Old Poway Park

Pretty boring. It seems like I’m missing something based on the great reviews. Don’t expect to spend more than 20 minutes here. Park is pretty small and there isn’t much to see. Old Poway Park is located in the middle of the suburbs and the biggest attraction here seems to be the train. It might be worth it to take smaller kids here, but there is nothing really to do here if you are in your teens or older, but walk around. There are a few historical buildings here, but I highly recommend not going out of your way to come here. There were a couple events taking place here like a graduation party under the gazebo and a baby shower in one of the buildings, so it might be a decent venue to look into if you want to throw a small party. Don’t think I’ll be back unless I have kids and live around Poway one day.

Old Poway Park is a very cool park. It has a railroad track and tables. It is the most beautiful park I have ever been to. I’d want to come here again. What an amazing thrill and experience to have come to this park.

I was at the Old Poway Park for the first time over the weekend and was blown away! We were there in the morning to set up for my Sister’s wedding that was taking place in the mid-​afternoon. We saw the Farmer’s Market when we first arrived and checked that out. We bought some kettle corn, a gyro and a crêpe! The food was great, all the vendors were friendly and there was some great products out there for us to check out! We walked around for a bit seeing the gazebo (where my sister was getting married) the bridge, creek and grassy area. It was a beautiful area for my sister’s ceremony and reception! I was blown away by how the park came together for this beautiful event! We also were able to ride the cable car during the entire reception, how fun! The park officials helped us through the entire clean up process in the evening time too! It is a beautiful and well maintained park that I would highly recommend not only for photography purposes but also for a wedding! It is a beautiful and fun venue!

Amazing and scenic Park. My family and I visited on a weekend for a family photo shoot. Even with everything closed we had a blast. My son who is two still found enjoyment with everything.
We will have to visit when everything is open!

This is a cool spot to bring the kiddies, play on the trains and have a picnic.

What a great park with such a cute historic feel! I did not know about this hidden gem despite having grown up in nearby PQ. We found this place by chance when we needed a convenient and easy location for maternity photos and yes, this place is packed with photo shoots on the weekends but honestly, what’s the harm? It’s kind of fun to see all the happy couples, pregnant women, family photos, etc. There is still PLENTY of space to enjoy even if you aren’t conducting your own photo shoot. The train and railroad tracks are so fun and the buildings are so charming. I love the rustic and historic charm of this park and now it is our go to whenever we need a park setting. Parking has never been an issue for us and they have a super cute farmers market on Saturdays. Since first discovering this place, I’ve learned that the City of Poway even has a lot of special events here… we heard great things about the tree lighting ceremony in December but I was bummed we were unable to attend. Hope we can make it next year!

I could barely enjoy the place.
Too many photographers.
I must of counted 20+ every 3−4ft.
Historic buildings were closed when we went.
It was about 3pm.
Only good thing was the burger restaurant.
Ill come again on a week day when the photographers are at their real jobs.

My daughter in law got married here and it was wonderful. The staff was nice and the price was very reasonable.

The park was nice, we went here for a group picnic on a Saturday. Aside from my son accidentally stepping in dog poop (come on, people, pick up after your dogs!) we had a good time.
Then about 3:00, all the photographers started showing up. ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHERS! The park was the set for every engagement, wedding, pregnancy, new baby, family photo in the county, it seems. They took over the paths, the bridges, the train tracks, the dog poop. It was a nice afternoon, and the light was good, but the number of photographers was overwhelming.

So cute.
Since I’ve translplanted to Cali, I’ve been missing some of that small town feel. Little shops, history, town centers, etc. Old Poway has it all and even plays host to various events like the farmer’s market or craft fair.
There is a little train depot for the kiddies that takes them around about a block of the park. There is a history museum to learn more about the origins of Poway. And if you start your day here at the farmer’s market, you’re a hop, skip and a jump from other great locations like Lake Miramar or Potato Chip Rock.

