Pittsburg’s Small World Park still a ‘hidden gem’ for generations of kids

Run by the city's Recreation Department, its 8 acres of attractions have provided family fun for young children since 1979.

While most amusement parks definitely focus on appealing to children, they also feature thrill rides to make sure adults pass through the turnstiles too — not at Pittsburg’s Small World Park.

Similar to Children’s Fairyland at Oakland’s Lake Merritt and run by the city of Pittsburg’s Recreation Department, Small World Park features kid-friendly small-scale rides such as a rainbow-colored Ferris wheel, a balloon ride and a merry-go-round.

There’s a kid-friendly zip line for the daring as well as a small stationary river boat that invites exploration and, naturally, a train ride that circles the park. There’s even a whale ride paying homage to a whale that decided to swim up the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta instead of out to sea in the 1980s, Humphrey the Humpback Whale.

For young readers, a permanent exhibit at Small World Park is the Pittsburg Library’s StoryWalk, featuring framed pages of popular children’s books along a path near the carousel. The story is updated three times a year.

Last year, Rafael Lopez, the author and illustrator of the book “We’ve Got the Whole World in our Hands,” spoke about his creative process at an event that started in the Pittsburg Library and ended up at Small World Park, where the book was on display at StoryWalk.

Small World Park is also a must for those who love catching crawfish. Ponds are stocked with the local delicacy at the park, which hosts occasional fishing derbies at which kids get to test their skills at catching the critters.

“I like the fishing ponds because it is something new and fun to do,” said Jojo Briscoe, a recent young visitor to the park.

JoJo’s sister, Jasmine Briscoe agrees.

“What I like about Small World Park is fishing for the crawdads because it’s fun, and you have to be patient with it,” she said.

Also, unlike many other amusement parks in these inflationary times, this one’s affordable. Open weekends till the end of October, admission is $3 for children younger than 12 and seniors 55 or older and $6 for all ages in between. The park is also open from November to January, weather permitting, and can be rented out for special events.

“I love bringing my kid to Small World Park,” says Shivonne Sancheze. “He loves it. There’s a lot a lot of fun activities for a very reasonable price, and it’s a super-big park that has a ton of space for him to play and explore.”

Fellow parent Michelle Lyles agreed with Sancheze about how fun the park is, especially for kids. She recently brought her 5-year old daughter out to one of the park’s Thursday theme events, “Bubble Day,” featuring (what else?) freshly blown bubbles — perfect for the under-5 set.

“We saw their listing on Facebook for the bubble event and just wanted to come check it out,” Lyles said.

Other themed Thursday events have included a scavenger hunt and a look at the world below sea level called “Under the Sea.” The idea for a park in Pittsburg devoted to young children started in 1971, when Bob Soderbery, who was then the city’s public services director, was shown the park site.

At that time the site in the southern part of Pittsburg was a former military installation known as Camp Stoneman. Used as an embarkation point for soldiers heading off to World War II, it had been deactivated in 1956. Upon seeing the parcel for the first time, Soderbery, who died just last month at age 83 (bit.ly/3WcfHaP), envisioned creating a park where parents could relax and children could have fun.

After some initial fundraising, beginning with the installation of the railroad that still serves the park, construction began, and the park opened in its initial form in 1979 and operated until 1993, when expansion and renovations began. Soderbery considered the park to be his “biggest joy.”

In 1995 Small World Park reopened with a new entrance, 1,100 feet of added railroad track, a birthday party castle, the carousel, picnic areas and other amenities. A “new” used train was brought from New York state, and the carousel was shipped in from New Hampshire.

Longtime park manager Elaine Lopez considers the park to be Pittsburg’s “hidden gem” and has watched many generations enjoy its 8 acres.

“It’s a joy to watch the kids ride the rides, try out the zip line, host their birthdays here or join us for an event,” said Lopez, who described a day with family at the park as perfect for family “quality time. And don’t forget the castle, ponds and crawdad fishing.”

Small World Park is at 2551 Harbor St. in Pittsburg. For more information online, visit pittsburgrec.com/services/parks-and-recreation/swp.

Paul Kilduff is a San Francisco-based writer who also draws cartoons. He can be reached at pkilduff350@gmail.com.