New 8-Acre Park in Calabasas Boasts Fun for All Ages

Residents climbed on the playground equipment, rode their bicycles and held an impromptu roller hockey game at the Juan Bautista de Anza park--Calabasas’ newest venue for fun.

Under construction for a year, the facility is the first major park built by the city, and visitors said it was a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Jody Norris, who brought her sons Benjamin, 7, and Justin, 5 months, to the park one recent day. “I’ve lived here a year now, and I hadn’t discovered anywhere to take Ben.”

The park spans eight acres at Las Virgenes and Lost Hills roads.

It boasts three play areas with age-specific apparatus, including colorful exercise equipment for teens and adults.

“The teen area makes the park for all ages,” said Jeff Rubin, a recreation specialist for the city of Calabasas. “If kids just want to play, they don’t need anyone else, like with roller hockey. Usually, when you build a park you forget about the older kids.”

The park also includes an area where visitors can cool off during the summer.

At the park’s entrance are three fountains adorned with stone bullfrogs placed in a circle.

On the other side of a hill, where the city plans to offer open-air concerts, a trail leads hikers through the Santa Monica Mountains.