Golden Gate and Dolores might get top billing, but San Francisco is literally blooming with public parks—did you know there is one city park per every half-mile here?
Grab your picnic blankets and a good read—here's our complete guide to SF parks, neatly organized for you by neighborhood.
South of Market
Victoria Manalo Draves Park
Fresh as the produce growing within its acreages, this SoMa gem is only a few years old and features community garden beds and grassy fields.Softball fields and basketball courts can be found on site, too. // Folsom and Sherman St. (SoMa), sfrepark.org
Yerba Buena Gardens Park
Yerba Buena Gardens, known as the "cultural heart of the city," is a two-block public park across from SFMOMA. Skip around the memorial waterfalls while you're there. // 750 Howard St. (SoMa), yerbabuenagardens.com
Gene Friend Rec Center
A SoMa community touchstone, the Gene Friend Rec Center has been serivng SoMa for decades now, allowing public access to the volleyball courts, outdoor basketball courts, views of the center's artistic lawn art—the list goes on. Stop by for a lively game of badminton. // 270 6th St. (SoMa), sfrecpark.org
Mission Creek Park
An idyllic tree-lined park that cradles each side of Mission Creek, this is the perfect place to find open space on the edge of the Bay. Much of the greens space here was modeled after London's city gardens // 451 Berry St. (SoMa), sfparkalliance.org
South Park
Sit down at the 550-foot-long grassy oval in the center of the park and appreciate the many Victorian houses that shoulder the park's confines; local business and art vendors, too, have set-up shop around here. Did we mention there's a hummingbird garden? // 64 South Park Ave (SoMa), sfrecpark.org
South Beach Park
South Beach Park is a fantastic place to just catch your breath and walk along the waterfront. Offering grassy areas, benches, and even a climbing structure for kids, this spot is a Sunday must. From here, walk to AT&T Park or the Ferry Building. // King and 2nd St. (SoMa) sfparkalliance.org
