Hans Christian Andersen Park, Solvang

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Description

Hans Christian Andersen Park is a huge, beautiful park filled with pine trees. To enter, you drive through a castle! Then you come to the skate park which has cavernous half pipes that will challenge any skater! A small wooden playground is behind the skate park, which is handy if you have an older skater and a young child.
Continue driving through the park and you come to a playground with tall twisty slides in a grassy valley. The play structure has three levels and feels crazy high! Climb a ladder to the third level and then slide down the curved tunnel slide. It's a blast even for older kids! There's a music-making station with well-tuned chimes, and a rock-climbing wall. Plenty of trees and picnic tables are scattered throughout the park, including a child-sized picnic table at the playground. Because this playground has such wild, high slides, my kids slid and ran and laughed and climbed, more happy than they usually are at a playground and it's a happy memory.
This park is great in winter. In summer, come early in the day before the small valley where the playground is located heats to a blistering temperature.
On the way to this park, you will pass Bethania Lutheran Church on the corner of Atterdag Rd and Laurel Ave. It's the sweetest architectural accomplishment! Inside, it is themed around the seafaring Scandinavians and a ship hangs from the ceiling. Check it out!
Head over to Solvang for something to eat and to walk around the charming town. For an absolutely amazing medieval playground nearby, check out Sunny Fields Park.

Photo Gallery

The playground among trees. Check out the huge curved tunnel slide!	The super deep skate park. See the wooden playground behind.	Bethania Lutheran Church, on your way to the park.
The play area.	Great music-making area!	The play structure has three levels and is crazy high!
Child-sized picnic table and bright green lawn beyond.	Trail.	It's rare to see green grass!
Awesome tunnel slide!

Directions

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Hans Christian Andersen Park is located at 633 Chalk Hill Rd, Solvang, CA 93463.
From Highway 101 exit at Highway 246 and head east on Highway 246 into Solvang. Once you're in the town, turn left on Atterdag Rd. You will pass three streets on the left and then immediately you will see the park entrance on the left. There is plenty of parking and there are restrooms.