Holbrook Palmer Park

Location: in Atherton, sandwiched between Middlefield & El Camino, and surrounded by residential neighborhoods, bordered on 1 side by the Caltrain tracks.
Parking: free; good amount of parking on site; there are several parking lots around the park; there’s always been a spot for us whenever we go there which tends to be sometime in the early to late afternoon.
What’s in the park: large main grassy area; several small grassy lawn areas; small playground for children; small little league baseball field; tennis courts (for what seems like Atherton residents only); paved and sandy/​dirt/​gravelly walkways for visitors to walk or bike on that go along the perimeter as well as its through the center in a few different variations; a smattering of picnic benches; a handful of «exercise stations» along the walking perimeter of the park; some water fountains for adults, children, and even doggies; and a handful of unidentifiable buildings that are mainly at the center of the property– some historical/​old looking (or at least made to look that way), one looking like a carriage house, one looking like an old school house.
Good for: walking, walking your dog (not friendly to off-​leashing your dog though :(although the grass is just perfect for dogs to run), strolling, picnics, running, biking, bringing young children and adults alike.
Overall impression: Pros – nice local park, good parking, okay for leashed dog walking. Cons – wished the facilities were open to surrounding residents of border cities close by such as Redwood City, wished there was an off-​leash area for dogs.

Super adorable, picnic tables and grills, a wide grassy area for kids to play. There is also a bit of historical value and I’m sure they throw fantastic events throughout the year.
We just went here for a picnic and it was great! Overall I may come back if in the area or if I was looking for a place to throw a small BBQ or Birthday party for a child who would love a bounce house! The flat grass area is the perfect spot to set up a moon bounce or a slip-​n-​slide!
There is also plenty of parking and a few trails you could follow around the area.

Really big park with a baseball field that looks like it’s getting renovated. There are a bunch of tennis courts here and it looks like they offer coaching/​lessons there as well. The huge field is used on the weekends for lacrosse but otherwise you may see dogs playing fetch there or birthday parties being held in the park. I was told by many of dog walkers here that having your dog off leash can hit up $ 160 fines by police that regularly patrol the park. Doggie bags are found at the entrance to the walking path near the fountain. Lots of squirrels running about as well.

DO NOT RUN YOUR DOG OFF LEASH ON THE LARGE LAWN. Dog owners, I understand that you want to take good care of your dog, but please understand that you are not entitled to the entire park. There is a smaller (but still large) lawn where dogs are allowed off leash. Please do not ruin the large lawn for humans to play and picnic with their children. A collision between a small child and your large dog running full speed is not safe. Also, it is not sanitary for toddlers, or any human to fall in your dog’s shit. I absolutely love dogs, but there is a dog area for a reason– to keep the large lawn safe and enjoyable for humans to run/​play/​picnic.

The carriage house at this park is for rent. In fact it’s rented out to a group I attend every Sunday morning. Attending this meeting is about half of why I come. The other part is for the sun touched leafs, the dew drops from the night before, and the fairy tale like qualities of the buildings, gardens and captivating scenery.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just on a pink cloud and everything looks better than it really is. On the other hand, there is a reason why people live in this area! It’s gorgeous, breathtaking and cozy to live in, all parts of the year. This little corner of Atherton is, thus far, one of my favorite spots.
Sometimes when I’m here, I feel like out of no where Fräulein Maria and Captain Von Trapp are about to burst out in song, but the most action I see verses my purpose for being there, are what look like mama boot camps in full swing. Occasionally I will see a family, to what looks like preparing for a picnic, or a leashed dog (or two) and their owner walking along the tar-​paved trails.
This is a fairly small park in comparison to most. It’s easy to drive by in the blink of an eye. Take note– there is only one way in and one way out; they are separate entrances!
So have fun, and don’t make too much of a hassle if you come; Grandma Cassandra likes it nice, quiet and completely serene. Let’s keep it that way!

4 stars for beautiful grounds
3 stars for playground — good for little kids, not much going on there for bigger kids. Just one structure for bigger kids, swings out of order.
But beautiful grounds for an event or to go for a picnic.

this is hands down the most beautiful park in atherton, and likely, the most beautiful on the entire peninsula! i happened to drive by one day and decided to stop in and saw how gorgeous this piece of land is. there is a formal gate for entering the park and another to exit. the grass is lush and green and clearly well maintained. there are several parking lots throughout the park, so finding a space is never a problem. there is a carriage house, which is perfect for hosting a special event like a wedding or reunion. there are also tennis courts, a large open field, and a par cours area for fitness enthusiasts. and if you’re on foot, you can easily run through this park as part of your daily run. i really enjoy coming here to just walk around and admire the beauty of this park. since it’s nestled in the heart of atherton (not close to the freeway), it’s very quiet here without the usual hustle and bustle of freeway traffic and other distractions.
tip: make sure you come during daylight hours since the gates are locked from sunset til sunrise. park hours are definitely shortened during the winter months.

