I took the family down to Desert Breeze Park recently for a fun day at the park. It was my first time at this park, but my wife and daughter have been here many times before. Parking and entry to the park is free.
If you haven’t been to this park before, I’ll quickly highlight some of the cool things to do:
Train rides
This park has a 1880’s replica engine that follows track around the park. The entire ride takes perhaps 20 minutes from start to finish, and covers most of the ground on the park (going almost all the way around the lake).
During the holidays, the park and train are decorated with Christmas lights and trees. The train station in the park is decorated in an old western motif with a jail, blacksmith, and hotel. There are also some old mining train cars (which are filled with gift boxes during the holidays).
The rest of the train station is where you purchase tickets for the rides. Ticket prices for the train were $1.50 per ticket, and three tickets are required for each person (under 1 years old is free). If you’re comparing prices, yes, this train ride is much more expensive than the train ride at McCormick Stillman Railroad Park. The train runs weekends from Labor Day through Memorial Day.
Carousel
Next, we went on the Carousel. I’ll be honest with you about this ride. It was the slowest carousel I’ve ever been on. Our two your old daughter didn’t mind, but we were barely moving. I kid you not, the attendant actually ran it twice because he was apologizing so much. He said it was something todo with the cold weather (it was a cold day, I’ll agree).
This model of carousel is made by the Allan Herschell Carousel Factory (based in New York). This particular carousel was built in the 1950s. The company that made it was in operation between 1915 until it merged with another amusement park company in 1970.
The carousel ride costs two tickets to ride (tickets are $1.50 each at this time).
Lake
There’s an absolutely wonderful lake at the park, and I’ve seen people fishing at the lake, as well as feeding the ducks. There is a nice walking path around the lake. If you’re looking for a good little walk, check it out! The train also follows the trail a little bit, so you can wave to the passengers as they go by.
Tennis courts and baseball fields
The park also boasts three tennis courts. So, if you are looking for a good place to play tennis in Chandler, check it out!
Also, on the far end of the park are two baseball fields.
Hummingbird habitat
The park also boasts a habitat for hummingbirds at Desert Breeze Park. This area of the park is managed by the City of Chandler. You can get more information on their page. The area is designed with two large iron sculptures by artist Joe Tyler, and several large archways surrounded by over 50 species of plants. There is a walkway through this section of the park.
Climbing and play area, with splash pad
The park also boasts a really nice play area. It is one of the best in the area. As you can see from the photos, the play area includes many areas to climb, and go down slides. It is a very modern structure.
There’s also a really cool splash pad with sculptures of dolphins and elephants. This is a pretty popular splash pad in the Chandler area, and shouldn’t be missed! I should also mention that this park is extremely popular for children’s birthday parties in Chandler. On the day I visited, there were three birthday parties going. Enjoy your trip to Desert Breeze Park!
Desert Breeze Park
660 North Desert Breeze Blvd. East
Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone: (480) 893-6652
2 Responses