To celebrate Bastille Day, the French group again chose Emerson Park in San Luis Obispo. There are…read morelush shade trees lining one side of the park and abundant grass beneath them, perfect for a "Dejeuner sur L'Herbe," or luncheon on the grass, inspired by the French Impressionist painter, Manet. We were immediately welcomed by the host and hostess of our group, who had thoughtfully provided the tables and an umbrella. It is a bit hard to park nearby, but we all managed to ensconce our vehicles and find a place close enough to carry our picnic things. There was a long table with a tantalizing spread of French baquettes, cheeses, sausage, salad Nicoise, berries and an onion tarte. The deserts were almost a buffet in themselves, with Palmiers, cupcakes, an almond tart, Madeleines, tea bread, and a Tarte Tatin. A cooler offered iced beverages. We circled our chairs in the shade and enjoyed this tranquil space in the middle of San Luis Obispo, while our host enlightened us as to the history of Bastille Day. It is so enjoyable to share French culture with a group of people who are also interested! The park takes up an entire city block, and has play structures for children and a basketball court that was in use the day we were there. They also have two Petanque courts or lanes for bowling with bocce balls. We engaged in a spirited game after our lavish feast. If you venture online and explore the options for Emerson Park, there is a site sponsored by the city that asks for suggestions for improvements to the park. One of the many items includes parking and a public garden, as well as other ideas that would only make the park better.

Local Take: The first of the "Mondays in the Park" series started here, as well as, our first park…read morebased SLO Public Health Mobile Vaccine Clinic. The Parks department also help arrange alot & they helped with logistics, chairs, music, & invited a whole bunch of Food Trucks [Baguette About It; Cubanisimo, & Plant Ivy]. The event was quite a success from the Food Truck & fun point of view. Both kids & adults had a good time. The trucks had long lines & sold out of most things after awhile. There were some performances, dancing, & music. The park itself is really close to downtown SLO, but unless you know exactly where it is, you can easily confuse it with another nearby park that is a few blocks more toward Cuesta Grade. This park is more suited to Food Trucks being inside, but the parking around here is not so great. Our Vaccine event was more informative & it was to test the waters in a park setting. We did have a bunch of people stop by for information & did one shot, but oddly enough I had more requests for a free beer or Vodka. It seemed that the majority of the people here mostly had their vaccines done already, but it was nice to chat. Since we just finished the second "Monday in the Parks" event in DeVaul Park, which was less packed with a much better turn out for vaccines, this series in these challenging times, seems to be a hit. While there are two more events like this, in two other SLO City Parks, it is probable that if these continue to be a success, it might become a regular thing. People seem to love the Food Trucks, the fun, & do appreciate the health promotion/ disease prevention aspect as well. Of course, we also enjoy these events as we also work. It is a pleasure for us, especially the Medical Reserve Corp Volunteers, to help our neighbors & our community, in these community settings. Every shot that we do can potential save many lives by slowing down, or even stopping an outbreak...especially with the most recent finding that any one Delta case can spread to 8-9 other people. This is now a very transmissible virus that rivals Chickenpox and even exceeds the transmissibility of several other serious infectious diseases including the now extinct Smallpox. Evolution can be amazing, but can also be very deadly when it works against a species. Over the past months were have done dozens of Mobile Clinics in almost all towns & cities in SLO county. We have had Mobile or Pop-up clinics in a wide range of venues, both inside & out. They include Parks, Community Centers, Churches, Schools, Food Banks/Pantries, Low Income Housing Areas, Farmers Markets, Swap Meet, Workplaces, and more. If anyone wants to propose a place for us to do a Pop-up, we are all ears. If anyone wants to get a vaccine [either Pfizer or J&J] please look for either one of our future Mobile Clinic sites, or head to one of 3 SLOPHDs [Grover, SLO, or Paso]. While it is harder to find, some Pharmacies may have Pfizer, but we definitely do. J&J is used for those who prefer a one shot deal. Things are getting more serious as the C-19 Delta spreads & testing is ramping up again....as well as cases. The completed vaccine rate in SLO County is not the best by far, but we are trying our very best to increase awareness & accessibility for everyone. Please get vaccinated if not already & please kindly encourage those who are resistant to please come out to at least chat with us. We keep up with the latest information and can help address people's concerns as well as help correct misinformation or myths. It is great that the Parks Dept. as well as other groups help support us in these community outreach projects. While it may seem odd to get a vaccine in a park, it is hard to think of a safer more pleasant way to get one. People seem to feel much less anxious in this non-clinical environment. Thank you!

Laguna Lake Park has a lot to offer and with the newly upgraded dog park, I had to come visit and…read morewrite an updated review. Overall, was a bit disappointed with the upgrades they'd done to the dog park. It is fully fenced and has completely separate small vs large dog parks which is good. But for the amount spent, I was expecting there to be a much larger grass areas and generally a bit larger of a park for the large dogs. The grass area in the large dog park is in the middle and the majority of the park is actually bark and small rocks, which isn't great for the pups' paws. There are benches throughout and water stations for the dogs which was good to see. They've added some obstacle courses for dogs to play on, which was fun. However, I strongly disliked that I saw folks come in to bring their kids to the dog areas and obstacles like it was a kids playground (which clearly it is not). Generally, from what I have seen thus far, most dog owners are friendly and self aware of their dogs' behaviors which is always great to see. Nice upgrades overall just was expecting a bit more but that's okay. Still a great place to take a walk and enjoy the lake views or go to the dog park!