I was here at around 8AM on a weekday and it was so serene and peaceful to just walk around the grounds! There were several people walking their dogs and one kid playing, but other than that, the park was empty. The only downside is the ugly house right in the middle that does not fit in with the rest of the landscape of the park!

great place to hang Out it has a large open green to play soccer nice picnic area beautiful trees and flowers.
its a hidden gem and always enough space and parking.
The kids play area its nice Only The swings are broken at The time

Very nice park and by all means go there with your children and pets. Bike path are fun and there is a lot to do with or without children.
However, if you are like me and have your kids birthday party at a park, don’t go there.
We had a day use permit for the area next to the playground, but when we arrived there was a huge party set up in ‘my’ spot, with bbq and all. They did not have a use permit and would not leave, that’s 40 people hanging around my kiddos birthday party…
The park staff eventually called the Atherton police and they asked them to go. But what a flop to have a bunch of policeman show up at your party. The kids loved it, but the parents were, let’s say, surprised…
Long story short, the park apologize and said they could not refund me for my permit, since I had used the ground anyway…
Next year, we’ll go somewhere else, but in the meanwhile, we will definitely enjoy the park for free. I’ve made my donation already.

Growing up about 3 minutes from here, I have to admit that I haven’t spent enough time at HP park. Recently I’ve been taking care of a 14 month old and the park is a great way to get out of the house. I’ve also been to a wedding at their wedding location recently. The playground for kids is split between one for bigger kids and one for toddlers. Both are clean with nice equipment. There are trash/​recycling bins around the park and bathrooms available.
My only disappointment was that the swings are tapped up and unavailable for some reason, and the little boy that I was with loved the swings so I had been looking forward to them!

This park is kind of a hidden gem, at least it was for me. The area is seriously huge — lots of space for kids to run around, and there are a bunch of buildings to check out on the grounds. Pretty sure there is also a school on site as well as a running trail that wraps around the park. So yeah, pretty epic place, surprised I only recently stumbled across it.

My review is for play area only. As you enter the park, you’ll notice a parking lot on your left and right hand side, don’t park here. Keep driving as the road curves right, at the end there will be a parking lot and you will see the playground. There are two play structure, one is enclosed for toddlers, it has a small sandbox, one of the smallest I have seen. There is a large field where you can walk, be careful, some area of grass was muddy, it could use some work. This is a dog friendly park. There is a restroom that looks like a shack, it is clean, surprisingly, it has a diaper changing table. It was still morning and the outside garbage can was still full, it was still full when I left. Overall, the play area seem outdated, the layout lack energy and was not very entertaining for the little ones.

This was a pretty good park we hit up yesterday. The playground is good for toddlers and lower elementary but not so good for upper el and on. We only saw part of the park but there is a big open field next to the playground. I will definitely go back to the playground and go back to check out the rest of the park. Cal Train goes by and that’s usually a hit with most kids.

This is a PARK?! People call this a PARK?! This is more like a mansion on grounds I’d expect to see in England.
We were in a Pavilion for my aunt’s Life Celebration Memorial, and I have to say it was beautiful. A little more bugs than I’d like to see, but it’s surrounded by greenery and you can’t help it. The kitchen is small but good for parties as long as your caterer knows what their doing (and ours did!). The floor (read: carpet) needs to not look like the 80’s crawled out of the ground, but other than that it’s a very, very nice space.
My aunt, interestingly enough, also rented this space out for her son’s wedding reception — there couldn’t have been more praise for how wonderful the event was and looked.
There were a few people who used our restrooms from other parties/​walking through the park, but we didn’t really care. And why would we? We were celebrating life, not trying to make it more difficult.

This is a very pretty park! The grounds are extremely well-​maintained and clean, and there’s plenty of space to run around like a goober in the sunshine. We had our department picnic here yesterday and it turned out to be a great time. I was a little worried at first, driving in along Marsh Rd or whatever it’s called… kinda sketchy-looking…but once you get into the park, it’s like a different world. We only stuck to one of the open field areas right behind the main parking lot. There are a couple picnic tables and some shade trees on the manicured lawn. Farther up is the «Carriage House» where the bathrooms are located. I wanted to go explore in the lighthouse-​looking building but wasn’t allowed. Boo! It’s pretty to look at anyway.

