The Koret Children’s Quarter in Golden Gate Park is a Magical Place for the Young and Young at Heart

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on August 4, 2014

Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you’re young at heart.
For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you’re young at heart.
– Johnny Mercer

Mr. Mercer may or may not have ever visited the Koret Children’s Quarter during his time on earth but he certainly knew the value of maintaining a youthful outlook on life. Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Children’s Quarter is the latest version of a children’s playground that dates back to 1888. It features the usual swings, slides, monkey bars, teeter-totters and other playground essentials but best of all, particularly for city kids starving for open spaces, it gives them a safe, fun and green place to simply be kids.

The Children’s Quarter is located in the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park and is widely regarded as the best playground in the city. Parents who live in the city either walk or take public transit to let their kids burn off their boundless energy here and parents who live outside the city have been known to pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it so that their kids can enjoy the amenities here.

One of the most recognizable and attractive amenities is the authentic carousel that has been delighting children since 1914. Built by the Herschell-Spillman Company, the carousel is a rotating wonder of hand-carved horses, roosters, dogs and other creatures, all lovingly maintained to retain their original appeal. Once upon a time, many public parks in big American cities had carousels to entertain and delight children but few remain. Thankfully, despite millions of rides and decades of service the carousel in the Koret Children’s Quarter continues to put smiles on faces of young and old alike.

If you have kids or simply want to re-awaken the kid in you, a visit to the Children’s Quarter is definitely the ticket. While operators must charge a modest $2 fee to ride the carousel to keep up with maintenance, admission to the Quarter remains as free as it was when it first opened generations ago. While there is ample parking on the nearby streets, this corner of Golden Gate Park is also served by several bus routes and within easy walking distance of many San Francisco neighborhoods. Like the rest of Golden Gate Park, the Koret Children’s Quarter is open from dawn to dusk every day. The Carousel is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day and on weekends the rest of the year. For more information about this particularly delightful corner of Golden Gate Park, visit the official site at http://www.golden-gate-park.com/childrens-playground.html, then give us a call at 800-339-8936!