Tecolote Shores SOUTH – NOW OPEN!

San Diego has an incredible NEW playground, right on the water in Mission Bay! Tecolote Shores South playground is now open, and it’s ACCESSIBLE! Yay!

The opening of Tecolote Shores South completes Phase 2 of the City’s Tecolote Park Improvements project. Phase 1, which included upgrades to Tecolote Shores North (which is very close by), was completed in November 2022. You can Read about Tecolote Shores NORTH here!

Address:
1740 E Mission Bay Dr., San Diego, CA 92109

Reservation Contact Information:
Contact the Permit Center at 619-235-1169 for fee information.

Total Upgrade

Tecolote Shores South feels completely upgraded! (So does Tecolote Shores North, which reopened November 2022!) The $5.74 million project features the new ACCESSIBLE playground, a new prefabricated comfort station (bathrooms), parking lot improvements, upgraded lighting, drinking fountains, shade structures, landscaping and irrigation. Even though the gazebos were not upgraded, they’re in very good condition. You can read more about the gazebos (and how to reserve them!) below.

Tecolote Shores North and South updates were designed by Schmidt Design Group.

Accessible Playground at Tecolote Shores South

I love a fun playground! And I believe that playgrounds should be accessible. Much of the play structure is accessible with a wheelchair and, because the ground covering is rubber, all the areas around the play structures are accessible too. There are a variety of swings (see below) and even an ADA zipline, which I’ve never seen before!

From the city: The playground’s signature element is a raised, planted play island, which creates a series of play coves. To reach the island, children of all abilities can utilize the accessible pathways, making even the tallest point of the play structure available to everyone. Other accessibility upgrades at the playground include a merry-go-round, rockers, swings, a zipline and an ADA-compliant pathway with security lighting that connects Tecolote Shores North and Tecolote Shores South. 

Tecolote Shores South Tot Lot

There is a separate area for ages 0-5 (called a “tot lot”) on the other side of the ramp. It features a smaller play structure and slides (including a roller slide, just like the “big kid” area!).

Sand Box

Bring your sand toys! There is a SHADED sand play area away from the play structures. AND, there’s seating here for grown-ups. I LOVE it when designers consider the grown-ups too.

Zip Line

You can find TWO long ziplines at Tecolote Shores Park. One with a traditional disc seat and one with an ADA seat – which I’ve never seen before! Every one of my posts seems to have a #bloggerfail. This one is that MY FINGER is in the photo of the ADA swing seat. Yay.

Fun Additions

I love these fun panels at Tecolote Shores South!

Gazebos and Picnic Areas

If you want to have a party at Tecolote Shores South, you have some options! The gazebo closest to the bay (a bit away from the playground, but near the bathrooms) is available to reserve. It has 4 rectangular tables, trash cans and a barbecue.

To guarantee use of this gazebo, you must have a reservation and a permit. You can get one by calling the permit center at 619-235-1169. If there is no reservation, then it’s first come, first serve. But, keep in mind, that you can set up your party and then somebody with a permit for the space might come and ask you to move.

There is another gazebo, closer to the playground, that appears to just be first come, first serve. This one has six rectangular tables (one of them is wheelchair accessible) and a barbecue.

These items are NOT allowed in the gazebos: no balloons of any kind (they’re really bad for the environment and the blow all over anyway… just leave them home), alcohol, glass containers, smoking, camping or sleeping, littering, smoking, decorations or signs attached to city property.

Next to the playground, there are two long tables that would also be perfect for an event. They are NOT shaded, but offer lots of seating. They’re between the bathrooms and the playground:

If you’re planning a party, check out my FREE planning guide! It has so many helpful tips and checklists. I really tried to make it super helpful for you:

History of Tecolote Shores

Before the upgrade, Tecolote Shores was pretty dated. The ground covering was bark, which is not good for wheelchair accessibility.

Do you remember these climbing domes? So retro, lol…

One thing that was really cool about Tecolote Shores South before the upgrade were these play sculptures by Miller-Melberg. You can read more about this mid-century sculptor by Fast Company here! With the help of the City of San Diego Communications Department, I was able to confirm that the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department has the porpoise and three turtles from Tecolote Shores South Park in storage at a work yard and there are plans to reuse them elsewhere. The “Swiss cheese” design was not kept as it was in very poor condition.

Bathrooms

The great new comfort station (bathroom building) at Tecolote Shores South is to nice! It features individual gender neutral stalls (which I feel are just safer and more private), and a family bathroom stall with a changing table. It also had a shower to wash sand off of the bay.

This bathroom building serves both Tecolote Shores South and Tecolote Shores North because the north playground/adult fitness area does not have a bathroom.