Emma Prusch Farm Park

Emma Prusch Farm Park is a beloved free community park in East San Jose, California, offering families a rare slice of farm life within city limits. Donated to the City of San Jose in 1962 by Emma Prusch, the park features heirloom vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, a rare fruit orchard, and farm animals including chickens and peacocks that roam the grounds.

For young children, the farm animals are the main event. Kids who've never been up close with a chicken or watched peacocks strut across a lawn tend to be genuinely delighted. The grounds are stroller-friendly with paved paths through most of the main areas, and there's plenty of open grass for toddlers to run around.

A large barn hosts community events and fair-style activities throughout the year.

Admission is completely free, parking is free, and the park is open every day during daylight hours. Pack a picnic and plan to spend a leisurely morning here — it's the kind of low-key outing that young kids tend to love and that costs nothing. For families in the East Bay or visiting Silicon Valley, Emma Prusch is a refreshing contrast to the area's tech-dominated tourist landscape.