Entry No. 37 — the Santa Barbara file — filed under: folk art

Kids' World, Alameda Park

In 1993, hundreds of Santa Barbara volunteers hand-built a 10,000-square-foot wooden castle-and-whale playground designed by Leathers & Associates — no molded plastic, just a community-raised folk-art fortress that gets biennially re-sealed against rot and reopened after each maintenance closure.

The move: Wander the mid-town park's rare-tree collection past its 1888 bandstand, then climb through the castle's wooden turrets like a couple of over-age kids before grabbing pastry nearby on upper State Street.

• 📍 Mid-town Santa Barbara
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 1400 Santa Barbara St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: sbparksandrec.santabarbaraca.gov · edhat.com

last checked: 2026-07-20