Heritage Park

Heritage Park is the closest thing downtown Palo Alto has to a village green. It is a two-acre lawn on Homer Avenue, a few blocks south of University Avenue, with a single tall redwood standing in the middle. A playground sits at one side under a broad old oak. Across the street is the Museum of American Heritage. The two together make one of the easiest family outings in town.

The city lists the park at 2.01 acres and describes it as open space for quiet time or impromptu activities. That is an accurate description. There are no courts or fields here, no dog run and no restroom. There is grass, shade, a place for children to play and a lot of room to sit. This guide covers its features, how it came to exist, the trees that define it and how to get there.

Heritage Park at a glance

The city tags Heritage simply as a park. Its feature list is short:

• A playground with a sand area.
• Picnic tables.
• Drinking fountains.
• Open lawn around a sentinel redwood.

The park is open from sunrise to sunset and costs nothing. Because the city lists no restrooms, plan a stop at a cafe or the museum before you settle in with small children. Dogs must be on a leash. There is no fenced run here; the nearest city dog runs are in Midtown and south Palo Alto.

From medical campus to park

The city calls Heritage its newest park. It is young by Palo Alto standards. The land was part of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation campus until the foundation moved in 1999. Its departure opened up a large block close to downtown. Talks followed between the new owner, the homebuilder SummerHill Homes, the city, the Medical Foundation and the neighbors. The result set aside several acres for a park, with new homes on much of the rest of the old campus.

The city approved an interim park in 2003. Groundbreaking came in 2004. Heritage Park held its grand opening on March 12, 2006. The city notes plainly that a slow economy and a tight budget limited what the park received. That explains its simple layout. The neighborhood around it, South of Forest Avenue, often shortened to SOFA, grew up at the same time. Our guide to University South tells the story of that redevelopment.

The redwood and the moved oak

Two trees give the park its character. The first is the redwood the city calls a sentinel, standing center stage on the lawn. On a hot afternoon its shade is where most people end up.

The second has a better story. Anchored in the playground's sand area is a large coast live oak that did not grow there. In 2003 the city moved it to the park from 819 Ramona Street. Moving a mature oak is a big job, which says something about how seriously Palo Alto takes its trees. Children now dig in the sand around its trunk. For more on how Palo Alto protects oaks and redwoods, see our page on the urban forest.

The Museum of American Heritage across the street

The park's best partner is right across Homer Avenue. The Museum of American Heritage at 351 Homer Avenue fills the 1907 Williams House with pre-digital technology: radios, appliances, a working print shop and more. Admission is free with a suggested donation. It opens Friday to Sunday. Its back garden is a quiet place in its own right.

The pairing works well for families. Spend an hour in the museum, then let the children run on the lawn and dig in the sandbox while adults sit at a picnic table. Check the museum's hours on its own site before you go.

May Fete and other events

Once a year the park fills up. The May Fete Children's Parade, a Palo Alto tradition since 1924, travels along University Avenue in early May and ends at Heritage Park, where a free fair follows with booths, games and food. The fair runs into the early afternoon. Families with young children often wait near the turn toward the park so they can slip into the fair as soon as the last marchers pass.

The rest of the year the park is calm. It is a common spot for informal picnics, small birthday gatherings and lunch breaks for people who work downtown. Group picnic reservations are not offered here, since the city takes those only at Mitchell, Rinconada and Foothills.

Closures and maintenance

The city's Heritage Park page showed no closure notice on October 30, 2026. Short closures do happen. In July 2025 the city closed the playground and the asphalt path between it and the lawn from 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 19 until 8 a.m. on Monday, July 21, while Public Works applied a seal coat that needed about a day to cure. Expect similar weekend closures from time to time and check the city's Heritage Park page before a special trip.

Getting there on foot, by bike and by train

Heritage Park is an easy walk from the Palo Alto Caltrain station, a bit under half a mile away. Walk east on University Avenue a few blocks, then turn south toward Homer Avenue. The station is also the hub for VTA, SamTrans and the free Stanford Marguerite shuttle.

By bike, Bryant Street, the Ellen Fletcher Bicycle Boulevard, runs north and south close to the park and is the easiest way in from the rest of the city. The Homer Avenue underpass beneath the Caltrain tracks connects the park area with Alma Street, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation campus on El Camino Real and Town & Country Village.

By car, look for street parking on Homer Avenue and nearby blocks. Time limits and residential permit rules apply in much of the area, so read the signs. On May Fete morning, do not count on parking anywhere close.

What is nearby

Heritage Park sits at the edge of two neighborhoods. Downtown lies to the north. To the south are the shingled houses of Professorville.

• The HP Garage: the birthplace of Hewlett-Packard at 367 Addison Avenue is a short walk south. It is private property, but you can see it and the state landmark plaque from the sidewalk. See our HP Garage guide.
• Downtown: cafes and restaurants on University Avenue are a few blocks north.
• Gamble Garden: the 1902 house and garden at 1431 Waverley Street is a little over half a mile south and free to visit during daylight hours. Our Gamble Garden guide has the details.
• Johnson Park: the other downtown playground, a full block on Waverley Street north of University Avenue.

A simple half day downtown: museum, park, then a walk through Professorville to the HP Garage. It is all free and all within a mile.

Frequently asked questions