I had my wedding reception here July 24^th, 2010. For $ 3,500 (based on 100 guests) you would think you were renting the whole park. We only used the Jennings Pavillion and a nearby patio. We only had a reception there, not a ceremony. (This means less chairs/​work for them to set up).
During the walk through I specifically told Jean the coordinator, I was having at least 100 guests and may go over a few. She wrote down on her sheet «4 tables» and told me to get back to her when I had a final count.
So Jean, the lady running the wedding mill does not work weekends (the days it’s rented out). So by leaving her a voicemail stating I had a few guests over my limit the night before my wedding, I was charged $ 500. She withheld that amount from my deposit and ironically those people didn’t even show up, but she wouldn’t know that because she wasn’t there. I don’t expect her to work everyday, but there should be another «go-​to» person on the day of the event– not just park staff for set up.
Additionally, when I got there with one hour to set up the last party was still wrapping up. The staff there literally had –4 tables– set up for my 100 guests due to her instruction. There was no question about us needing any less than 12 tables. She mentioned she has been doing this for years, but was unprofessional and obviously clueless how stressful a wedding day can be. Why the hell would I pay that much money for four tables?
To top it off… Whole Foods delivered my cake to another party in the park because they asked the staff at HP where the party was at… and they pointed to another event. $ 350 fresh cake sat in the sun for 45 minutes. Thank God no one cut into it!
What nerve to withold $ 500 after what I went through!?! She failed to inform me until I received my partial deposit back and I called her to inquire about the rest of the money.
I would give zero stars for being a complete rip off, but the one good thing is that I was able to select my own caterer.
Brides beware! Save your money and go to Burgess Park!

I’ve been here for a wedding so naturally when it’s my turn, I decided to check it out since one, it’s an outdoor venue (what I’m looking for) and two, it’s close to my house. I also LOVE the white gazebo!
You need to make an appointment and so I did. I met with Jean who is the Program Directior. She gave me a tour of the place and then we sat in her office and discussed details so here they are:
–on Saturdays they book two events and thus, have two time slots: 10AM to 5PM or 5PM to midnight. Weekday or Sunday events must end by 10PM.
–there is a $ 500 difference in the number of guests you have: 1 – 100 guests cost $ 4000 and 101 – 200 guests cost $ 4500 (for the two sites). If you only want one site (what I wanted so it’s either the patio with arch where ceremonies take place or the house/​area where receptions usually take place) then it’s $ 2000 for 1 – 100 guests or $ 2250 for 101 – 200 guests.
–the rental time is 7 hours and each additional hour is $ 100.
–about 200 capacity
–for the ceremony they have the white plastic Samsonite folding chairs or another type
–you can put a «soft hold» on your date for however long until someone else is interested in you same date. Then Jean will call you and you’ll have to decide and put down the deposit
It’s a nice, simple area and the fees are very reasonable. For the ceremony only, you’re allowed to bring in light snacks/​food and drinks.

This is a great park for kids and dogs. Pack a picnic, your sand toys, and spend some time here.
Features:
* Large grass area
* Free parking lot
* Restrooms (were locked when we were there — doh!)
* Several enclosed play structures
* Sandbox
* Swings
* Picnic tables
You can hear and watch CalTrain clang by as you enjoy your time in the park, which is very exciting for the kids.
I see from other reviews that they have tennis courts and a baseball diamond, but I didn’t notice those as I dealt with potty emergencies caused by the locked restrooms and my lack of preparation. TMI? Too bad!
There are weddings here also. The bride and groom can stand in the gazebo as they get hitched. The gardens are pretty. We saw big roses near the parking lot.

We decided to have our June ’09 wedding here after looking at park/​garden several locations on the Peninsula. Its very private yet easily accessible with plenty of no hassle parking. Really convenient location for guests because ceremony/​reception can be all in one spot. We had 150 people, but I think you could comfortably get 250 in this location as long as you don’t mind half the people seated outdoors.
There was a corporate picnic scheduled for the time slot ahead of ours, but it was no problem. They were out and the place was clean on time.
We got lots of compliments on the venue. Lots of «how did you find this place?» I saw it in Town and Country Wedding Magazine. Expansive fields that surround a main house, ceremony arbor and red brick cocktail area just a hundred feet from a big indoor reception hall. I like that it has a feel of a garden wedding with all the flowers, greenery and giant trees around, but nobody has to step on dirt or grass if you don’t want to.
The chairs and tables included with the rental are really pretty Chivari chairs, not white plastic folding or the banquet chairs you need to put those dresses and bows on. It was an unseasonably cool day and the park had gas patio heaters on hand. I liked that you can bring in whatever caterer/​baker/​rental equipment/​bar/​band you want and you aren’t stuck with any cheesy packages. Many of the other venues around Palo Alto required you use approved vendors, but it wouldn’t be a wedding to me without a lechon, pancit and lumpia. At Holbrook Palmer you can have it all.
Jean, the coordinator is really nice and helpful and prompt about answering messages. But minus a half star because the Town of Atherton is stuck in the eighties and don’t communicate by email. Minus one whole star because the lovely lights on the oak trees on the patio flickered on and off then stayed off so one third of our tables and our entire coffee/​tea station/​bartenders stations were in the dark. They get half a star back for refunding some $$$ for the electrical problem.