Aidan's Place at Westwood Recreation Center

Aidan's Place at the Westwood Recreation Center is the de facto neighborhood playground for families in Westwood, West LA, Brentwood, and Palms — a free, well-maintained public playground that earns a 4.7 Google rating across 376 reviews by being consistently excellent rather than merely adequate.

The playground is named after a community advocacy effort for inclusive playground design, and the inclusive elements show in the equipment — access points and play features that serve children with varying physical abilities alongside typically developing kids. This is increasingly the standard for well-designed public playgrounds, and Aidan's Place is a strong example.

The Westwood Recreation Center context adds amenities that purely outdoor park playgrounds lack: restrooms in the adjacent facility, parking in the recreation center lot, and organized recreation programs that mean the space is well-managed. Open court areas adjacent to the playground provide additional space for running and informal ball play.

Hours here are a genuine advantage for planning: the recreation center operates until 10PM on weekdays. This makes post-dinner playground visits a real option for families with kids who have energy in the evening — something that most parks don't support.

Westwood Village is walking distance for food. Sawtelle Japantown (Japanese restaurants) is just minutes east. UCLA's campus — beautiful, walkable, and free to explore — is blocks away and pairs naturally with a playground visit for a longer outing.