102. Playground & Park in Stinson Beach

Just adjacent to the beach at Stinson Beach is a wonderful postage-stamp-sized park with lovely grass, a great play structure, benches and plenty of shade trees. It’s the perfect spot if you’ve got little kids and want a safe place for them to get lots of exercise, but don’t want to deal with the sand and extended time that a trip to the beach usually involves.

The play structure is good sized, and has the variety of climbing, sliding, jumping and fantasy-creating opportunities that kids enjoy. It’s definitely scaled for younger kids, so keep that in mind if you are considering bringing pre-teens.

Another great feature is that it’s across the street from the Parkside Snack Bar, one of my favorite re-fueling spots for a day at the beach. Great soft-serve cones, plus burgers and fish-n-chips.

Where: Corner of Calle Del Mar and Arenal Avenue, Stinson Beach, CA  (map)