Parks in San Diego

Balboa Park is one of the oldest dedicated urban parks in America, originally designated by the City of San Diego for future park development in 1835 and officially developed in 1870.

Today, the park stretches across more than 1,200 acres throughout the city's northeastern region, home to world-renowned cultural and family attractions such as the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Natural History Museum, and the San Diego Museum of Art.

Florida and Cabrillo Canyons cut through the park's lands, which have been developed into 17 landscaped gardens areas scattered across three mesas. Families can enjoy attractions such as the Balboa Park Carousel and Miniature Railroad, while history buffs can check out the Casa del Prado, which preserves buildings from the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition.

San Diego, CA, Phone: 619-239-0512, Map, Video

Chicano Park is one of San Diego's most historically notable public parks, located within its Barrio Logan neighborhood. The park, which was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2016 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, spans 7.9 acres underneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and is home to one of the largest collections of outdoor murals in the nation.

Its existence is the result of a significant citizen activism campaign by the neighborhood's Mexican American community, who protested the city's postponed plans for creating a public park in the neighborhood with a 12-day sit-in protest. Each year in April, the park hosts an anniversary celebration in honor of the successful park creation movement. Traditional Mexican music performances are also showcased at the park, along with lowrider car exhibits and ballet folklorico performances.

San Diego, CA 92113, Map

Embarcadero Marina Park South is a popular downtown waterfront park in San Diego's Embarcadero harborfront district, which is known as a bustling cruise ship port filled with seafood restaurants, souvenir shops, and family-friendly attractions. The park offers gorgeous views of the city's skyline and Pacific Ocean coastline, showcasing attractions such as the San Diego Convention Center. Basketball courts are available for visitor day use, along with exercise stations, bicycle paths, and a dedicated fishing pier. Day-use picnic sites are also offered, along with a gazebo, seasonal concession stand, and several fountains. The park is available for special event rentals throughout the year, serving as a popular wedding venue in the San Diego downtown district.

200 Marina Park Way, San Diego, CA 92101, Phone: 619-686-6200, Map

Golden Hill Recreation Center is an extension of San Diego's famed Balboa Park, owned and operated by the City of San Diego. The family-friendly park was privately financed and developed by area citizens before the primary development of Balboa Park, which has helped it retain its separate designation today, despite the fact that many of its original features vanished prior to the 1930s. Visitors can enjoy a variety of day-use amenities, including a children's playgrounds, tennis courts, ball fields, a gymnasium, and a number of public picnic table sites. The rustic and beautiful Golden Hill Fountain offers double rock stairways, radiating trails, and visitor benches, originally designed in 1907 by architect Henry Lord Gay and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Golden Hill Park, 2590-2596 Golden Hill Dr, San Diego CA 92102, Phone: 619-268-6307

Parks in San Diego for Families

Harbor Island Park is a serene public park overlooking San Diego Bay, offering spectacular views of the city's skyline and landmarks such as the Coronado Bay Bridge. The park offers both a shoreline walking path and a bicycle route for exploration of the city's coastline area, with dogs permitted on both trails on leashes throughout the day. Several lovely grassy areas make for great picnic spots throughout the warmer months, with restrooms and day-use picnic sites available for visitor use. A wide range of special events are held at the park throughout the year, including an annual Fourth of July fireworks show, a holiday Boat Parade of Lights, and significant sailing races such as the America's Cup. Private special event rental space can accommodate up to 250 guests for weddings, corporate events, and reunions.

Harbor Island Park, 1875 Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101

Heritage County Park is an historic San Diego County Park spanning approximately eight acres near the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, which preserves a plethora of historic buildings from the city's early colonial and pioneer eras. The park was developed as a means of protecting some of the city's most significant Victorian architecture, including properties displaying Queen Anne, Italianate, and Stick-Eastlake architectural styles. Victorian homes displayed throughout the park have been relocated from their original homesteads, protected with the help of the Save Our Heritage organization. Homes showcased include the 1896 Senlis Cottage, the 1887 Sherman-Gilbert House, the 1887 Bushyhead House, the 1887 McConaughy House, and the 1893 Burton House. The park is also home to the historic 1889 Temple Beth Israel, open to the public as a living history facility.

Heritage County Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row, San Diego, CA 92110, Phone: 858-565-3600

Hilltop Community Park and Recreation Center is a delightful public recreation center owned and operated by the City of San Diego's Parks and Recreation Department, initially dedicated and opened to the public in 1998. The park and community center offers a large public open space, home to a gazebo and amphitheater available for private special event rentals throughout the year. A fitness course is available for day use, along with a number of half and full basketball courts. Within the center, a children's play area is open to young visitors, while a multipurpose room offers a kitchen that is available for special event use. Meeting rooms and a craft room are also offered, along with a book nook operating a take a book, leave a book program to encourage community literacy. Open table tennis times are hosted at the center on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Hilltop Community Park and Recreation Center, 9711 Oviedo Way, San Diego, CA 92129, Phone: 858-538-8198

Kate Sessions Park is a spacious 79-acre public park named in honor of regional botanist and landscape architect Katherine Olivia Sessions, commonly referred to as the "Mother of Balboa Park" for her work on the design of the city's most notable public park. The park, which is located along the border of Pacific and La Jolla Beaches atop Lamont Street, offers stunning panoramic views of nearby Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Two separate day-use park areas are offered, including a grassy lawn slope that serves as a popular spot for kite flying, ball playing, and picnicking for visitors throughout the summer months. Day-use picnic sites are also available in the section, along with barbecue grills, restrooms, and a 0.75-mile walking path. In the park's second area, a protected natural habitat area is offered, along with two children's playgrounds.

Kate Sessions Park, 5115 Soledad Rd, San Diego, CA 92109, Phone: 619-525-8213

Lopez Ridge Park and Recreation Center is a lovely neighborhood park and community center in San Diego's Mira Mesa community, spanning nearly 18 acres. The recreation center, which was opened to the public in 2002, offers a variety of meeting room spaces open to the public for event rentals and community use, including corporate meetings, training sessions, and children's birthday parties. A free book nook program at the center offers opportunities for area residents to take a book of their choice and leave books to swap with other area residents. Outside, the center is home to a variety of sporting equipment options, including a full basketball court and baseball field that may be rented by community sporting groups. Other park amenities include a lovely shaded children's playground and a day-use picnic area.

Lopez Ridge Park and Recreation Center, 7245 Calle Cristobal, San Diego, CA 92126, Phone: 858-538-8171

Mission Bay Park is the largest aquatic park in the United States, stretching for more than 4,200 acres throughout a 27-mile stretch of San Diego's Pacific Ocean coastline area. The park, which attracts more than 15 million annual tourists, is known as one of the city's best spots for outdoor recreation, offering eight official swimming beach areas open to the public throughout the summer months. Visitors can rent boats for sailing on the park's open waters or check out bikes for use on the park's many designated hiking and biking trails. Kite flying, sunbathing, beach volleyball, and picnicking are popular activities throughout the park, which offers a plethora of designated restroom and shower facilities and other public amenities. Nearby, visitors can check out SeaWorld San Diego or take a moonlit cruise aboard the famed Bahia Belle sternwheeler.

2688 E Mission Bay Dr, San Diego, CA 92109