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Averill Park
Category: Active Life Parks Parks [Edit]
1300 S Dodson AveSan Pedro, CA 90732
Neighborhood: San Pedro
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
13 reviews for Averill Park
13 reviews in English
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Review from Erick P.
Los Angeles, CA
2/26/2012
Lovely place for kids (and adults with kid's heart ;-) )... Peaceful pond with ducks, gooses, fishes, and little turtles...Multiple walking trails where your are welcome by friendly squirrels and birds...
Great place to walk off the delicious sandwiches from "Busy Bee" or read a book with natural sounds of birds and other lovely little creatures... -
Review from Jamilah M.
Long Beach, CA
4/20/2012
Averill Park is a lovely wonder. Came here with friends right before the sun went down.
I love the few different pathways to choose, and the fact that it wasn't crowded. The restrooms being easily accessible helps, and the ducks and geese in the pond are also very nice. I like the view overlooking rows and rows of houses. It got dark fast at which point I was a little nervous.
Next time I'll probably arrive earlier on in the day so I have a chance to take in more of the atmosphere without feeling like I'm racing against the moon's clock. -
Review from Terra W.
Stanton, CA
4/28/2012
great place for taking pictures. usually on the little bridge. great for bdays or weddings
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Review from Cynthia G.
Los Angeles, CA
10/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cute little park tucked away in a little corner of Pedro. It's not as crowded as Peck and much better too.
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Review from Joan S.
4/15/2008 49 photos
"The secret of life is to enjoy the passage of time." - James Taylor
My 800th review, it's corny but true, haha:
I have fallen in love.
I can't wait to drive to San Pedro to see it again. I suddenly have so much energy that I run up & down its hilly terrain on my bum knee without pain. I catch myself smiling all the time. I think of excuses to drive down and visit the park. I sleep better at night, more peacefully.
I can't imagine this park would ever disappoint me or that I will ever grow tired of it. I don't believe I will ever find a park I love more.
It wasn't love at first sight. I had no idea how special & magical the place would become when I first laid eyes on it, three years ago. That's when I first discovered the park, when I almost rented a house across the street from it, a sweet vintage Spanish style with a pool, a pool house, and a view of Vincent Thomas Bridge & the harbor. For $2200 a month. I blew it.
I let it slip away and instead bought my money pit condo from hell. I shoulda trusted my gut & snagged that cool house. At the time, I thought San Pedro was too far, too out of the loop, and maybe it is.
And maybe I'll get another chance, who knows.
For now, I'll trust destiny's wisdom and view it as water under the bridge. Speaking of which....look at the photos of the enchanting old stone bridge in Averill Park. Set down in the peaceful lagoon, it's a scene right out of a fairy tale.
It happened like this: Recently I rediscovered Averill Park, after 3 years had passed. I was taking biz photos in San Pedro, to post to the site, a couple weeks ago, and I remembered the park & the house, and drove by to check it all out. That's the day it hit me, as I walked the park. Some powerful feeling came out of nowhere and I didn't want to leave. I went back every day for 4 days in a row.
When I wander the park, nothing is wrong, in my mind. I am completely in the moment & all is well. The park compels me to leave all negativity outside its boundaries, like a lover would do. The park overwhelms me & amazes me & delights me, like a lover would.
I am completely charmed.
My relationship with Averill is not without challenges, however - the hills are very steep. Some paths I can't even navigate, too risky that I might slip and wreck the knee. But in time I'll feel more comfortable, more secure. For now I kinda like the uncertainty though, it adds excitement to this love affair. I don't want to know all the paths all at once, it's best to have some mystery, to leave some things as yet undiscovered.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to love Averill Park, certainly not the first to be in love at Averill - there are decades worth of hearts with initials carved into the majestic banyan trees. Banyan trees are spiritual, you know. Some say they fulfill wishes and represent eternal life.
As one would expect in an area of this size, Averill Park has a few full-time caretakers. I chatted with one of them, an elderly gentleman, after I spotted a Great Blue Heron in a tree. He told me there is a pair of herons, and also kingfishers. I haven't seen a Great Blue since I lived in IL, they are so graceful.
And of course there are ducks and geese galore. I was even chased by a goose. He put his head down low to the ground and started toward me, threateningly. Like an idiot, I ran....laughing at myself.
Throughout the park are isolated, shaded picnic areas with grills. Some overlook the water, some are nestled in groves of trees. In the summer, mosquitoes are a nuisance, a local resident told me. So my lover is not perfect. And that's OK.
There's a romantic gazebo on a hill with views of Long Beach Harbor. It's a popular place for weddings, for which a permit is required.
Averill Park has too much class to have an unsightly parking lot, but there is oodles of free parking on the streets bordering the park, and in the surrounding residential neighborhood. Nor are there sports facilities or playgrounds - Averill is designed to be a captivating, disarming place to appreciate beauty.
So Averill Park has won my heart.
When you see the photos, you'll know why. There are about 45 so far - I like to brag about my love & show it off to the world.
