[Review #765] 2023-051…read more Dee Hardison Sports Center, named after former Torrance Mayor, Dee Hardison, is located in the heart of Charles H. Wilson Park with a multipurpose room & large gymnasium. The Center is a part of the City of Torrance's youth & adult sports programs that include basketball, volleyball, judo, classes & special events. They're open weekdays: 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Saturdays: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Sundays: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM; with longer weekday summer hours of operation: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM. Private groups may rent the MP or gym when it's not in use by the city. The rental info can be found on: https://www.torranceca.gov/our-city/recreation/dee-hardison-sports-center. All reservations require a minimum of 5 days advance notice to allow for staffing; for availability, call Facility Booking at: (310) 618-5982, or email: FacilityBooking@TorranceCA.gov. Fee Sheet: https://www.torranceca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/74759/637901919461030000 Application: https://www.torranceca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/74761/637901919753070000 When our daughter was a toddler (about a decade ago), we would take early evening walks around the park & see classes held at the sports center. I think kendo was held at one point, not sure if it's still around? Fast forward 10 years later, my son is a member of South Bay Judo (www.southbayjudo.com), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The Club practices on Tuesday & Thursday evenings. It's a family-friendly club that teaches quality judo fundamentals to all students: discipline, honor, & respect inside & outside of the club. The gym hosts basketball, dodgeball, volleyball clinics on weekday evenings & weekends. H's classmate plays in the volleyball clinic on Saturday mornings. We're usually at the farmer's market before or after his matches & would stop by to cheer him on. The facility is fairly clean & well-maintained, except the restrooms may be messy & understocked on Saturdays due to the busyness of the park & center. If you're a Torrance local, stop by to see what the City of Torrance has to offer for you & your family.

UPDATE 1: Review #10 2026-024…read more Since my decade old review, Charles H. Wilson Park is due for an update. Major Changes: 2005: Annenberg Tree House 2009: Fitness Zone 2012: Turf Training Facility 2018: Children's Playground & Splash Pad 2024: Community Sports Complex's Roller Rink 2025: Tennis Courts LED Lighting Current Project: It was announced in 01/2025 that 8 new dedicated, lighted, & ADA-accessible pickleball courts will be built near (north) the existing courts. Early 2026 completion expected. Amenities: * Amphitheater * Basketball Courts * Batting Cages * Electric Car Charging Stations (PlugShare) * Farmer's Market (Tuesdays & Saturdays) * Fitness Course 0.91-mi. * Fitness Zone * Futsal * Horseshoe Courts * Indoor Sports Center * Live Steamer Trains (1st Sunday, 3rd Saturday) * Paddle Tennis/Pickleball Courts * Picnic & BBQ Areas (bouncer accessible with permit) * Playground * Restrooms * Roller Hockey Rink * Sand Volleyball Court * Softball Diamonds * Splash Pad * Sports Center * Tennis Courts * Tree House Donated by The Annenberg Foundation, the 2.5K sq. ft. Tree House was designed by Treehouse Guys, LLC & is the 1st universally-accessible tree house in a CA public space. The "fresh air gym" includes kinetic exercise machines, intuitive adjustable resistance machines, & calisthenics station for body weight exercises. I love this outdoor gym but the OCD in me has issues with not spraying down (sanitizing) equipment after use which is common for indoor gyms & it gets really dusty/dirty particularly after raining. Batting cage operator Tyler Sports, Inc. helped turn the defunct skatepark into a 10K sq. ft. artificial training facility for futsal & baseball/softball fielding; there's 2 netted pitching tunnels & 2 turf sports fields. This helped minimize non-rule abiding soccer players from practicing on the tennis & pickleball courts, & damaging the nets. Futsal is a fast-paced, scaled down version of outdoor soccer. The children's playground was part of a citywide initiative to modernize aging play structures & swing to meet current safety standards. I love the intricate "Spherical Spider Web" rope-based climbing structure! There's a smaller rock climbing wall for the younger set or kids who prefer to be closer to the ground. The only iffy equipment is the Stand-Up Seesaw; I've seen some kids accidentally falling or intentionally crawling underneath the seesaw while in motion. Yikes! That same year a splash pad was added to replace the defunct pond (which I miss dearly... I loved our local ducks!), turning the community's eyesore into a spot to cool off during spring & summer, using recirculating water system to conserve water (yeah, that means don't drink the water!). L.A. Galaxy & TUDN partnered to refurbish the rink's floor surface with Sports Court Defense tiles that are designed to be a safer, shock-absorbing surface, & better support sports: roller hockey, roller derby, pickleball (6 courts), futsal (3 courts), etc. LED lighting was added to the tennis courts for reduced operating costs, improved visibility (that would be me for my old fart eyes), & energy efficiency. I officially tried pickleball for the 1st time this year at YEE Badge Day at PowerPlay Pickleball (refer to Review #953), & I'm hooked! So I am especially excited for these new lighted courts... woot, woot!! The farmer's market has grown so much that they expanded to the small lot west of the softball field nearest to Crenshaw Blvd.; most of the food vendors are located there in addition to the ones near Dee Hardison Sports Center. I met Mel while taking a pic of the horseshoe courts; he's registered with the City to maintain the courts & was doing some upkeep when he spotted me. Mel's so thoughtful & generous with his time... I learned Ted Allen horseshoes are the best (unique finger grips for consistent throws, expertly designed for balance), about the Flip or Turn style (he prefers turn) throws, differences between kid & adult horseshoes, court clay, etc. Ted broke many records to his 10 world championships as well as holding them, including 72 consecutive ringers -- wowza! He even demoed a couple of pitches for pics & hit 2 ringers... what a surprising moment for writing this update! Charles H. Wilson Park is a 44-acre family-friendly, recreational hub that truly has a l'il something for everyone!

