Balboa Sports Center

Today we went to Balboa Sports Center, a hidden gem in LA! We had heard of this park and even seen it in the distance from the road, but never ventured to check it out. We are really glad that we did because this park is amazing!

There are a lot of basketball courts, tennis courts, handball, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and open space!

A great place for a run or to walk your dogs.

Beautiful trees and greenery.

Gated Playground

Rock wall!

Shaded swings

Cool climbing contraption

Semi-decent/fairly clean bathrooms

Pros and Cons

Pros
Not very well known, so not very crowded
LOTS of free parking
Beautiful greenery
Semi new playgrounds
Gated playground
Large playground
Shade over playground
Public Bathrooms
Sand to play

Cons
If you have 2 kids, watching both of them on the playground can be tough since it's so big.
Little kids area (versus the bigger kids play area) isn't as shaded
Bathrooms are a bit of a trek from the playground

Check out our friends over at Babble Dabble Do!

www.babbledabbledo.com 

From a Parent's Perspective this park is awesome. Sometimes taking your kids to the park can be overwhelming due to the amount of kids there. I'm not sure how it is during the weekend, but during the week day it's a safe, cool, shaded spot to let your kids wander around. Some of the higher rock climbing walls and other climbing contraptions require more attention with the littler kids as they get scared being up so high, but that's what parks are for, to teach confidence.

From a Kid's Perspective this park is 3 thumbs up. My girls loved it, and wanted to bring their bike next time because there is so much space to ride. They loved the different equipment that we haven't seen at any other parks and the freedom to just explore without a worrying father that they would run away!

Address: 17015 Burbank Blvd, Encino, CA 91316

Phone:(818) 756-9642

North Hollywood Park

Today we were running an errand around North Hollywood so we decided to stop at the North Hollywood Park! We had been to this park a couples times before but only for festivals or farmers markets, never just to play.

This park is a great park! It is big, has a lot of activities such as a skate park (unfortunately not pictured), basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball diamonds and a pool! There is also a lot of green space just to run and play.

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A few things we talk about in the video, there is a free lunch program (I think just for kids) from 12:00 - 12:30 where underprivileged kids can come and grab a healthy free meal. What a great idea! There are also camps and swim lessons going on around the park which is a great way to spend the summer. The only downfalls are homeless people seem to like the free bathrooms, (which are pretty gross and there is no soap in the soap dispenser), and there is not much shade on the playground, which gets really hot during the NoHo Summers.

Other than that, we really liked this park!

Pros and Cons

Pros:
Easy Free Parking
Lots of activities (basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming, playground)
Free restrooms
Safe (Playground is away from street)
Kids and Teens promoted activities

Cons:
HOT! Not very much shade
Girls complained that the equipment (swings and bars) were hot
Dirty dirty bathrooms
No soap

From a Parent's Perspective this is a good park. The homeless walking from the street through the playground to the bathrooms is a little unsettling, but these are North Hollywood homeless people, not Skid Row homeless, ya know what I mean? There isn't much shade to sit and watch your kids, so bring plenty of sunscreen. And only use the bathrooms if you have to!

From a Kid's Perspective other than the hot playground equipment what is not to love? It's a park! There's a seat and table area under the playground that is shaded that my girls seemed to love, they loved running around the empty baseball diamond and exploring the grassy fields. If we had more time and had brought our suits we would've gone in the pool!

Address: 11430 Chandler Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Hours:

Monday - Friday: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday: Closed

Phone:(818) 763-7651