This is THE place to be with your family on Saturday morning. The farmers market is full of fresh fruits and veg and has a good selection of hot and ready items. Some of our favorite vendors from other San Diego farmers markets are there (I mean the Jamaican food guy and the coffee woman).
After you pick up your market purchases, buy some tickets for the train ($ 1.50 for adults and $.50 for kids) which will give you two trips around the track and the park itself.
Poway park is a gorgeous tree filled park waiting for a good picnic, birthday party, barbecue, etc. I absolutely love this park and love that parking is easy, the pace is family friendly and the overall small town atmosphere.

Old Poway Park is a charming park in the old town area of Poway. The homes and businesses surrounding the park area have also picked up on the theme of the turn of the 20^th century architecture. It appears that the city has saved several historic homes and buildings and moved them to a central location for all to enjoy. Then, they have added a museum, a railway complete with train station, and a cute restaurant for finishing touches. The grounds are colorful, immaculate and welcoming. There are rental gazebos and vast green lawns to play and enjoy a picnic.
While not large, the park is visually appealing, neat as a pin, interesting to walk around, inviting for parties and celebrations and weddings. This is a fun little place to bring the whole family and stimulate a child’s imagination.

We had a wonderful day at Old Poway Park. This park is so well-​maintained and just exudes charm. Certain parts of it make you really feel like you’re walking into the past. There are several re-​creations of old buildings that look great. Some of them are functioning, such as the one with a blacksmith in it. If you have someone with you who loves trains they are going to lose their mind here. There are real railroad tracks that circle the park and they’re put to use on Saturdays. Depending on what Saturday it is there could either be a trolley, a steam train, or a small speedster on the tracks. We rode on the speedster, which allowed several adults and children to ride together. You get to make two full laps around the park. As we were enjoying our ride it occurred to me that this was way better than what we experienced on our trip to Legoland. Not only could adults not ride many of the rides there, but neither could children who were very young. The train here let all of us ride together and we had a great time for a tiny fraction of the cost of just one person’s admission to Legoland.
We went on a Saturday when the farmers market was taking place. There were lots of food vendors and vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables. I ended up getting a delicious pork sandwich from Corbin’s Q. We sat at a picnic table and watched trains go by while we were eating.
When we were done eating we went and looked inside the museum. They have a model train that will operate when you are pressing a button by the case. Kids were getting a kick out of doing that. One of the volunteers inside of the museum told us that they are constantly hearing comments from people that live in Poway saying that the never knew this park existed. That is such a shame because they are so lucky to have this as part of their community.

Awesome location! Had my wedding here in June and it was gorgeous! All my guests loved the location. Staff is nice, just be prepared to set up and breakdown everything yourself but it’s worth it!

If you’re looking for a great place in Poway for a picnic, you’ve found it!
This is a beautiful open space with park benches and bbq pits, they also have a gazebo and a train that operates on the weekends. There is not playset for the kids unfortunately –1pt. The area is beautiful though and worth a visit.

The boyfriend had to take photos for a class assignment and wanted to head over to this place. We went on MLK Jr. day early afternoon and I have to say this place is quite lovely. The train does not run during the week so it’s perfect time to take photos on the tracks. Many picturesque moments over there. I saw other photo shoots going on. Definitely that small town rustic feel. LOVE IT! I wish the river had more water but it was still a pretty area. Walk around and even cross the street to check out the Veteran’s Park.

