When visiting Wallis Park the first thing that may come to mind is: "I can't believe they crammed so many cool things in one place!" Wallis Park is a 4-acre recreation area near the corner of Hollister and Kellogg Avenues in Old Town Goleta with amenities that make it a fantastic place for not only children to play, but adults as well. Officially named Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park, the recreation area also includes a creek and the Sister Witness Tree, the largest California sycamore in the world.

  • Features: Alcohol Not Allowed, Parking On Site, Picnic Site, Playground, Restrooms, Sports Fields
  • Dog Policy: Dogs Allowed On Leash

Amenities

Wallis Park contains a multitude of recreational amenities and landscaping, including 24 on-site parking spots, skateboard park, 17 picnic tables (8 of them shaded), 6 barbecues, 6 hot coal dispensers, multi-purpose field, big kids playgound, toddler playground, spherical merry-go-round, swings (2 regular, 1 full support, 1 infant), teeter totter, basketball court, bankshot basketball court, handball court, concrete ping-pong table, bocce ball court, pickleball court, perimeter walking path, bike path (no yet connected to bike paths outside the park), fitness nodes with exercise equipment, piñata pole, 2 chess tables, 4 all-gender restrooms with infant changing stations, drinking fountains, water bottle refill station, and in the future, a splash pad.

Official reservations for picninc areas are not currently accepted at Wallis Park and space can be reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis the morning of your event. Anything left the night before will be removed. Barbecuing is only allowed using City-provided grills.

Skatepark

The 4,500 square foot concrete skatepark was designed by Spohn Ranch Skateparks in conjunction with input from local skateboarders - collected via a series of design workshops. The skatepark design is compact due to site constraints, but is intelligently-spaced and features a variety of skate elements including manual pads, grind rails and hipped banks. Previously the only local skatepark option was Skater's Point near Stearns Wharf. For skateboarders who live in Goleta it's much easier to come here and do a little shredding than go all the way down to Santa Barbara. According to California law, the skate park is subject to certain regulations and rules. All users are required to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads in the skate park at all times, and follow all of the posted rules.

Residents helped choose design elements for the park and contributed suggestions for its name, with the City Council voting to dedicate it to Jonny Wallis, one of the original City Council members when Goleta incorporated in 2002. She served as mayor of Goleta in 2006. From 2009 to 2013 she served on the Goleta City Planning Commission. She died in 2013.

Panoramas