I have so many fond memories of Balboa Park and I look forward to making more, from Halloween…read moreparties at the San Diego Air and Space Museum and my friend's wedding to exploring Spanish Village Art Center for the first time, visiting the Botanical Building, going to the Japanese Friendship Garden, discovering the museums, and experiencing December Nights. San Diego wouldn't be the same without this beautiful landmark!

Word to the wise, do your research and know where you're going beforehand. Unfortunately we just…read moredecided to come spur of the moment and didn't really know what we were doing. So apparently there are a lot of parking lots which are not free, $10 unless you're a native and have a pass. We found one lot, called lower inspiration that's free for 3 hours. Also, we didn't realize how big that place is, with so much to see! There are museums, places to eat, the zoo, a playground for kids and I'm sure so much more. The museums are not free, they do sell passes or individual tickets. It's a nice place to spend a day or even a few hours.

Favorite place to shoot some balls at the range!…read more Who doesn't like the smell of sea air and sunshine? Best of all they have a golf course, and brewery/cafe. A great place to shoot balls by yourself or hang with friends.

I think this a very decent golf course with well maintained areas and a nice, large putting…read moresection. There's no need for a cart unless you have a lot of gear, and they have plenty of push carts available in case you don't have one.

Balboa Park is laid out around canyons. Florida Canyon is one of them. I "discovered" it over a…read moredecade ago wandering down from the Desert Garden to a 2+ mile trail that loops through the canyon. It's an easy walk that can be done in an hour or so ... more if you stop and enjoy the desert species along the way. More adventurous, there are dozens of other trails of varying degrees of difficulty in the canyon. Best place to park (free) is across Park Blvd at the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego County Craft Brewery Road Trip Week!…read more When the beer nerd friend I homebrew with (& fellow Yelp Elite) planned a week vacation down in San Diego with the wife & kids, he asked if I might want to take that same week off & go down there too. Hmmm, a whole week of drinking beer at craft breweries all over San Diego County? Oh Hell yeah! While in town, I spent almost as much time trying to explore all the great outdoor places SD has to offer as I did exploring the beer scene. Almost (priorities). After reading reviews from a few Yelp Elite friends, I became interested in checking out Florida Canyon. I rolled out here on a warm Thursday morning. Having really gotten into trail running this year, Florida Canyon seemed right up my alley. It's a compact area with a good number of trails that zig & zag up & down both sides above Florida Dr. Though I only ran 2 miles, I still worked up a serious sweat. It was the heat. It got a lot warmer here than places I usually run up in NorCal. By degree of incline, the trails are moderately challenging. The trail surface itself is mostly smooth. No need for hardcore trail running shoes, street running shoes will do fine. After my quick run, I rehydrated with as much water as I had with me, which wasn't enough. It was obviously time to supplement my fluids with beer...

This is the most open and spread-out Dog Park in San Diego! Situated behind the Balboa Tennis Club,…read moreit has everything you need...water fountain, benches, hiking trails, poop bags, restrooms, stunning canyon views, etc. Watch the videos, to get an idea of the layout. Plenty of free parking.

This is an open park (no fences) and solid dirt (no grassy areas). But a great place for your four…read morelegged friends to run their little tails off. Dogs are always well behaved - I think a lot of that has to do with the lack of fencing-dogs listen to their parents here! It's pretty hot and dusty in the summer - so remember to bring water.

A great place to go and go hike, practice archery, participate in organized sports like baseball or…read moresoccer, or just walk your dog! The place is a large complex with several baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a public pool, and a dog park! We discovered this place when our TKD school used the Location to teach outside. Morley Complex is spacious for so many activities! I bring our dog, Oreo, so she can enjoy this wonderful place as well. This is a gem right in North Park! Come on and enjoy all this park has to offer and get to know your neighborhood!

This is an extensive sports complex in the northeast section of Balboa Park, east of Park Blvd…read more  There are facilities for baseball and softball, bocce, tennis, track and field, basketball, cycling, tennis, archery, swimming ... and golf.  Actually, there are three public golf courses: an 18-hole golf course, 9-hole executive course, and a disc golf course.  My first introduction to Morley Field was when my brother-in-law challenged me to a round of "Frisbee golf" here over 30 years ago.  Other than a few rounds of golf on the Balboa Park Golf course -- and some more Frisbee golf -- I've rarely used the Morley Field Complex.

Perfect place for disc golf. Plenty of parking and it's completely FREE. Two different layouts: OG…read moreand Summer League. I've only done the OG layout and it was pretty tiring for my first time lol. 18 holes where the second half is the same as the first half, but just longer distances. If you find any discs lying around, make an effort to return it to its owner. But if there's no contact info, it's fair game. I found two drivers here with no info on it. Call it the "unwritten" rule.

Great park for disc golf of all levels. Recommend getting some hiking shoes…read more A lot of hills for walking , bring extra water when roaming around. Watch out for skunks near the forest area

Kit Carson is a fantastic free large public park that I cannot recommend enough. It is a wonderful…read moreplace to take a walk, run, play, and explore. There are tons of people each morning taking walks and in turn is a very safe spot. You will likely need to come here several times if you want to explore everything. Come with a friend or enjoy alone.

What a greet place to have your kids growing up playing all kinds of sports. Whether it's soccer,…read morebaseball or football, the park has organized competition. Plenty of parking and a great place to walk around the pond. Afterwards, make your way over to the shopping center just blocks away for lunch or dinner. We love the Mediterranean Restaurant, Panini Grill. Make it an outing even if you don't watch your kids or grandkids play at the park.