Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8
For the Active Family
Given its location in sunny Califor-
nia, S an Francisco draws its fair shar e of
outdoor and spor ts enthusiasts. Although
the city pr oper may be fogbound in the
summer, the temperate w eather means
staying indoors is rar ely a mor e attractive
option than getting outside. Green space is
abundant—almost ev ery neighborhood
has a par k or playgr ound—and the bay ,
ocean, and woods ar e all immediately
accessible. Even the mountains ar e just a
few hours' drive away.
City residents have a terrific resource at
their disposal in the form of the
San Fran-
cisco R ecreation & P ark D epartment
(
&
415/831-2700;
www.parks.sfgov.org).
Along with maintaining the par ks, play-
grounds, tennis cour ts, and swimming
pools, this office r uns all kinds of spor ts
programs for kids and adults thr ough the
individual recreation centers found at the
larger facilities such as M oscone R ecre-
ation Center in the M arina, G len P ark,
Sunset R ecreation Center , B alboa P ark,
and Potrero Hill. It even sponsors low-cost
art classes at S haron S tudio in G olden
Gate P ark and a teen musical theater
group that performs a few times a year. In
the summer , basketball fans can attend
exciting pr o-am men's and women 's bas-
ketball league games at K ezar Pavilion in
the H aight for fr ee. And did I mention
golf? San Francisco has five gemlike public
courses within city limits.
The
Golden G ate N ational P arks
Association (GGNPA),
a nonpr ofit orga-
nization dedicated to the pr eservation of
our local open space, wor ks hand in hand
with the N ational P ark S ervice to make
the 75,000 acr es of par kland under their
jurisdiction as user-friendly and enticing
as possible. Docents and rangers r egularly
lead walks and talks on the flora and
fauna, histor y, and geology of the ar ea.
Walkers and hikers have much to explore,
from the brick and granite fortifications in
Fort Point to the r emnants of F ort F un-
ston, to the trails in the M arin Headlands
just acr oss the G olden G ate B ridge. The
most r ecent addition to the GGNP A is
Crissy Field,
with a re-created tidal marsh,
picnic facilities, an educational center, and
the all-impor tant Warming H ut, wher e
you can get a hot chocolate.
For many kids, the best par t of a v aca-
tion involves some active sport or outdoor
adventure, be it ice skating, riding horses,
swimming, fishing, or just taking a hike
together. S o although S an F rancisco's
museums, shops, and r estaurants may
thrill par ents, tr y to mix it up a little.
There are plenty of wonderful, more active
pursuits to consider as well.
1
PARKS & PLAYGROUNDS
San Francisco supports many more parks in the city limits than those mentioned belo w.
I've not listed playgrounds too far from the more touristed areas to be useful, unless there
was a compelling r eason to include them. F or a mor e complete listing, visit the www .
gokid.org or www .gocitykids.com w ebsites. ( The R ecreation and P ark w ebsite, while
easier to navigate than in the past, doesn 't offer a compr ehensive, easy-to-read listing of
playgrounds.)
