Let's Go to the Park

Having 19-month old twins at home, and living in a relatively small city apartment, makes us want to get out and play—just about every day—regardless if it’s sunny or rainy. That’s why it has become so important for us to find good parks. And a good park is hard to come by, especially in the city, and especially when your toddlers aren’t exactly ready for the monkey bars and the big kid swings. We have several defining factors of what makes for a good park:

• It has to be enclosed. With a gate that locks shut.
• It should have that soft, rubber surface instead of gravel and concrete. I heard they make these bouncy surfaces from old tires. Good use of recycling, if you ask me.
  
• The park needs more for toddlers to do than just sit in the sand and bake in the sun. Granted, San Francisco does not have many cloudless days, but when it does, the sand heats up and it heats up fast.
  
• The gym set needs to be geared for toddlers, which should include short steps, a place to run around once you get up top and not accidentally fall off, and a short slide.
  

The best park we have found so far is Alta Plaza Park. I think it’s also known as Alta Vista park. It’s located between Scott and Jackson Streets. It has everything we look for in a good toddler-park and it boasts beautiful views of the city. This park also provides a “see-and-be-seen” opportunity for parents who prefer to socialize while playing with their kids. While we prefer to wear shorts and flip-flops to the park, some parents like to wear designer boots… but I digress. It’s a great park.

Julius Khan Park, located in the Presidio, is another good one. While it is more geared toward the bigger kids, our toddlers still enjoy playing in the shade underneath the gym set that’s just a little too big for them. We will probably visit this park more as the kids get older. It’s also a great park to host your birthday party. They offer a huge field, a clubhouse, and picnic tables. I understand you have to make your reservations early, like a year in advance, but people do it because we see parties there all the time.

Another park in the Presidio is Mountain Lake. We’re not huge fans of this one, because it is a little small and limited and again the gym set is designed for older kids, but there are always other people there. The best part is the lake. The kids love the birds and ducks. There’s also a dog-run nearby, and our kids love dogs, so that’s a bonus.

Last, and certainly least, is Presidio Heights Park. This is a true city-park; it offers plenty of asphalt and concrete. We like this one the least, and yet it’s the one we visit most often, simply because it’s so close by. On the plus side, it does have a small sand box for the little ones to play in, and there are always park toys that our kids like. Once again, the gym set is a little too big for our kids, but they do enjoy the swings.

Parks are great for the good weather days. But as we all know, San Francisco can get cold and rainy. On those days, we pack the kids in the car and head to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It’s a short hop across the Golden Gate Bridge and is located in beautiful Marin. Simply put: Our Kids Love It! They have great play areas both indoors and outdoors. They offer breathtaking views of the bridge and surrounding hills. They offer all kinds of activities for kids of all ages. We see ourselves visiting BADM for several years to come. They also provide birthday party services, which we’ve contemplated doing.

So, there you have it, that’s our run down of San Francisco parks that we’ve enjoyed.

Alta Plaza Park
Between Scott and Jackson Streets
San Francisco, CA 94115

Bay Area Discovery Museum
East Fort Baker
557 McReynolds Road
Sausalito, CA 94965-2614

Julius Kahn Park
Pacific Avenue (inside the Presidio)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Mountain Lake Park
10th Avenue and Lake Street (inside the Presidio)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Presidio Heights Park
Clay and Laurel Streets
San Francisco, CA 94118