We had an outdoor party for family and friends at Patriot Corner Picnic Area at Shoup Park. It's such a beautiful spot!
Feels like a private area with lots of tables, a large tabletop and sink, and under the shade of big redwood trees. There's a lawn area too if people want to spread out.
It's also connected to a little hiking spot that you can walk into if you want to escape the bustle of the party.
Just around the corner from here is the community center, playgrounds, huge lawn area, and bathrooms too.
It's affordable to rent considering the prices of other venues or booking a private room at a restaurant for that many people (~ 40 of us). The public can still access it, and walk through, but since you've reserved it, you have priority for the tables.
We had tacos catered and family also brought other food and desserts. The tabletop was definitely filled up with tons of food and drinks! It was a lot of fun to see everyone again and enjoy a beautiful California day. My friends liked it so much, that they rented it out for their party afterwards haha!
Here are the pricing and details if you want to rent it out. You can rent for half or full days. We opted for a full day so we didn't have to rush with set up and clean up. Enjoy!
UPDATE: We hosted another party there this summer and it was just as nice! Since it's fresh on my mind, here are some party planning tips that may be useful for you:
Tablecloths: There are 9 rectangular picnic tables, and the center countertop area could use 2 rectangular tablecloths too. So I would get 11 in the future.
Balloons: I recommend getting 2 bunches of balloons (we just got 4 balloons total). One set to place at the entrance of Shoup Park on University Ave because it can be easy to miss the turn into the park. And then place the second set of balloons at the edge of the parking lot (before you walk down into the picnic area), so people know which way to find you.
Bottle of hand soap: Since there's a sink in the center bbq area, I like bringing a bottle of hand soap so people can wash their hands there conveniently, without having to walk over to the restrooms.
Trash bags: Bring extra trash bags so you can collect any trash and there's dumpsters in the parking lot where you can dispose of them before you leave. So you can leave the area clean as you found it.
Dolly or wagon: It's a short downhill trek from the parking lot to the picnic area, so you may want a rolling dolly or wagon to easily transport any food/supplies/drinks to and from the car.
Extra tents and folding chairs: If your friends/family have extra folding chairs or tents, ask them to bring those too. It was really sunny and hot in the summer, so the extra shade and seating can be useful. Or people could bring picnic blankets to lay on the grass.
Dusty/sandy area: Note your shoes / feet will get dusty and sandy. So I wouldn't recommend wearing your favorite pair of white shoes.
Creek: Depending on the time of the year, there is a creek that runs behind the picnic area, and you can also access it from the Redwood Grove area next door too. The kids loved playing there, but it did mean we had to keep an eye on the little ones.
Parking: There's two small parking lots within Shoup Park but those can get filled, especially if there's other parties going on (in the Garden House or in the other picnic areas near the playground). So likely your guests will need to park on the street on University Ave which should be easy enough to find and free too.
Reserve early in advance! If you already know what month and approximate dates you want, it's better to inquire about their availability sooner rather than later. It'll book up quickly!
Hope those tips were helpful! If you end up booking your party there, let me know how it goes. :)
400 University Avenue
Los Altos, CA 94022