TeWinkle Park, Costa Mesa

I love parks, all kinds of parks, all kinds of places.

TeWinkle, though, is a standout. It has water (always a plus), shade, plenty of room to roam, and the gorgeous, accessible Angel's Playground.  A win all around, I'd say.

The first noticeable feature of TeWinkle Park (for an adult, anyway) is the gorgeous, big pond/stream system running through the main area. There was, briefly,  fountain in the center, too, though I do not know how often or for how long it is on.

Several small waterfalls and a small, meandering stream make this a very restful spot. Also, there are bridges for dreaming on, though I have to admit that, when I was there, they were mostly being used as photo ops for various celebrations. I guess they're good for that, too!

Critter count: I found the usual suspects--pigeons aplenty, lots of rowdy crows, some squirrels high up in those lovely pine trees, ducks and geese (of course), and painted turtles in the pond. There seemed a relatively low amount of the insect-type of critter, which is odd, given all the water, but, then, I was primarily visiting for picnicking, not taking a census (this time).

Trees: Lots, and of good height. The pine trees, especially, had been allowed to get nice and tall.

There was also plenty of room for running around/soccer games/what have you and the absolutely gorgeous Angel's Playground, a fully accessible playground with wide ramps, plenty to clime and explore, and appealing bright colors.

There are bathrooms, water fountains, and plenty of picnic tables in the shade, making this a park well worth going out of your way to visit (Not "I'm going to drive an hour or more to see this" sort of out of the way but "I want a nice, afternoon picnic"  or "I need somewhere for the kids to play kind of visit.