Sunset Recreation Center

Yet another fine recreation spot brought to you by the very excellent SF Parks & Rec department. I've yet to be disappointed by any of their facilities, pools, programs or staff: they're all outstanding.

A newer or rehabbed facility, Sunset Recreation Center at 29th & Lawton offers a large (competition-sized?) basketball court and rooms for ping pong, yoga and other Parks & Rec offerings.

Outside are two medium-sized children's playgrounds with all the state-of-the-art safety features included a sponge-y surface to protect little bodies in motion.

(Other Yelpers are right: there are a paucity of swings but it's still an A-Ok spot, nice and clean too).

A large field behind the facility can easily be used for baseball, soccer or just running around which is exactly what my little boy did today, with grassy/muddy patches on his knees, evidence of a fun-filled afternoon.

(Outdoor play, urban hikes, playing with Legos and drawing, it's important to encourage exercise & creativity & get your child away from TV & computer screens).

Whether it's swimming, a day hike to Point Reyes or a week-long winter camp, I continue to be so impressed by this fine city department that offers programs for everyone young and old with almost any interest - and at an extremely reasonable cost.

This winter camp, for example, is only $110 for the week (9am-3pm) with extended care before/after hours for a small extra cost.

(Compare that with any other private camp that's $495+ per week. In my opinion, Parks & Rec camps are too inexpensive, they should be at least $100 more.)

With everything in San Francisco being so costly, it's nice to know that SF Parks & Rec offers accessible & interesting programs for everyone - and financial aid is available!

This review is for the multipurpose space and kitchen inside the rec center for events and parties booked on the sfrec website.

I booked this place for my son's first birthday because of its location - there's a playground and parking is not too difficult! Thankfully it didn't rain so guests got to enjoy the indoor party with food, drinks and other activities while also running out to the playground.. a perfect way to keep restless little kids entertained! The staff member was kind and helpful. He helped pull out all the tables and chairs from the storage room and helped us with take down as well. Another pro was the weather was really nice and sunny and the room was bright and had high ceilings, so it felt very spacious.

Unfortunately some tables were broken so we couldn't use them. The permit did say that it was not guaranteed. However this impacted our party because we had many guests with not enough seats/tables. Maximum capacity written on the wall was 130+ also and I know I had a little less than 100 show up, so that was a bummer! Another con is that you do have to remove the trash after your party is over. I am not sure if this applies to all sf rec reservations but at Lake Merced Boathouse they have the same policy. It's pretty challenging to remove the trash from the site as they expect you to bring your own bags and to bring it home to toss...but we got it done.

The kitchen is rather small but has everything you would need. It's not the cleanest but it did its job. We actually didn't use it as much as I thought we would but it was nice to have access in there and use the sink to clean off any food trays we had. Heads up that it does cost an extra fee per hour to rent the kitchen. They also have a keurig coffee maker if you're interested in that! I accidentally left my half and half in the fridge too...oh well.

All in all I would recommend this location for a party especially if you're inviting kids. Booking the space was a little troublesome because I had issues booking online on their calendar with the right time frame so I emailed sf rec instead. I suggest looking into the prices online as they change and check the availability online as well.

I used to come here all the time. First time back in a while and was met with an empty gym to get my practice on.

Amazing place to be, family friendly, and high touch costumer service. You can play basketball, football, ping pong, volley ball, tennis, and even Chinese Chess!

I like the park and the setup. It's nice for little kids to run around in. The ground is not super hard in case they fall. Parking is not that bad in the area

Played tennis at the tennis court in Sunset Rec Center. The courts are fairly new. The hard ground is generally in good conditions. The only downside is there is no shade at all since there are not a lot of tall trees surrounding the courts.

Can you say delusions of grandeur?

I'm way past my prime so I decided if I can recapture some of my youth. Came here to shoot some hoops on my day off and hope to play a pick-up game or two. It was a sunny day so it was sweltering inside. Good thing they propped all the side doors open to get some air circulating inside. One positive was that it got you sweating real fast just by shooting around. There were only a few guys inside and not enough to play a game.

I did enjoy watching all the old Chinese folks playing Ping Pong, and their reflexes were probably quicker than mine. They even had two grandmas playing in one table and they would have probably schooled me with one arm tied behind their backs. Glad to see not much has changed around here. Although they might need new basketball nets, it's still a great place to play indoor Basketball.

When a few more guys finally showed up and have more than enough to play a pick-up game, sad to say....I didn't get picked. I felt like that kid who was always picked last or didn't get picked at all. But who am I kidding, these were all young guys in the prime of their lives. It was probably for the best as I might have injured myself again playing a stupid Basketball game. I looked at the clock and was startled to see that I was running late in picking up my kids from school. I guess I've been shooting around for more than a couple of hours.

Gotta run...I'll try to recapture my youth some other day. As I was leaving, I couldn't help but think that I could have schooled these guys in my prime. =)

Clean, spacious recreation center has everything you could want (playground, tennis courts, basketball courts) plus classes through Parks & Rec. My husband and I have taken ballroom dances classes here; I've taken pilates, and my son has taken fencing. Five stars all around.

As inspired by King Kendrick, check it

What is sunset rec? Real players call it Lawton
Ballers going hard contrast soft sweater cotton
Rubber soles squeaking ball bouncing through legs
Salty fans on the stands still saying game 6 is rigged
3 games wait that's my youth being heist
Pull up bars outside is nice good advice
Listening to The Heart Part IV while i do parkour
The Bars work my core this is my Park Tour.

Move to where the fence is there is always tennis
At least three belong to the visor miniskirt menace
Their serve so smooth like a two-pour Guinness
Ball coming hot from Mars but plays like Venus
Volleyball court concrete knee pads a must
Set me a backrow 10 gotta shake off the rust
I serve offside to the other side
where the grass is greener like a key lime pie
Little League baseball with kids in cleats
Prospect youngsters and games on fleek
Coach starts yelling the Ace starts pitching
Bleacher parents be talking, but please Stop Snitching
Cat-like reflex for the ping pong studs
Their rules are different where are the damn red cups
Shout out to the staff for holding it down
Keeping Lawton great and the gem of the town

Haven't been back here for many years. I'm so glad to see that this park and recreation center has been remodeled. It's so much better now. The place is clean and modernized including the restrooms. Nice atmosphere.

The playground structures are replaced. It's so nice. I wished it was remodeled a long time ago when my son was younger.

Sunset Rec Center is a surprising public recreation facility when you consider it's public and free. Indoor basketball? You probably won't find that for free downtown. Just walk in and start playing! 2 tennis courts, outdoor basketball, some fitness areas, a good-sized playground, a baseball field, and a running path around it - this area in the middle of the Sunset district is a peaceful respite from the city life and busy streets elsewhere. There were plenty of people to play pickup games with on both the basketball and tennis courts.

I'll definitely be back to play tennis here. Thanks, SF.