Fresno’s Newest Park Lives Up to Its Name: Check Out Inspiration Park

If you’re the parent of an older, elementary-aged child, you may know the frustrating truth I’ve recently learned: it gets harder and harder to impress a child once they pass the age of eight.

Gone are the days in which a relative could “magically” pull a coin out of an ear, or watching airplanes take off and land could provide a solid hour of entertainment. If you’ve reached this stage of parenting and don’t know what to do, I’ll share with you some news: this week, I visited a new park in Fresno so amazing, it even impressed my nine-year-old.

In fact, he was so in awe, he repeatedly said, “I can’t even believe this place is real!”

Inspiration Park is located on Gettysburg Ave. between Hayes and Polk avenues. The park may seem far away for some Fresnans, but it’s made accessible due to the easy access to 99 at Shaw Ave. and the 180 connector.

Whether it’s nearby or a little trek from home, once you visit, I’d be willing to bet you’ll return, many times.

A Photo Tour of Inspiration Park

Inspiration Park is an expansive, 8-acre park built so that all attractions are accessible to people with disabilities, as well as those without. The attractions are very diverse and offer something fun and innovative for almost every interest.

It would be nearly impossible (and frankly, probably pretty boring) for me to attempt to describe the wonderful features of the park in words, so please allow me to take you on a photo tour of some of my son’s and my favorite features.

Toddler and bigger kids’ playground and modular play structures featuring everything from traditional slides and monkey bars to spinning spheres and a sliding pole with hydraulic elevator:

A raised platform stage with chalkboard back wall for drawing and writing:

Basketball courts and a baseball diamond with all-weather turf:

A splash pad with numerous water features for the hot summer months:

“Lookout Mountain,” a towering hill with a winding sidewalk leading to its peak, complete with flagpole, seating, and telescope:

A large picnic pavilion (not pictured) and a skatepark:

A climbing wall:

A dog park:

Sensory garden with interactive musical features:

A fitness cluster with various exercise apparatuses (not pictured) and the Donovan Maldonado Community Center with Boys and Girls Club after-school activities that begin at 3 p.m. and weekly Tai Chi classes open to the public:

How great is this park? I encourage you to watch for the first sunny day, then pack a lunch and check out Inspiration Park pronto. You’ll be glad you did!

Visit Inspiration Park.
Did you know that you can can take FAX Route 45 to Inspiration Park?

To see more from my day at the park, check out this Facebook Live video I posted.

[Correction: An earlier draft of this post erroneously stated that Inspiration Park is the only park west of Highway 99.]

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Natali Carrera

Natali Carrera is a proud Fresno native and passionate advocate for her community. A Fresno State alum and lifelong cheerleader for all things local, Natali has been a featured blogger for FresYes for over 10 years, where she writes weekly about food, coffee, family fun, and shopping local. When she's not sharing her latest discoveries, you’ll find her cheering on her teenage son at his baseball games alongside her husband of 22 years. Natali is also the founder and CEO of Success Together, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering parents through education.

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