Schweitzer Park: A Quiet Corner of Anaheim – Unraveling Its Unique Atmosphere

At the end of a residential street tucked into the corner of a suburban neighborhood is Schweitzer Park. This park is immediately strange. It’s tucked away, but it also has a large baseball field and is connected to a school.

A Divided Park: Contrasting Landscapes at Schweitzer

The parking lot splits the park in half.

On the left, there is a field with dead grass and a playground.

The field goes far into the corner, where I see a ravine and some gang-related graffiti.

This feels like the Anaheim of times gone by.

As I walk back toward the parking lot, there are bags of trash splayed across the grass.

It feels kind of sad.

There are clearly some unsavory things that go on here after dark.

The Hidden Gem of Schweitzer: A Skateboarder’s Paradise

Luckily, passed the bathrooms and on the other side of the parking lot, the park has more to offer.

On the other side of the park, there is a small skatepark.

I think about how I would skate it.

I am a lifelong skateboarder, so I know exactly what I could do and just how I would skate it.

There’s a quarter pipe, a ledge, some small banks, and more.

No one is here skating it, and I lament the fact that there aren’t a group of young kids skating at the park.

It is a hidden gem.

I would come back here to skate at this small skatepark.

I’m betting that there aren’t many people who know about the park.

It fits into the grungy vibe of the ravine, the trash, and the graffiti.

For me, it is the best part of the skatepark.

Schweitzer’s Classic Baseball Field: An Oasis for Sport Enthusiasts

Beyond the skatepark, there is the classic baseball field for Anaheim parks.

It has a large outfield.

The grass goes on and on to the fence of the school.

There are benches for spectators and a few likely homeless people hanging out.

Some trees provide shade for people to lounge underneath.

On this side of the park, the grass is lusher.

It is greener and better kept.

I walk across it for a while admiring the grass before sitting down at a picnic table.

While there are some kids playing off in the distance, they are far enough away to not be the subject of the photos.

As I stand to walk around the park some more, I am questioned by a woman.

She asks why I was taking photos of the children.

I explain that I wasn’t.

I am being paid to document the park and I was taking photos of the park itself.

She doesn’t believe me, which at first, I find awkward and strange.

But then, I think about the overall surroundings of the park.

It isn’t a great spot.

There are likely plenty of unsavory characters around the area.

I began to understand why she was being so defensive.

After explaining my position, I walked around the park more thinking about it all.

I come to terms with the fact that Anaheim still has its problems.

It can still be a dangerous place, even if the crime rate has gone down considerably over the last decade.

There are still problems to be solved, and the woman’s skepticism of me really revealed that.

I couldn’t imagine that anyone would think I was doing anything immoral or criminal, but I understand that you can’t trust anyone—especially when it comes to your kids.

This got me thinking about the park in general.

I wouldn’t recommend this park for parents trying to bring their kids.

Between the trash, the homeless, the graffiti, and the ravine that likely leads to all kinds of people entering the park, there are much better options when it comes to the parks you have to choose from in Anaheim.

In fact, I have written a comprehensive guide on the 15 Best Parks in Anaheim (Ranked Best to Worst)

Weighing the Pros and Cons: The Final Verdict on Schweitzer Park

While Schweitzer Park is overall a fine place to spend an afternoon, I can tell the vibe changes at night.

Compared to Twila Reid or Pearson Park, it is not nearly as pleasant.

In fact, a few of the parks I’ve been to have been less pleasant.

There is a strange atmosphere here.

It’s on edge and people felt quite skeptical of a man taking photos of the park.

It was as if they had had a bad experience at the park before.

However, if you are a skateboarder looking for a nice little park to enjoy yourself or want to take your dog to a large field to run around, the park can suffice.

If you live in the area, you most certainly find yourself here sitting under a tree or using the baseball field.

There’s no sugarcoating it though, the park isn’t well cared for.

Perhaps my biggest gripe with the park is the amount of trash not far from the playground and a few feet away from the trash can.

There were whole bags of groceries simply left on the ground.

There were wrappers of snacks and empty bottles dotted around the park.

In my experience documenting parks, I hadn’t encountered a park with a generally seedy vibe even if the people who were enjoying the park came across as normal families.

Overall, there are better parks in Anaheim—better parks just minutes away.

If you are looking for a place to read a book, have a barbecue, enjoy the weather, play a sport, walk your dog, or enjoy the atmosphere with your family, there are better options.

Schweitzer Park isn’t bad, but it doesn’t seem as family friendly as it was designed for.

It’s a small area, and you could probably do a whole lot better by going to one of the wider spaces.

I went to Schweitzer Park after I visited Modjeska, and the overall atmosphere couldn’t have been further apart.

I felt inspired at Modjeska.

I did not feel inspired by Schweitzer.

These days, there’s a lot of talk about gentrification, crime, cost of living, and displacement.

Often there is a tendency to romanticize the past.

While the Anaheim of days long gone had a more vibrant culture, it was also a lot more dangerous.

Schweitzer felt a little bit like going back in time.