who designed it