Sports and Recreation

While open grassy fields dotted with trees and shrubs are all I need in a playground, I understand that bipedal pups prefer a bit more variety. Luckily San Diego’s largest cultural and recreational playground features a number of areas that many Homeowners Associations like to call tot lots.

A while back I checked out the grand-daddy of all tot lots in Balboa Park, the Pepper Grove Discovery Playground. Located near the Park’s Central Mesa Area off of Park Boulevard, Pepper Grove teams with young critters during most weekends and school holidays. Fortunately, Balboa Park also offers a few other playground areas to help absorb some of the overflow.

For instance, the largest children’s play area on Balboa Park’s west side is situated near Sixth Ave. and Spruce Street. Recommended for ages 5 to 12, the playground includes two sets of swing sets, slides for all sizes, and colorful and sturdy things to climb.

Over on the east side of Balboa Park, Morley Field is home to one of the best kept secrets in children’s playground areas. That’s because this area’s play equipment is tucked behind the Bud Kearns Memorial Swimming Pool. Another lot for ages 5-12, this area presents a nice variety bars, swings, slides, and other climbable goodies.

Just a bone’s throw away from the Morley Field play area, Bird Park has its own little area for the toddler set (age 2-5). A tot lot in the truest sense, like all the others, it is surrounded with plenty of green grass for this pup to roll around in.

Anyone who has followed this blog should be well aware that Morley Field is not only home to one of three great dog parks in Balboa Park, but also to the Bud Kearns Memorial Swimming Pool, 25 tennis courts, an archery range, and an 18-hole disc golf course.

On a recent visit, however, I made a point of probing past the dog park and other major facilities to discover much more than meets the snout. For instance, I noticed that each time I enter the dog park’s parking lot, I pass a little gem of a garden featuring native, drought-tolerant plants of California. While I consider myself quite an aficionado of all the lush gardens around Balboa Park’s Central Mesa, I was pleasantly surprised to find this nicely landscaped hillside filled with a variety of blooming plants.

Venturing southeast of the dog park, behind the tennis courts and swimming pool, my head was spinning as I watched several cyclists, who looked as though they had just returned from the Tour de France, going round and round the Velodrome track. It didn’t take long, however, until my attention was diverted once again by balls flying around the nearby baseball fields, which drew me even deeper into Morley Field’s vast sporting facilities.

While I will leave further discussion of these and other recreational amenities to future blog posts, I would like to remind everyone that as part of Balboa Park’s expansive grounds, Morley Field is another great place to scout the location of your winning shot for my Top Dog Photo Contest.

While my super-sniffer snout prepares for the abundance of fresh blossoms this spring in Balboa Park, I actually find wintertime to be the best season to visit the blooming succulents in the Desert Garden.

More than just a Southwestern-style collection of garden-variety cacti, the Desert Garden spans 2.5 acres between Park Boulevard and Zoo Place to present a vast assortment of arid-climate plants from around the world. From the familiar aloes and agaves to the truly otherworldly looking Candelabra and Dragon Trees, the Desert Garden comprises approximately 1,300 plants arranged in picturesque formations overlooking Florida Canyon.

A handy colorful map you can print out before your visit will help you locate such oddities as the Quiver Tree, Boojum Tree, Pencil Tree, and the (gasp) Naked Coral Tree.

You are even encouraged to stray from the main paved walkway to fully explore this thoughtfully designed landscape. But be careful—especially bipeds wearing sandals and shorts—as you are liable to graze a prickly barrel cactus if you aren’t watching your step. (I’ve personally had more than one sticker plucked from my hide.)

Whether you are passing through on one of three marked trails that crisscross Balboa Park or enjoying a leisurely visit, keep an eye out for the blooming aloes this month and many additional blooms in March. This is also a great time to take your pack on a guided Off-Shoot Tour on the fourth Saturday of the month, which highlights the Park’s desert vegetation.

Cash and Georgia write: Dear Cosmos, two weeks into the New Year and my family is already neglecting their New Year’s resolutions. What should they do to stay on track?

Cosmos: New Year’s resolutions, particularly those involving a fitness program or spending more time outdoors with loved ones, are hard to start and keep up given the wintery time of year. However, anyone living in sunny San Diego, which boasts the continent’s largest urban park, has little excuse, I’m afraid.

Any fitness regimen begins one step at a time. And what better way to move your body than by exploring miles and miles of trails that wind through Balboa Park’s 1,200 acres? From short strolls on pavement through lush gardens to long hikes on dirt trails in steep canyons, there is an endless variety of challenge and scenery for you to work up a good pant.

For any bipeds wishing to pick up a new sport or revisit an old one, Balboa Park also offers excellent facilities for swimming, tennis, golf, archery, cycling, and softball at the Morley Field Sports Complex. They can even work on their throwing skills playing fetch with you in one of the Park’s three off-leash dog parks.

But getting outside and exercising is always more fun with friends and family, especially if food is involved. Fortunately, Balboa Park has numerous parks within the park that feature large open grassy spaces and picnic tables, including Pine Grove, Redwood Circle, Bird Park, and Golden Hill Park.

That should be plenty to keep anyone from getting off track.