Beautiful park with plenty of parking, clean bathrooms, and a large playground. It's a bit tricky…read moreto find the entrance into the park, as the sign from the main street is very low and not very visible. But once you find the road, you'll know where it is for future reference :). Can't wait to come back!

A fantastic park near me that I've driven by but never walked in. Three or four immaculate baseball…read morefields, skate park, kids play area and really great trail of a mile and a half. But the best thing is how they keep it up and the employees that walk around and clean the grills and everything else. Really a fun find try it out.

5 star approved by 5 year old! Fun park, thanks to the staff at the City of Encinitas!read more

This is such a beautiful hillside park adorned with drought tolerant landscaping that makes it feel…read morelike a peaceful retreat. The upper level has a small children play area. The middle level is for kids 5-12. The lower area has a skating zone and basketball court. The little kids area have an interesting two person swing. The middle level has a cool looking slide that is recently taped off. The fake grass hill was fun to slide down on card board. There are covered tables for eating in the middle and upper section. There is limited street parking and no restroom.

This review is for Ted - a literal human angel…read more Ted, the park attendant in the RV in the corner of the lot, rescued a dog that I had lost while dogsitting for the first time for some new friends. When I arrived at his RV after the owner told me Kemba had been found there, Kemba was sitting in his lap, recieving some calming pats on her head after a very stressful last 90 minutes of wandering away and being found shivering in a bathroom stall. On top of the stress and frustration at myself for allowing that to happen, I comforted by Ted's warmth towards her upon her discovery, and by his warm, sincerely helpful demeanor that he demonstrated while explaining the story to me - the embarrassed and stressed dog sitter who had made a mistake. I so appreciate Ted's presence at Cottonwood Park. He said he helps with a lot of conflict resolutions in the parking lot, which I really respect, because I used to do conflict resolution for over 4 years in courts and interpersonally. I didn't tell him that, but I felt his grounded, service-oriented presence and quiet contributions that he likely makes to everyone who passes through. Thanks so much for your help - and for helping Kemba, who is now snuggled up next to my leg under a blanket

Your park hours listed here are until 10pm. If that is not accurate you all need to update it. My…read moreson and I used to love this park, but tonight at 8:20, about 15 minutes after the sun went down I was sitting in the parking lot finishing writing a segment for work. The grounds keeper (I assume that's who he was) came up to my car with a flash light and started screaming at me to "get outta here" you're the only car left! I asked him what the hours were because I had seen 10pm on this site (yelp) and I was just sitting there not bothering anyone. He said it closed at dusk, I asked if there was a sign he could show me or if it showed an actual sign, to which he yelled at me again to "get the f outta here" while flashing his light at me through my window with my 5 year old son in the back I don't think he realized was with me who I am now calming down because it was a scary interaction as a woman to be screamed at and a flashlight in my face by a random man, who did not identify himself and just yelled out at me to get out. I have never experience anything that scary at a friendly and happy park that we were frequent visitors at, but safe to say we won't be back and hopefully I can find other places to report him as thats not a safe environment with someone like that, nor have I ever been ran out of a family park parking lot by a strange unidentified man. I've also attached a photo that shows the park on maps and yelp says open til 10pm, as well as Facebook. Either way, the behavior was completely unacceptable for a random man it seems like the park allows to live and park there in a trailer and harass anyone, especially a woman since he saw I was alone and defenseless and with a young child.

This park is located in a neighborhood east of the 5 about 3/4 mile from the exit. There seems to…read morebe a lot of parking but the layout causes confusion as to where and which lot you should park when attending the sporting events. We entered the lower lot and it looked as if there was no access to the soccer fields up top and instead opted to park next to the recreation center only to find it to be an obsticle course to the fields. The hike was not that far but it was out of the way and the better option would have been the lower lot. The park has restrooms that are located center of the lower park. There is also another park next to the recreation center. The fields are not maintained well and a couple girls were injured from potholes and clumpy grass. There is picnic areas and some play structures as well as a couple baseball/softball fields. The three star review is based on the poorly maintained soccer fields. The city should do better for the youth.

