Outdoor Activities in and Around Carson

While the Carson and surrounding Southern California area might not be world renown for it's outdoor adventure activities, there are quite a few ways to get your fill of the outdoors. There are many great parks in Carson as well as the nearby beaches and nature preserves.Carson is home to over fifteen beautiful parks as well as several public aquatic centers including the Dominguez Aquatic Center on Santa Fe Avenue. This large swimming pool complex features water sprays and fountains, shade structures, a kiddie pool, adult pool and activity pool and it even has water slides for both kids and adults. The nearby Hemingway Aquatic Center, located on South San Pedro Street has both kiddie and adult pools, water spray structures and twin 16.5 foot water slides.Anderson Park, located on Wilmington Avenue features a wading pool, a Frisbee golf course, picnic areas and an outdoor amphitheater that hosts free concerts and other fun events throughout the year. Just minutes away at Mills Park on Diamondale Drive you will find more Frisbee golf courses and another wading pool and there are also plenty of picnic areas and two playgrounds.For even more outdoor adventures, make the 15 minute drive directly south to San Pedro where you can visit three beautiful parks located right on the Pacific Coast. These parks include Cabrillo Beach Park, Angels Gate Park, Point Fermin Park and White Point State Park. For even more adventure, travel 25 minutes south west to Rolling Hills to explore the Portuguese Bend Reserve. This large park offers tons of picturesque trails that meander through canyons and vistas that feature great views of Catalina Island. These trails are suitable for hiking, equestrian and off-road bicycling. On the way back to Carson, check out the George F. Canyon trail just north of the Portuguese Bend Reserve. This park is an easy hike that offers a great way to learn and observe the natural world.If you or someone in your traveling group prefers skateboarding to swimming or relaxing in the park, be sure to make a visit to Veteran's Park located on Moneta Avenue in Carson. Veteran's 12-acre site offers a 10,000 square foot skate park named Carson Skate Park. This fun park features lots of great small-scale tranny and street skating and it even has a 4-foot capsule and a 4-foot horseshoe bowl. All skaters at this park are required to wear a helmet as well as knee and elbow pads.Another fun outdoor type of attraction located in Carson is Go Kart World located on Recreation Road, conveniently just off of Interstate 405. This highly popular adventure spot offers six different go kart tracks, a track just for small children, a bumper car track, an extensive arcade room, a restaurant and much more. Go Kart World was also voted the best go kart destination in the greater Los Angeles area several years in a row and celebrities like Kanye West and Andrew Garcia have been seen having fun Go Kart World, so keep your eyes open, you never know who might be on the track with you!For outdoor water adventure, check out the Redondo Beach Pier, just a short six mile drive directly west of Carson on the other side of Torrance. Aside from great shops, bars and restaurants, the pier offers tons of opportunities for water sports like paddle boarding, scuba diving, surfing and kayaking just to name a few. There are also several places that rent out bicycles to ride up and down the shoreline. While you're in the area, you can also check out Redondo Beach International Boardwalk and Marina which offers similar activities as well as boat charters for tours or deep sea fishing.For the golfing enthusiast, check out one of Southern California's best public golf courses, The Links at Victoria located in the heart of Carson on 192nd Avenue. Other public courses in the area include the Dominguez Hills 18-hole golf course on Main Street in Carson or the New Horizon's municipal 9-hole golf course on Maple Avenue in neighboring Torrance. Also in Torrance on Lupine Drive is the Sea Aire 18-hole municipal golf course.