Went here for a park show. Redondo Beach Ballet of performing arts. The art show was cute. Boys…read moreand girls of all ages performing. There is plenty of parking on the North West side. This park is spacious. Has picnic tables, aquatic facilities, basketball court, pickel ball and a good outdoor stage presentation facility for events. Place fits over a 1000 people at this outdoor event venue. Bring your pop up tent and your fold up chairs to feel comfortable. With that said, my #1 gripe about this park, only two unisex toilets available! Who would put a 2 person bathroom with a cipher code that can accidentally lock. These two bathrooms is stationed like a miniature hut stationed by the entertainment area. Who ever engineered these bathrooms should be reprimanded. It was a dumb idea for cipher codes to be implemented. One bathroom was accidently locked with no one in there! Terrible idea. Over a 1000 people and only as two restrooms nearby! If you had to use the use restrooms.. you have to walk in the other side of the park where the picnic area is located. It is quite a walk! Walked or wait 30 minutes. Overall, its comfortable park minus the restroom situation.

One of the best what Forth of July, celebrations in the city of Los Angeles. We have been coming…read morehere since they stop having the Forth of July celebrations at Centinella Park. They have a amazing fan that starts entertaining at 6 PM until the fireworks show starts. They have multiple food trucks with great food to experience and plenty of activities for the kids. There's two jumpers and you can play whatever sports you love in the grassy area. They also have a hill, and if you have a box, you can slide down it to your hearts joy.

The place is really thought out. Well. There was ample parking. They have lights for when it gets…read moredarker. There's a playground for older kids, a playground for younger kids and a huge open field. The bathrooms were surprisingly very very clean. I was very surprised. I thought it was going to be something where I had to hold my breath for 3 minutes. Use the bathroom, wash my hands and head out. But it was extremely clean. They have a giant fire pit. No one started a fire there, but it looks like that would be a pretty big bonfire. I would come by again if I was in the area. Good job El Segundo

I think this would be a better place for kids to play at IF they cleaned the toys (play food,…read morekitchen, houses) I brought my grandson after this summer and the cars have no steering wheels and doors are missing to the kitchen cabinets. Like seven cabinet doors. Everything but the floors are dirty. I'd expect better being in Manhattan Beach. Please replace the old and bring in some new. Thank you!

My son and I used to love this place but the limited hours for drop-in play (plus you need a…read morereservation) just makes this more difficult. I definitely miss the pre-pandemic days. Employees seem more interested in socializing than monitoring the play structure so there's a lot of climbing up the slide and other general behavior that could use some reminders.

We love everything Ninja Warrior, so as soon as my 9 yo son saw the warped-wall, he wanted to join…read more We attended a 90 minute fundraiser (only $20) for his elementary school and he had the best time. Made it up the smaller wall and we signed up for Flips & Tricks classes. The staff is THE BEST. My son has difficulty making/keeping friends and "doesn't like to talk to grownups", but he loves the staff here. As a middle-aged mom, I would call the coaches themselves "kods" because they are at least half my age, but they are AMAZING with my son. He "got hurt" his first class and yelled/cried, but the coaches let him have his feelings, got him ice, and taught him how to avoid that situation in the future. After only 2 official classes and 2 longer events, my son has more confidence and says that he "loves the coaches". Hopefully he will make some friends his own age soon too because they have the same love of literally jumping off walls. Photo from the Halloween event which was epic because I saw a ninja turtle and a pickle climbing the wall when I dropped my Little Dude off.

UYP has really stepped up their game since we took a break from them last year!! They installed…read moreblinds on the huge windows to block out the sun, added more seating for parents, and just the basic flow of getting in and out is now much more efficient!!! My son RAVES about Coach Owen! He is very energetic and sweet.

It was fun adventuring to this hike because I've never been to this area in Palos Verdes before!…read moreThe hike was easy to moderate but we didn't do the whole thing because we were lazy. Started at the top and parked way down the street outside of the parking permit zone. I believe you can reserve parking ahead of time for a pass online. It's literally where mountains meet the ocean. Has great views of the ocean and the coast. We sat near some trees on a bench and relaxed. When arriving though, was shooketh to see a bunch of goats near the entrance but fenced off. It gave a great opportunity for a funny picture of the goats and the view. There's a map with more trails so I would recommend checking that out too! Would recommend to visit and give it a try!

What a beautiful spot to hike. You have to pay for parking if you want to park near but you can…read moreeasily park a walks away and get free parking. Free parking if you route here (33.7635552, -118.3699236). No bathrooms in this area but there are porta potty about .3 miles up the trail. Great views though!!

It's a FREE public park / walking (hiking) area that's safe (dog free too) with a parking lot…read more It's a relatively small area however, so is more for strolling than having a rigorous adventure of challenges. It's perfect for all ages and abilities, 'tho the terrain might be naturally uneven in some areas, so watch your step.

This park is nestled in urban Redondo Beach/ Torrance. It should be nicknamed Charlie Brown's Park…read morebecause it looks like it needs a little love. No trash or odd humans, but a lot of forgotten trees and groundscape (?). Might be/ have been a scout campground. Some native plant restoration started and that should be good if people stop walking through it. It's pretty quiet. My partner is an aspiring bird watcher but was disappointed here. There is potential tho. PS - if you look at my photos you will see a reclaimed part of park that doesn't look open yet.

Called ahead of time to get information. The guy was very friendly when he picked up the call and…read moreanswered all of my questions. The pricing is good considering $15 gets you all day play and we got to play a couple of games with some locals. There is no AC so playing during the summer midday is very warm. My family had a great time and will come back again.

An amazing team with great communication and punctuality. I ordered a ping pong table and was…read moredelivered right away. Thank you so much for the prompt response and amazing work.