First off, I love my phone. Being able to dictate a review while playing with my son (oh, I'm…read morefollowing after him as I do this) is a lot of fun. Not sure if that's the kid in me enjoying new technology or if I'm just reveling in being lazy and not having to do this at my laptop, but who cares? The children's play area for this park is not very big. A small field with a gazebo for snacking and lunching dominate most of the area. The playground itself has one of those rubber tops for safe jumping and falling, which I like, but it's also surrounded by a very large sandpit with big-grained sand, making it tough for anyone to wear sandals and you can expect the younger kids to be tossing the sand everywhere (mine did ... on another boy). The playset itself is made of dark brown and dark green plastic that becomes uncomfortably hot very quickly in the spring and summer sun. Still, it's a good size with a lot of fun activities for any pre-kindergartner to enjoy. But, the worst part of the playground is that it is so close to the main road. A little landscaping and a small fence separate them, but there are still many ways for kids to jump down and run into traffic if you're not paying attention; especially since many of the older kids have trampled lazy pathways of their own through the rosemary. There are a couple of other adjoining fields for soccer and baseball, but I would think most people would be interested in bringing their young children. As for that, on the funnier side, I don't think I've actually seen many adults playing with their kids here. If it's a blond kid, then the nannies are there to look after them; the darker haired kids have mothers that just sit on the benches drinking coffee and looking up news and gossip on their smart phones. Still, the small size makes it peaceful, and most people keep to themselves if that's what you're going for. In the end, coarse sand and bad coloring on equipment in a small area next to a busy road work against it, but it's still a nice park in an nicely open field.

This is a nice little park located in Encinitas at the top of a hill with sweeping panoramic views…read moreof the ocean. The parking is limited street parking, it just depends on day and time, but busier on weekends. There is a picnic table located under a tree, see my photos. There is some other seating and another table further up at the top but it is not shaded. Next door is a bigger grass area, and some play structures for the kids. I am not sure if it is all 1 big connected park, or 2 separate parks. Regardless the views at this park are great and it is a nice spot for a picnic lunch.

Really nice playground that is ENCLOSED for more peace of mind as the little ones run around. It…read morehas a forest theme with the brown and green colors and a play US Forest Service van that kids love. It has a good variety of things for swinging, seesawing, sliding, and climbing. Surrounding the playground is a grassy area where dogs are running around and providing great entertainment. It's convenient that it's across the street from the library. Best part is for mid to late afternoon, the trees provide shade that covers practically the entirety of the playground.

Beach is clean with a free parking lot just above. At the entrance there's a nice little…read moreplayground, a concessions stand with actual options beyond your standard hotdogs and burgers. We came on a cloudy day so it wasn't really crowded and we found free parking in the lot up the hill, just above the beach. The lifeguard station is right there so there was a sense of added safety as my kids learned to surf. Beach was clean, people were chill, and we'll def be back!

We came here as a family and really enjoyed it. I actually believe this beach was recommended to…read moreme, and it was everything they said it would be. The beach was nice and the water felt really good, not too cold, which made it even better. My daughter had a blast playing in the sand and just being free, and my husband loved it too, especially since it was his first time being in warm ocean water. We were able to find a spot that wasn't overly crowded, which made it feel even more peaceful and relaxing. Overall it was just a really good beach day and I would definitely come back.

It was the perrrfect day to plant 25 trees at Poinsettia Community Park in celebration of Arbor…read moreDay. This event was well received by the community...more than 30 people (mixed age groups) showed up to volunteer. It was AWESOME!! This beauuutiful 42-acre park contains the largest public tennis complex in the city (10 tennis courts and 6 pickleball courts), basketball court, baseball/softball fields, a multi-sport turf arena, alongside a modern playground, designated dog park area, and shaded picnic areas. Major pluses are restrooms, drinking fountains, and free parking. I definitely recommend this green space and family-friendly park to the Yelp Community :-)

This park is one of my favorites! It is so well taken care of with so many amenities that includes…read morean off-leash dog park separated by small and large dog areas, all the sports courts and my particular favorite, the pickleball courts. The few times I've been here has been enjoyable and everyone (including dogs) have been very amicable. The dog park is very well kept and like how they have some little obstacles courses for the dogs. The pickleball courts are also very nice but there are some areas that have been worn out, mostly behind the baseline. But nice seating area and efficient paddle system to rotate people in and out. I only wish it was closer to me.