We were in the area after traveling all day and needed a place to walk around. Laguna Lake Park fit…read morethe bill. Numerous people were out walking, walking dogs, fishing, and picnicking. The park was clean with ample parking and had multiple trails to choose from. The lake and plants made for nice views as well walked. A good stop for us.

Super cute and small park/playground nestled in a nice neighborhood. You would not even know it was…read morehere, it is that hidden. Plenty of play structures including an old fashioned merry go round (these used to make me sick when I was a kid!) I would say little kids would really enjoy as the park beckons them to come have some a good time. Huge trees provide an abundant amount of shade which is nice during the summer. The neighborhood feels safe so I imagine many families that live in the area let their kids play here. Parking on the street only so you may want to walk over instead.

Great park tucked away in a quiet neighborhood. A nice size with a large variety of activities for…read morekids of all ages. Best part with it being so warm and sunny out is the amount of shade. Nice to be able to let your child play without really having to worry about sun exposure.

Mitchell Park is a very choice venue in a number of ways. It's got plentiful parking all around…read moreit, it's well maintained, and it's a beautiful spot to stop off to enjoy a leisurely lunch. The definite downside is the fact that at times it's virtually overrun with homeless people; the fact that there's a liquor store only steps away probably doesn't help with that :-( That downside not withstanding, there's a nice playground here for the kids, so come and enjoy and you'll almost certain to think your time was well spent!

Do not go to Mitchell Park if you have children--especially the Children's Playground. The homeless…read morehave been allowed to take over the park, and it can often feel scary. I have personally been accosted simply walking through the park during the day. But the biggest concern is the safety and well-being of kids. Just yesterday, my wife and I brought our 6-year-old granddaughter there. I knew it could be problematic, but we had 20 minutes to kill and were right there. At one point, my wife took my granddaughter into the women's restroom. Earlier, I had seen a man enter and then leave it. Inside, there was a completely naked woman washing herself in the sink. When my wife and granddaughter walked out, they nearly walked into a zombie-like tweaker near the bathroom door. Very disturbing.

A surprisingly large neighborhood park hidden away in the Arbors near Marigold Shopping Center…read more The play structure is off limits right now and people need to practice Social Distancing to avoid spreading the Corona VIrus, but this was a bright happy active place on Saturday afternoon. The park has an uphill slope, with a baseball diamond on the lower field surrounding it. If you go up the hill, there are a play structure, a tennis court, and restrooms. No one was on the play structure, which had a warning sign and was closed. There is also a fairly large area to BBQ and have a picnic. People were leaving space for others, and enjoying the beautiful sunny atmosphere in this hidden green gem of a park.

What a nice neighborhood park! They have a baseball field, two playgrounds, tennis courts, and a…read morebasketball court. However, the popular sport seems to be Pickleball. The courts were full and folks seemed to be having a lot of fun. Perhaps I will give it a try soon. Also, very friendly people in the neighborhood and there were a lot of smiles and waves.

Nice park for family events or just a nice day at the park. All bases are covered here whether your…read more2 or 52 years old you can relax and enjoy the day here.

Stopped here for a quick picnic. Great vibes! Walking/running/biking trail, bathrooms. Clean, cute,…read morelove it.

My boys loved the skatepark with bonus basketball courts right next door. Bathrooms available and…read morea gas station mini mart walkable without crossing a street. Huge plus, the bowls have drains so the park was skateable despite having rained the day before.

Great hockey! Hard to find on the central coast so we'rehappy to have a rink. Pickup…read moreInformation at @ slohockey on Facebook.

One of my favorite places in SLO! I really appreciate the work the city workers (and/or volunteers)…read moredo to maintain this trail. I would say it's an easy to moderate hike to the top if you take the trail head near Meadow Park. I prefer the second trail on the left to the top of the main hill.

A beautiful place to hike in town, who wouldn't love that?!…read more I swear, I felt like I was hiking in Wales or Scotland on my recent hike in South Hills (except for the homeless dude scrambling to get out of my way.) The hills are very rocky and rugged - quite striking. However, it might be wise to think twice about taking those hikers who might struggle to safely navigate the rough terrain of the upper peaks (the lower trails are much smoother.) I parked on Woodbridge Drive (ample on-street parking across from houses) and hiked up the Ridge Trail to the first peak, then hiked across to another lower peak (past the water tank) where Tibetan Prayer Flags adorn the overlook - spectacular for a small hill situated in town. Round-trip, I hiked about 2.6 miles and up 808 feet in just about an hour. Views were awesome, terrain lovely and the hike fun - 5 stars!