7501 8th St, Buena Park, CA 90621
Hours: Dusk to Dawn
Restrooms? No
Playground Surface: Rubber
Parking Lot? No. Street parking only in the back of a neighborhood cul de sac. Very limited
Gated/Fenced? Partially. There is a wall that encloses most of the park, except for the area near the front of the park
Overview
Rick Gomez Park is a baseball themed park with new age playground climbing equipment for kids. The park is located in the city of Buena Park. It’s hard to believe that this was the first newly constructed park in the city in over 25 years. In addition, the park was dedicated on January 22, 2022. Furthermore, Disneyland and downtown Disney are a mere fifteen minutes away, while Knotts Berry Farm is less than ten minutes. The park offers a lot to keep kids busy despite being incredibly small, sitting at just under .5 an acre.
The park has really nice landscaping with beautiful palm trees spread around. Upon entering the park it’s as if you are entering a ball park, fully equipped with folding stadium seats. Located at the backside of the baseball field is the play area with tons of apparatuses for kids to run, climb and crawl on. Most of the equipment is very unique and unlike anything I have seen on other playgrounds. An extra bonus is the train tracks behind the right field wall where the kids can watch as the trains roll by every so often. The park also offers an area with exercise equipment.
Features
Baseball themed playground
- Baseball glove tunnel that kids can crawl through and bat and ball structures that they can climb and play on
- Shaded play area with new age playground equipment. Very unique and neat
- Circle Swing and Tandem Swing. There are No Bench Swings or Bucket (Baby) Swings
Other Amenities
- Eight Folding Bleacher Seats on 1st Base and 3rd Base Side
- Picnic Shelter and Benches, BBQ’S
- Fitness Equipment
- Train tracks with passing trains directly behind the ball field
Scout’s Story
My wife and I found this brand new park by complete chance. We happened to be staying at the Hampton Inn and this little park was located just around the corner and popped up on google maps while I was trying to find somewhere to take our 15 month old daughter, Scout, to play for a little bit. So many of these parks and places we visit hold ever lasting memories for us, for one reason or another. This park is no different but for gut wrenching reasons that are hard for us to look back on.
On this day our daughter, Scout, had not been wanting to play like her usual self, and was whining a lot. We quickly realized that she wasn’t going to have any fun and we ended up spending very little time at Rick Gomez park. Something just felt off with Scout, as it had been feeling for a week or so now. My wife would take her to the emergency room for the second time in less than a few days later that night. They would leave without answers once again. Our outing to Rick Gomez Park was on August 11, 2022. Five days later on August 16, 2022, we would find ourselves back at the hospital.
On August 18th, at 15 months old, Scout would be diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (Germ cell tumors in her liver and rectum). Every time I think of our visit that day to Rick Gomez Park, I can’t help but think about how this was the first day that I had ever seen my daughter not want to play at all. It hurts me knowing that I didn’t realize that something was severely wrong despite my wife feeling that way.
I would love to bring our little girl back here one day and brush away some of those bad memories and replace them with new positive ones. I just remind myself that while it’s hard to rehash that day and even type these words, this is all part of Scouts story, fight and journey. One day I look forward to Scout seeing all of these stories, good and bad, and knowing her overall journey.
August 10, 2022
UPDATE:
After almost a year of treatment, Scout was approved for surgery and underwent a nearly 10 hour procedure to remove cancerous tumors from her pelvis and liver on April 24, 2023. A little more than two weeks later, the day after Scout’s 2nd birthday, we were informed that Scout was cancer free and was in remission. Our hospital staff provided Scout with an amazing bell ringing and end of treatment ceremony a few months later, in which most of our family was able to attend.
The day after that ceremony we decided to revisit Rick Gomez Park and to make new memories. I updated this post with pictures of Scout from that day. Scout has currently been in remission for nearly two months. Scout’s current treatments consist only of bi monthly blood work and scans every 6 months to monitor the small portion of tumor (mature teratoma) which had to be left inside of her and the lesions on her liver.
June 30, 2023
