Recreation, Attractions & Wine

They're there, often hiding in plain sight. Your local Park and Recreation Department has a lot to offer if you just take a moment to discover, or rediscover,what's out there for you. The role of parks and recreation in urban settings has never been more important.With an emphasis on healthy, active lifestyles for the entire family and a less than favorable economy, the time is ripe to reconnect with your local parks department,which often provides quality recreation opportunities for little or no money.

The diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular,is reflected perfectly in the vast array of recreational pursuits available to residents and visitors alike. San Francisco is replete with recreational opportunities, from passive recreational pursuits like picnicking and model yachting, to more active pursuits like sports, skateboarding and hiking.

Under the purview of the City and County of San Francisco, the Recreation and Park Department administers and maintains more than 200 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout the city, including two outside the city limits—Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system includes 15 large, full-complex recreation centers, nine swimming pools,six golf courses and hundreds of tennis courts, ball diamonds, athletic fields and basketball courts throughout the city. Also included in the Department's responsibilities are the Marina Yacht Harbor, Candlestick Park, the San Francisco Zoo, and the Lake Merced Complex, which is operated for recreational purposes under the San Francisco Water Department.

The city has a diverse array of parks and open spaces, 500 acres of which are considered Natural Areas that are waiting to be explored. Natural Areas are remnants of San Francisco's historic landscape and contain rich and diverse plant and animal communities that differ dramatically from one another. These communities include oak woodlands, creeks,lakes,grasslands,dunes,scrub and rock outcrops. In many cases, these nature preserves are the only places where wildlife such as the Red-tailed Hawk,Gray Fox,Great-horned Owl,and San Francisco Garter Snake still reside, reproduce and play.

There are many opportunities for citizens to volunteer with the Recreation and Park Department. Volunteer activities include gardening and ecological restoration, leading nature walks, coaching soccer, tutoring students in after school programs, working with seniors and more. Each year, approximately 12,000 park volunteer slots are filled and 42,500 hours of physical labor are donated to the Department's parks; 500 registered recreation volunteers contribute to a variety of athletic, art and cultural programs.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department also supports and manages a program of approximately 40 community gardens on City-owned property.Each garden is operated by a group of committed volunteers who grow ornamentals and produce for personal use on personal and shared plots.
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