My husband and I got married at Old Poway Park. It was the best possible wedding venue for us.
Sarah in the office is so friendly and helpful. We had a ton of questions for her, we made appointments with her 2 or 3 times, and we called her and/​or showed up at the park to ask her questions multiple times. Since it’s a public park and not a commercial venue, there is no day-​of coordinator or anything, so being able to communicate extensively with the park staff was crucial in planning our wedding on our own. They are so accommodating and offered great advice on the logistics and possibilities of the event.
And you couldn’t ask for a better setting. The park is BEAUTIFUL!
Every photographer in the SD area knows about this park, because it photographs so beautifully. Therefore, your wedding photos will turn out beautifully (Well, a good photographer is also necessary– may I recommend Next To Me Studios?) There are so many different backgrounds packed into this one, adorable park.
In case you’re curious about how to set up a wedding here, we rented the Rose Room, Porter Room, and Great Room to get ready in before the ceremony. We also rented to the kitchen for food storage (drinks and the homemade cake), but not for the caterers as it is not big enough for a catering company. (Our caterer was SD Taco Comany-​t hey are also awesome and didn’t need a kitchen to deliver a delicious meal.) We got married on the ceremony lawn and I walked across one of the bridges then down the aisle– so picturesque and romantic! We used all of the cute white benches with heart-​shaped cutouts as our «pews,» which saved us the cost of renting chairs. We had cocktail hour on the lawns in front of the gazebo and Templars Hall, and dinner was around the fountain in the Carriage Turn. The gazebo?!? A ready-​made dance floor!
We also had a kid-​friendly wedding, which was easy with such a fun and interesting park as the venue. Kids don’t generally want to sit nicely in a ball room through dinner, but if dinner is being served around the fountain in the carriage turn, kids can play around the fountain while parents get to enjoy their meal. Kids hate cocktail hour, but not if they can play on the train tracks and bridges while their parents get to sip on a drink. (Don’t worry, the train doesn’t run after 4pm, so it’s safe for kids to play around the tracks after then.)
We had our rehearsal dinner here too (we called it a rehearsal picnic) and everyone loved it! Our families and wedding party got to rehearse in the same spot we got married the next day (the Ceremony Lawn) and then, without having to worry about driving to a new location, our guests got to feast on roasted chicken and sides and everyone brought lawn chairs and blankets and got to know one another. We were also able to serve beer and wine (we stayed away from glass bottles though).
Our wedding was amazing– Old Poway Park was the first venue I thought of, and after we spent an entire day driving around SD County searching for a better venue, we realized it just didn’t get any better. Our families loved it, we loved it, and we go back occasionally to have a picnic and reminisce.
If you’re getting married on a budget but you’re not willing to compromise atmosphere, this might be the venue for you. Make an appt with Sarah ;)

I love this park. I have brought my kids here to play and ride the train. LOTS of fun!
I am also a photographer and I LOVE shooting here. There are soooo many different backdrops to use. Awesome.
I usually go during the week and there are maybe one or two other photographers. However I recently went on a Saturday. I will NEVER do that again. There had to be 20+ photographers, all trying to shoot in the same spot. I ended up having to edit so many photographers out of my shots because even after standing at a spot for 15 minutes and waiting for it to open, I would still end up with a photographer walking right into my shot.
Luckily I didn’t have a new client with me and this time I had a good friend who I was taking photos for. It would have been hard to stay on schedule (and just unprofessional) if I had multiple shoots lined up and had to stand around waiting.
Maybe it was just the Christmas photo rush, but either way, photographers make sure you scout out this place before hand on the day of the week you’re aiming for.

The most charming park in Poway area. You won’t need to watch your clock or, by default, your phone as seems like the time has stopped there in some decades ago. Colorful and picturesque, it has that old train that is perfect background for family pics, plus grassy areas for picnics and beautiful little boutiques and stores that would make you feel inside a western movie with some Caribbean colors. I like to go from time to time to meditate or just go to have a coffee or get some cute little something at one of the stores. This is must for families with kids. They adore this park.

Old Poway Park is a bit out of the way for me… but man, is it gorgeous!
I came here yesterday to hear the Poway Community Band perform — their director was my high school band director. They had a great venue to perform in, as Old Poway Park is very picturesque. I spent some time after the concert to walk around and check out the buildings — the park has plenty of historical buildings and trains to peruse. Beautiful landscapes abound as well; one can easily take plenty of photos in the area.
I want to come here again when the train is running and the exhibits are open — and I can’t wait to show my girlfriend the area as well.