OC Great Park
Free tethered balloon rides, a carousel, and open lawns at OC's massive park built on the former El Toro Marine base. Perfect for a weekend afternoon.
Good to Know
- Admission
- Free
- Fees
- Free (balloon ride and carousel free; some sports facilities may charge)
- Time to Allow
- 2–4 hours
- Parking
- Free parking in the Great Park lots off Great Park Blvd
- Dogs
- ✓ Allowed
Great for
The Orange County Great Park occupies the footprint of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, a 4,700-acre military installation that operated from 1942 until 1999. After the base closed, the land went through a long planning and conversion process before reopening as a public park. What exists today is a large, still-developing civic space — not a polished destination but a genuinely usable park that manages to be one of the best free family outings in the county.
The signature attraction is the Great Park Balloon, a tethered helium balloon that lifts passengers 400 feet above the park for views across the Irvine plateau and, on clear days, toward the ocean and the San Gabriel Mountains. The balloon operates on weekends and most holidays when winds permit. Rides are free, which makes the balloon one of the genuinely unusual free experiences in Orange County — a family of four can get a balloon ride on a Saturday afternoon without paying anything. Wait times on busy weekends can be substantial; arriving early or on a weekday visit when it’s operating reduces the wait considerably.
Adjacent to the balloon launch area, the Farm + Food Lab maintains a small working farm plot where weekend programming introduces children to growing food, and the Great Park Farmers Market operates on Sundays. The carousel operates near the balloon and is free to ride. The surrounding grounds include sports fields, a golf course, and open grass areas suitable for picnics and informal play.
The park is large enough that the developed areas — balloon, carousel, farm, sports facilities — are dispersed across a site still being built out. Navigating between attractions takes more walking than a compact park would require. The agricultural remnants of the former Irvine Ranch, the scale of the repurposed military landscape, and the still-in-progress quality of the development give the park a character that is different from a conventional city park. For families, the combination of the free balloon ride, open space, and Sunday farmers market makes a weekend morning here a reliable and inexpensive outing.