I should be in pretty good shape if I keep running up and down Averill's dramatic hills. Lovers do tend to give you a good physical workout, especially in the beginning.
That reminds me, I gotta go, I got a hot date waiting for me in San Pedro.....Listed in: Parks & Scenic Spaces, Viva San Pedro!, Places For A Wedding
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Review from Chris G.
8/29/2011 77 Check-ins Here
A nice quiet place to walk or sit. Much nicer than Peck Park which is always crowded and noisy. When my son was young I used to bring him there to "fish" for cray fish in the stream. This is a hidden treasure in San Pedro.
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Review from Trish B.
Torrance, CA
9/1/2011
ha! i did not pay attention to directions before coming here i kept going back and forth on the curve on Western.
however i did eventually find it =)
so i was walking around noticing all the hills walked down by the stream, the bridge and not only do they have ducks....THEY HAVE TURTLES!!! i love turtles. my dog scared them right to the middle of the lake tho!
anyways i like this park very shady and a ton of room!
i will be coming back! -
Review from louie b.
8/1/2011
This is my favorite park. We use to come here all the time when i was a kid.. Over 30 years and almost nothing has changed, Except for the color of the water in the little creek. It was clear when i was a kid, now more of a murky green.. But the views and the beauty still surround you here.. it's an amazing place that you can visit and just get away from it all. I only live 15 minutes away, but it feels like a whole different time zone.
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Review from brynn u.
Los Angeles, CA
10/2/2009
What a great afternoon to visit the duck pond in San Pedro yesterday! Averill Park is one of the great many places to take the kids once the afternoon naps are over (and you still have three hours to kill before your partner gets home to give you that much-deserved break). Even though shade anywhere, especially in San Pedro, is super hard to come by come 2:00pm, there are a limited number of local parks and tot-lots that do offer up some sun protection- and Averill Park is one of our top choices.
Averill Park is great for those super hot days ( or sunny weather ones where you are too exhausted to fight through the sunscreen application) -especially if you limit your stroll to the lower section. Boasting with wildlife, including squirrels, ducks, geese, and occasional dog, the kids just entertained kicking back in their strollers. For the more adventurous children, try bringing a few slices of bread along with you. I know my son is much more content with the wildlife at a distance, many others, though, like to get up close and personal- and nothing gets the attention of all the pond creatures like being hand-fed two-week-old stale bread! -
Review from James S.
Long Beach, CA
4/27/2010
I only went here because of yelp reviews and I'm glad I did.
I read in a review that it was beautiful and they had fun playing with their dogs here.
Well it was a few days before my birthday and I had the day off. My wife and I had had our first child only 2 weeks earlier and wanted to do something different so we took the baby and both our dogs to this park.
It was pretty awesome. It was cool to walk around and enjoy the park. I was a little bummed that the water was off so there wasn't the usual stream. There was also some construction that apparently had been done earlier but not yet finished to random sidewalks were coned off but none the less I enjoyed the park.
Despite a different reviewer listing playing Frisbee with their dog I learned that it is in fact against park rules to allow dogs off leash. I let mine off for a few minutes when nobody was around and it was amazing to watch my Boston/Pug mix square off with a huge geese.....
I can't wait to go back when the weather is better and the water is running. Stop by for a break from you day. It's a great place. -
Review from Lara W.
Long Beach, CA
10/18/2009 ROTD 4/7/2010
I was recently inspired to start getting outdoors and checking out the wonderful local parks. I had been thinking about if for a while, then thanks to Joan S's reviews I found the extra oomph I needed to get my butt in gear. We went to Averill Park yesterday with our dog and had a wonderful experience.
We meandered along the walking trails and our dog intently watched the ducks, geese, and squirrels play in the park. As mentioned in other reviews there were several weddings and parties going on. Actually, we saw the biggest wedding party we had ever seen in our lives...19 bridesmaids (that also means 19 groomsmen) WTF???
One of the highlights was watching a "Fairy Princess Party" where all the little girls were dressed up a princesses. They started stripping off their wings and crinoline skirts and rolling down the hills with pure bliss. Their laughter and shrieks filled the air and we laughed right along with them.
Although there were a lot of people here today, we never felt crowded and found a wonderful little spot to park our bums and play some Frisbee with our dog. The views of the port were wonderful, the breeze was cool, and our day was very enjoyable. A great place to be! -
Review from Andy P.
1/6/2010
We love walking to this park. Great open spaces, plenty of trees, and rolling hills. On warm weekends, it's probably better to come a bit early to claim a bench for your get-togethers. It's a bit sad that the man-made creek is pretty much dried up except for what's left of a pond full of ducks and geese. There are no playgrounds for the kids. Another pressing issue at hand are the dog owners who turn this park into a dog park, unleashing their canines to roam around and not picking up after them. It's advised that you definitely watch your step when coming to this park.
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Review from John M.
San Pedro, CA
9/1/2009
The premier park for all of San Pedro. Views, water streams and clean places for picnics. Under a remodel now to improve the streams and lighting.