Been to this park a couple times .. once by myself and once with family. It's so nice here! There's…read morea small lot which makes parking kind of tricky, especially on the weekends.. however there are street parking and another lot across the street if you're lucky. There's a playground for kids to enjoy.. lots of park bathroom stalls available (with toilet paper and soap)! And the beach is only a short walking distance away. The views are spectacular and we all had a great time enjoying the scenery

Love love love this cove and park! Breathtaking views, nice park, and easy access to the beach. My…read morefavorite!! I am hooked on this spot Such a peaceful experience. The flowers here are beautiful and really add to the park ambiance as well. Bring a picnic, enjoy the views, and soak it all in. This place really makes you appreciate the beauty all around you.

I've been birding for 7 years and find it to be a very relaxing and fun activity and if you're in…read morethe San Diego area, this is one of the best places to bird and you'll get some rare species too! I've been here a few times already and each time I have been here, Ive really enjoyed it. You need to come here early if you want a parking spot and there might be at most 20 spaces available between the eco center and charging lot across the street. When I came here this past weekend at 7am, there were plenty of spots! This place is beautiful and lots of water here so naturally birds will come too. There are also very rare species that call this home, including Belding's Savannah Sparrow (I saw this!) and the Ridgeway Rail (still looking for this one). I think I would enjoy a jog here too, so next time when I am here, Ill try to figure out a jog and bird combo! Definitely come get a dose of nature here, your heart, mind and body will thank you for it!

Beautiful lagoon with a nice walking path going all around it. Plenty of bird and nature watching…read moreopportunities here. Be mindful when you come as on weekends and certain times this place gets quite busy. So plan accordingly. I recommend packing a picnic and enjoying it here if you can.

I had the opportunity to experience the botanical garden both as a general visitor and as a…read moreprospective wedding venue. It was one of the most beautiful venues we toured, though there were some limitations regarding event spaces and accessibility. There were two primary areas capable of accommodating our guest count of 150: the Lawn Garden and the Dickinson Family Education Conservatory. I preferred the ceremony setup at the Conservatory, while the Lawn Garden offered a more appealing space for cocktail hour. However, the Lawn Garden is entirely outdoors, so couples should have a weather contingency plan. The amphitheater adjacent to the Conservatory felt relatively plain and undersized compared to the lush surroundings. Both venues were conveniently located near parking lots and restrooms, though the restrooms themselves resembled standard public facilities. The garden grounds were expansive and quite hilly. The Lawn Garden parking area required navigating a significant incline that could be difficult for some guests. While a shuttle service exists, we were informed it is volunteer operated and unavailable for private events. Venue rentals included ceremony chairs and cocktail hour belly bar tables. Most other services and rentals must be booked through approved vendors. During our tour, we explored many of the garden's attractions and found it to be highly family friendly, though less accommodating for elderly guests or those with mobility concerns. Children would love the children's garden, streams, and treehouse areas. Meanwhile, sections such as the Rainforest Garden and New Zealand Garden featured steep pathways that may be challenging to navigate. My favorite areas were the Walled Garden and the dancing topiaries, where flowers were sculpted into whimsical musicians and dancers. We also attended the Orchid Showcase inside the Conservatory, which featured an impressive collection of orchids. The volunteers were exceptionally knowledgeable and eager to share information beyond what was available on the website, adding a great deal to the experience. The gift shop was an underrated highlight. I picked up a pressed flower magnet where each one featured a unique arrangement. Ultimately, the venue felt a bit too small for our wedding, but it remained one of our top contenders. For couples who value greenery and natural beauty, this would be an incredible choice for a smaller guest count. Just be aware that much of the planning, design, and personalization will fall on the couple.

I always enjoy the Botanic Gardens but 2024 is the first time I attended the Lightscape festival…read more It was so worth the time and the trip and the parking! I took my Mom who I learned my gawking skills from and we had an excellent time walking and gawking at all of the amazingly designed lighting exhibits. It is very dark in the area say take time to slow down and watch for the entrance and parking signs and people. There were quite a few parking attendants around to point people toward spots and away from full lots. We went the day after Thanksgiving and it was full but it didn't take us long to find a parking spot. There were signs and the attendants also pointed everyone in the direction to the entrance. At the front, security checked bags and scanned tickets and ushered people into the park. Guides at the front suggested a route which included following the arrows lighted along the routes through the garden. It was so gorgeous! People were quite respectful of others trying to get photos of displays and couple and group photos. At one location I became the honorary photographer after helping out a few people. We walked around and posed and all for over three hours. It was a well spent wholesome family evening. You're killing it, SD Botanic Garden!