Tilden Regional Park Merry-Go-Round

As far as carousels go, this one is just as nice, with much more history. Built in 1911, it has been in use for over 100 years. It’s charming, inexpensive, and loved by many! Be sure to check their hours, as we arrived only to find it closed at 10am during our initial visit.

Fun and cheap! It’s a nice place to go to during summer. The staff is friendly which is always a nice thing.
I’m not giving it 5 stars because it’s a bit hard to get to, it almost seems like they hid it on purpose.
The obvious «entrance» is actually and exit only, so you have to drive around it. Be careful, the entrance is quite easy to miss since the sign isn’t quite big.

Great little place. The ride tickets are cheap. My kids went three times for ten dollars. The ride is long enough and the place is clean. The employees appear to enjoy their jobs.

The Tilden Merry-​Go-​Round is truly one of our Berkeley gems. I know there is new management as of last year and they are doing a beautiful job. I didn’t want anything to change, and it hasn’t (and in fact, some things are better than before).
Rides are still $ 2.00! Having spoken to the new managers a couple of times, they are not only lovely people, but it is clear that they have a real love and respect for the merry-​go-​round, as well as being so knowledgeable about its history. It’s wonderful.
I love the «genuine» carousel music, the «traditional» menu items at the snack bar, and the quiet, old-​fashioned feel of the place. I brought my 79 year-​old mom here last week and she loved it. So, to echo what another reviewer has said, «Splendor for all ages!»
Highly recommended!

Second ride in the last month on the Merry go Round and wow I still really love it. Such a treasure in the midst of Mother Nature and all her splendor.
The music wasn’t working on our first visit, but it was fixed in time for our visit this weekend. It is authentic to the era and really makes the experience complete.
The staff is cool and light hearted and doesn’t make you feel like a dork for not accompanying children.
Splendor for all ages.

Old school merry go around, with a bit of history. Probably the worst thing you can say is that it’s very difficult to find. Despite having driven through Tilden more than a few times, and this being my second visit, I still went the wrong way due to the twisting roads, and not-​quite-​right signage.
I’m a bit past the age for merry-​go-​rounds, but it’s still a fun outing; make sure you check out the wall with the history on it.
Oh, and see if you can avoid innuendo about the riding the rooster and the cat (you may subsitute other words there).

Wow, settle down people and try to see this through the eyes of a child…
We recently moved to Berkeley from SF and brought my one and a half year-​old to the Christmas Fantasy at the carousel for the first time this year. She went insane! And that before we even went inside.
The lights and animals were so cute and festive. Once inside we walked right up to see a friendly sweet Santa and snapped some great pictures for free and even got stickers.
We have been to the carousel one other time and it goes without saying that it is magical. It was busy but not uncomfortably packed– parking was easy and wait for the carousel was not bad. We picked out ornaments had hot chocolate — served by a very friendly girl, and we could use our debit card. This was our first really special memorable Christmas outing in Berkeley and I hope to go every year. Thank you!

I adore this Merry Go Round but was disappointed at the Christmas Fantasy this year. Yes, I know there are new owners and that the bar is SUPER high, but they should have taken a lesson from the previous owners and shut the Merry Go Round down after Halloween in order to prepare– that was how it was done in the past. I know it must be expensive, but the bang for the buck would be well worth it. The crowds would more than offset the cost of making the Christmas Fantasy something to rave about. This year made me sad. And yes, bring back the old Santa. The young guy in the crappy, cheap get up was terrible. The previous Santa had REAL boots, a gorgeous suit (velvet!) and was charming as hell.
That being said, the Merry Go Round itself is as awesome as ever– and dare I say I think it goes *FASTER* than it used to? The guy who operates it most days is a little much to take and they seem to be really uptight about rules, but I hope they will learn to chill in time and bring back the awesome Christmas Fantasy.

I am so sad that the Christmas dreamland that my boys grew up with has changed. Knowing this, we went in the afternoon, since I knew there would be fewer lights and lawn decorations. But there was still magic there. It is a beautiful merry go round, kids were happy, Santa was there…
I’m hoping over the next year (since this is their first go around) there is an honest effort to replenish the decorations that have been there in the past. Maybe there can be a community effort to rebuild some of the things that we’ve grown to love.

What a disappointment.
We’ve been going for years, now on our 2^nd generation of taking our children.
When we arrived there were no cars in the lower parking lot, we thought it was closed.
When we got to the top parking lot, there were cars but plenty of parking (that part made the parking experience very easy).
This was not a good sign however because what magic this place once had is no more.
Before you felt you were at THE holiday happening. Now it borders on boring, even the choice of music is now boring. And Santa Claus leaves an hour before closing (big disappointment for the kids).
There is still the Merry-​Go-​Round but don’t expect that it will be the wonderful holiday experience as before. What a dud…

THE WORST XMAS EXPERIENCE
Christmas Fantasy USED to be the most amazing tradition for our family for generations. It was beautiful and magical and full of special lights and decorations. This year it looked like someone robbed the place and replaced it with a half attempt at cheap and ugly plastic things thrown in haphazardly.
SHAME ON THE PARKS DISTRICT for ruining this wonderful landmark by trying to turn a profit. This is a huge loss for all of our children and future children who grew up with such a unique magical experience. So sad for our family and the community.
No gingerbead cookies, no cider, no Christmas lights in the big tree, no decorations on a million trees to buy-​NO MAGIC. Don’t waste your time going and don’t go if your children expect what it used to be-​you will be left trying to explain why its not fun and special anymore like i did…

They ruined Christmas!
The truly magical tradition that we’ve experienced for the past decade is gone!
It turns out that the park booted the previous operators, who seemed to pour their heart and soul into creating a mini fantasyland for the holidays, in favor of someone who «scored higher» on an unspecified metric. Well, now we see the result. Pretty sad, IMO.

