Woodward Park is a public park located in Fresno, California, abutting the San Joaquin River. It is the largest of the three major public parks in the Fresno area. Ralph Woodward donated the majority of the land for the park in 1968. The CIF Cross Country State Championships are hosted here every November.
In addition to the Cross Country State Championships, Woodward Park also plays host to the Woodward Shakespeare Festival - for Shakespeare in the Park. The performances take place on the WSF Stage near the Friant/Fort Washington Entrance, and showcase a number of familiar titles. The company has held over 311 performances in the park and is currently in their 11th season.
The park features the Shinzen Friendship Garden, also known as the Shinzen Japanese Garden, a 5-acre Japanese stroll garden opened in 1981 and designed by Paul Saito. The garden includes a teahouse that was built in Japan and re-assembled by Japanese carpenters on the shore of the pond. The garden was constructed to honor Kochi, Japan, which is Fresno’s sister city.
In 2015, the garden received over 100 bonsai specimens from the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) Collection of the former Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California. Make Woodward Regional Park part of your personalized Fresno itinerary using our Fresno trip itinerary planner.
Create a full itinerary - for free!
Woodward Regional Park reviews
-
Park is well maintained and can handle a lot of people without feeling crowded. There is plenty of room for a toddler to run around and they can be kept busy feeding the wildlife. Good place to ahve..... more
Park is well maintained and can handle a lot of people without feeling crowded. There is plenty of room for a toddler to run around and they can be kept busy feeding the wildlife. Good place to ahve..... more »
-
We haven't been here for over 30+years. But came back to visit my mom. We had some downtime and wanted to check it out. This was well worth the $5.00 entrance fee. The colors of the trees are still.... more
We haven't been here for over 30+years. But came back to visit my mom. We had some downtime and wanted to check it out. This was well worth the $5.00 entrance fee. The colors of the trees are still.... more »
-
Love this kind of Library! It's so nice and big and it has more space to it like the quite room, the children's room is more bigger and It has lots of computers when it get on the internet. Wish I could go back again someday when it's more convenient.
-
The staff is always helpful (as with all the other branches I have used). Plentiful parking. Tends to get a bit crowded at times, but not unbearably so. From what I observed, the times of high usage coincided with after-school hours-NOT a bad thing. (NOTE: During pandemic, I have only stopped by to pick up books “On Hold.” Of probably 3-4 dozen holds, only 1 was in error-a VERY minor issue.)
Plan your trip to Fresno
Get a personalized tripA full day by day itinerary based on your preferences Customize itRefine your trip. We'll find the
best routes and schedules Manage itEverything in one place. Everyone on the same page.Know more
Popular things to do in Fresno
Side trips from Fresno
Hidden gems in Fresno
Nearby attractions in Fresno
Museums in Fresno
Kid-friendly things to do in Fresno
Featured attractions
Trips in Woodward Regional Park by other users
15 days in California
BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES
Fresno
Yosemite National Park
Mammoth Lakes
1 day in Fresno
BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES
Forestiere Underground Gardens
Shinzen Japanese Garden
Woodward Regional Park
15 days in United States
BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES
Yosemite National Park
Fresno
Los Angeles
11 days in California
BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES
San Francisco
Monterey
Fish Camp
22 days in Las Vegas & California
BY A USER FROM UNITED KINGDOM
Las Vegas
Bakersfield
Tulare
7 days in California
BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES
Fresno
Yosemite National Park
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park