Until fall 2023, the big oaks at 1300 Lake Washington Blvd. held up cables, platforms, and people in harnesses who had paid to climb them. Now those trees shade an outdoor amphitheater, a BMX course, and a grass field. None of it needs a ticket.
The city set Thursday, October 15, 2026, as Heritage Oaks Park's public opening date, after a renovation that started in August 2025. For anyone who lives in Southport, the change is bigger than new play equipment. The grove went from a private attraction you visited once to a public park you can walk to on a Tuesday.
The Trees Outlasted the Business Built Around Them
The city bought the nine-acre property about ten years ago. Most of that time it was home to Tree Top Sacramento, a zipline park run by a private operator that built its course around the site's large oaks, according to the West Sacramento News-Ledger.
Tree Top closed in fall 2023 after less than four years. The News-Ledger reported that the operator, Kletterwald USA, gave rising insurance premiums as the reason. The oaks were the reason the site worked as an attraction, and they stayed put after the business left. A climbing course depends on someone being willing to insure people high up in a tree. A park only needs people to show up at ground level.
Who Paid for the Second Act
The News-Ledger put the renovation at $7,833,175. The City of West Sacramento's project page lists a slightly lower approved budget of $7,791,128, so "about $7.8 million" is the fair way to describe it.
Where the money came from explains why Southport now has a public grove. According to the News-Ledger, $4,833,175 came from park impact fees and the other $3 million came from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. Park impact fees are charged on new real estate development and go toward neighborhood and community parks, trails, and recreation facilities. The Land and Water Conservation Fund sends federal money to recreation projects across the country.
| Funding source | Amount | Share of roughly $7.8M |
|---|---|---|
| Park impact fees on new development | $4,833,175 | About 62% |
| Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund | $3,000,000 | About 38% |
Put simply, building activity around the city paid for close to two-thirds of the park, and a federal grant covered the rest. The grove no longer has to make money to stay open.
What's Under the Oaks Now
The city's list of new features includes an outdoor amphitheater, a nature play area, a water play area, and a playground. The city's opening-day listing also names a spray ground, a BMX course with a pump track, and a grass field. The project page lists 29 added parking spaces.
The city's lineup for the first Saturday, October 17, shows how the amphitheater is meant to be used. It scheduled Yolo County Library Story Time, then scenes from "Woody Guthrie" by Splinter Group Theatre, then live music from The Seedy Burners. Tree Circus demonstrations were set for the wooded area, and the BMX course was listed as open for riding all morning. That mix of library programs, local theater, and a neighborhood band is the kind of programming a free outdoor stage invites.
For now, every amenity works on a first-come basis. The park information on the city's Party in the Park event page puts it plainly:
"Amenity reservations are not available at this time. All park amenities are available on a first-come, first-served basis."
One caution about water play this time of year. The city's spray ground page says the 2026 season ended September 27 at Westacre Park and Bridgeway Lakes. It doesn't list a fall or winter schedule for Heritage Oaks. If you're bringing kids for the water feature, check with the city before you pack towels.
The Café Was There First
Emile's Café, at the same 1300 Lake Washington Blvd. address, opened in 2025 while the park around it was still a construction site. Abridged, from PBS KVIE, reported that it was started by the grandchildren of Emile "Whitey" Boisclair and their partners. Whitey founded Whitey's Jolly Kone, and the same group also took over that burger stand. Whitey's, at 1300 Jefferson Blvd., lists 1963 as its founding year on its own site. So the new park's café comes from one of the oldest food names in West Sacramento.
Abridged described Emile's as the modern counterpart to Whitey's. It has a small indoor space that opens onto a large covered patio with herbs in planters, a house coffee blend from Temple Coffee Roasters, and bread and pastries baked in-house. The June write-up singled out the grandfather sandwich, an Italian ciabatta with prosciutto, salami, pepperoncini, and Parmesan for $17, and a wide, thin oatmeal raisin cookie for $3. That review ran in June and called at least one dish seasonal, so expect the fall menu to be different.
Emile's Café's website advertises Friday and Saturday evening service starting at 4 p.m. The homepage says it runs until 9, and the linked ordering promo says until 8. If you're planning dinner after an evening at the park, check the time before you go.
With the café on site, you can stop by the park for a coffee without planning a whole outing. You could already get a sandwich under the oaks before the playground opened.
Planning a Visit as the Days Get Shorter
The park's hours follow the sun. Restroom hours run on their own schedule and change soon.
- Park hours: West Sacramento parks are open dawn to dusk unless a special permit says otherwise.
- Restrooms through October: 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Restrooms November through February: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and closed on holidays. A weekend afternoon at the pump track in late November will run past restroom closing time.
- Getting there without a car: For the opening weekend, the city encouraged people to walk, bike, carpool, or use West Sac VIA, its on-demand transit service. If you live close by, a bike works well because the pump track is one of the main draws.
- Big-event parking: For the October 17 celebration, the city closed the lot, banned parking along Village Parkway and offered limited temporary parking on Lake Washington Boulevard. Expect similar rules at future programmed events.
One small note: the city's parks directory may still show Heritage Oaks as closed for construction with completion expected in winter 2026. The opening announcement and event listing are more recent than that entry.
Bryte Park Is Next, on a Longer Timeline
Heritage Oaks is the first of two big park projects the city has underway. As work at Heritage Oaks wrapped up, the city broke ground on a $64 million upgrade of Bryte Park, one of its oldest parks. The plan adds an aquatics facility, nine acres of new natural grass fields, an all-weather sports field, and another outdoor amphitheater. The News-Ledger reported completion is expected in 2029. Heritage Oaks cost about $7.8 million and took a little over a year of construction. Bryte Park costs roughly eight times as much and will take about three more years, so Heritage Oaks gets to be the city's newest park for a while.
Closer at hand, the city's free Safe Trick-or-Treat Street with Maverick! is this Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at River City High School Stadium. Candy, games, and themed stations run until noon, followed by a K-9 demonstration and a raffle at about 12:15. Parking enters at Linden Road and Raider Lane. It ends early enough to get over to Lake Washington Boulevard afterward, with time left to ride the pump track before the restrooms close at 7.
Parks paid for by impact fees, like Heritage Oaks, are a good example of how growth around West Sacramento shows up in daily life. If you own in Southport and want to know how projects like this connect to your home's value, or you're just curious what's being built near you, I'm happy to walk through it with you. Rich Gibbens is here when you're ready. Let's Connect.