It is out family tradition at Christmas time to come out here. Our daughter now three and our son five months and we had a blast! We rode the carousel, bought our ornaments, and drank our hot coco and ate popcorn outside. The carousel has new care takers and they are so nice. They are working hard to get things up and running and it’s looking great! Please come out and show your love and support for them and have a great time.

Christmas Disappointment! So sorry to see all the Christmas décor and amazing display just gone! Where did it go? Why? Just read about the change in management and it is truly sad. Even the Carousel was not working normally.
The Christmas feeling is just gone. What a huge loss to Berkeley and the Merry Go Round! We want the old owners back and the truly magical display that they created.
I won’t go back. And I told all of my friends with kids at work to just stay home and cherish the memories from last year…

Christmas Fantasyland 2014. Where is the Santa we had grown to love over the last 4 years? I have pictures and video of this Santa with my daughter and her best friend since they were 3 years old. We looked forward to this special time every year. They had Elfs, real reindeer, and beautiful Xmas trees. We collected ornaments every year.
WHY DID THEY BREAK XMAS AND WTF DID YOU DO WITH THE REAL SANTA CLAUSE???
Chris K. If your reading this review and your posted someplace else cool like Alameda or Pleasanton or wherever they still celebrate Xmas in a legit way please respond!!!

My review is ONLY for Christmas Fantasyland 2014 (not the Merry-​Go-​Round other times of the year).
Such a HUGE disappointment!!!
We’ve been going to ride the Merry-​Go-​Round at Christmas time for years and look forward to checking out every ornament on every tree before deciding what to buy. Some years we’d go up several times just because we liked to so much.
But this year a new owner took over and there wasn’t one ornament I would consider hanging on my tree or buying as a gift, they all look so cheaply made. The decorations this year can NOT even be compared to previous years. Green laser light dots instead of colorful light bulbs on the big tree??? You gotta be kidding. The other cheap outdoor decorations look like they won’t even withstand one rainy season. And the Merry-​Go-​Round is decorated with cardboard cutouts. Not to mention they probably don’t even have ¼ of the decorations as the previous owners.
We also missed the past «friends» we’re use to seeing every year, including the gentleman who sometimes dressed as an elf and took tickets and sometimes played Santa, and the cashier with the adorable little puppies.
Why would the park okay this terrible change?
I feel so strongly that I will say it again, Such a HUGE disappointment!

I would have given 5 stars last year, but Winter Fantasy is just OK this year.
Good — I appreciate having Santa available for free.
Not so great — $ 10 for 7 tickets is good deal. Parents with kids below 42 inch have to stand next to kids, but they have to pay. Then, it becomes very expensive ride. Parents not riding a carousel don’t have to pay at the Oakland Zoo. Until my kid can ride alone, I will stick with the Oakland Zoo carousel.
Not so great — Holiday decorations inside the building is sparse.
Neutral — It felt that the carousel went faster than the last year under the old management. My kid loved it, but my friend’s kid freaked out.

We’ve been going to the Tilden Park Christmas Fantasy for the last few years and our family has always enjoyed it. It was something we looked forward to as a holiday tradition. This year to our surprise we found that it’s under new management and it is a totally different experience. To say it was disappointing is just the beginning. There was nothing there!
The carousel is still beautiful and the $ 2 ticket is great in this age of gouging the public for entertainment. But there was absolutely no effort put into what little bit of Christmas sparkle is left. It was more like a Christmas «spark» that was extinguished by the recent rain. Most of the lights and displays on the outside are gone and inside the carousel there is one sad window with a cheap HO scale train running with a string of $ 2 Christmas lights laying in a circle around the track. They laid down some simulated snow and put a few small buildings in the middle of the track and called it done. You won’t have to fight your way through a crowd to see this window. The only good thing is there was no waiting to get on the carousel because there was hardly anyone there!
The popcorn was burnt and too salty, Santa’s beard couldn’t have looked more fake and the entire experience was an enormous let-​down. It’s no longer a «Christmas Fantasy». Now it’s just another corporate run park.
We won’t be back.

$ 2 a ride for everyone 2+ or $ 10 for 7 tickets… Not bad! Everyone 42″ and smaller must be accompanied by an adult.
It goes surprisingly fast, which made me feel old! Such a fun time for kids

Coolest thing that I have seen in a long time! This merry-​go-​round is up in the hills and it is such a cool thing to see/​ride. It is old, and was just fixed up by the new owners. It is in a covered open air space in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. You have to drive through Tilden Park to find it and follow lots of signs. They also have a concession area that makes burgers and such.
It was not expensive for the kids to ride the merry go round and everyone had a blast.
TIP: Look for the horse with a rose. She is the leader of the pack.