Fremont Park

Conveniently located in downtown Menlo Park, this 0.38 acre park is perfect for a quick picnic lunch or a quiet afternoon read.

Handicap parking is available in the city parking lot adjacent to the park.

Historic heart of downtown

Located on Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive, Fremont Park is at the historic heart of downtown Menlo Park. Nestled alongside local shops, restaurants, and other small businesses, the park is a compact but vibrant hub of activity and is home to major community festivals, from the Summer Music in the Park free concerts to the Shop Local! Light Up the Season celebration.

Today a beloved community destination with benches, mature heritage trees, grassy lawn area and walking paths, the park also is steeped in history. When the United States entered World War I in the year 1917, Menlo Park was chosen as the site for a military training ground because its landscape and topography was similar to the French countryside. Where the present-day park now serves as a vibrant gathering place for visitors to downtown Menlo Park, Camp Fremont was once one of the largest training sites in the American West, where 43,000 American soldiers received training during World War I.  

The camp led to several new businesses starting in Menlo Park to provide goods and services to soldiers, many of which remained in business after the war. The United States Army constructed the first paved streets and the first municipal water and gas services in Menlo Park, as well as a hospital on Willow Road that later became the site of a Veterans Administration hospital.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the war’s armistice, Fremont Memorial Park (today known as Fremont Park) was established on November 11, 1938.

Location

Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025  View map

37.4494092,-122.1863735

Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive , Menlo Park, CA 94025

Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive , Menlo Park, CA 94025

Fremont Park