Atlantis Play Center — Attraction in Garden Grove

Walking around the Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove, you can't help but notice how much care goes into the well-maintained and beautiful landscaping. Admiring and photographing the landscape alone is enough of a reason to come here and pay the $2, cash-only admission fee. They really do take care of the greenery here, and it is worth going just for a nice stroll through it.

However, the greenery is just about all that is maintained, and that will become more apparent to you as you walk through the area and observe the playground equipment. The playground equipment was an absolute bummer, and I wish they spent more time and money on maintaining it. All of the slides, monkey bars, swings, and play tunnels were dirty, horribly sun-faded, chipping away, and in many cases covered in bees and red ants.

The splash pad, though very compact, is probably the biggest reason to bring your kids here. With all the playgrounds, excluding one, being so small and spread apart you'll be thankful for the splash pad with only one exit if you bring small children. I was thankful for there only being one exit in the park, at least from what I could observe, because it is rare I get to let my son roam near-independently without having to worry about him escaping without me noticing.

Overall, there is so much more that could be done with this place, and that is why I give it two stars. From consolidating and properly maintaining the play equipment for a better play experience, to expanding upon the biggest attraction which is the splash pad, I see so much untapped potential...

Atlantis Play Center is totally one of our go-to parks in Garden Grove! We've been taking the kids forever.

Is the equipment kinda old-school? Yep, definitely has that vintage vibe, but it's been open since I was a kid so long ago. But honestly, the kids could care less! They just go wild climbing everything and having the best time.

The biggest plus for me? It's completely fenced in, so you can actually breathe for a second knowing the little ones are contained and safe.

The only real bummer is the hours are pretty limited – usually just afternoons and not every day. Makes me kinda sad we can't just pop over whenever, but I get it, probably a city funding thing. Still, we LOVE it, especially when the city does their big events there! The Easter Egg hunt (Eggscavation) and the Halloween party (Jack O'Lantern Jamboree)? Absolute must-dos for our family every year! Seriously though, quick tip: You HAVE to snag tickets for those events way ahead of time online on ggcity's website. They DO NOT sell tickets at the door for those, and they sell out fast. I put the ticket sales dates and time on my calendar to make sure I get tickets in advance just in case they sell out.

So yeah, even with the equipment being dated and the short hours, it's still a...

I don’t usually write reviews but I felt the need to do so for this 1. This park is so cool and fun to bring your kids and it’s honestly fun for the adults who are kids at heart ♥️ I had fun going down the slides here myself and going on the big swing/merrigoround. I say it’s definitely worth $2. This place is definitely well maintained, clean, and the landscaping here is just beautiful. The bathrooms were also well kept clean and has a baby changing table which is awesome because not all parks have them. It’s also a gated park all around and that also makes it feel like a safe park. There are so many butterflies here ; I was honestly mesmerized. Such a beautiful place. We came here right before spring during the time the Splash Pads were closed but it was still such a fun and cool time here. I’m so glad I found this hidden gem 💎 park ((: . We’ll definitely be back and also the staff here are genuinely really nice and right before we were leaving they gave us candy...