Recess!

Santa Monicas Clover Park Circuit

03.17.2015

Remember hanging upside down from the monkey bars? Indulge a blast from the past at a grown-up's version of a jungle gym followed by lunch at a retro-themed airport diner. Santa Monica's Clover Park is the place to break a sweat before breaking for lunch. It's got a 1-mile circuit of 15 exercise stations, including a rope climb, dip station, hamstring stretch, and vault bar. Start at any point and make your way around the perimeter of the park, jogging or walking between each workout. When you've completed the course, walk or jog 1.5 miles to the Spitfire Grill at the Santa Monica Airport. After your retro workout, this retro-plane-themed diner is the perfect spot to refuel. The outdoor patio is a prime viewing area for watching tiny planes take off and land. Although it's changed names over the years, this grill has been catering to the airport and surrounding neighborhood since 1954. Today its walls are covered with military and aircraft memorabilia, and menu items are named after planes and pilots, like the Spirit of St. Louis Burger, Howard Hughes salad, and Frequent Flyer—a classic Cobb salad. Kickin' it old-school.

Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica. Free parking onsite. Spitfire Grill, 3300 Airport Ave., at the Santa Monica Airport. Both the park and the patio at Spitfire Grill are dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Man hiking up a trail at Montara Mountain, with a view of the Pacific and Grey Whale sand beach in the background

    From Beach to Summit

    No need to decide between a beach and a mountaintop—this hike includes both! Explore the stunning coastal scenery on this 6-mile out-and-back up Montara Mountain and into Rancho Corral de Tierra.

    View

  2. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

    View

  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

    View

  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Woman walking in the Venice Canals of Los Angeles County

    Canal Contemplations

    With its incense-scented boardwalk, bohemian shops, skateparks, and abundance of body builders, Venice is happily eccentric, and artistic. Exhibit A: Its network of European-style canals with charming bridges, offering a tranquil tour of the town’s history.

    View

  2. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

    View

  3. What's Up, Winthrop!

    It’s not just its location close to Washington State’s spectacular and less visited national park (North Cascades) that makes Winthrop such a winsome mountain town. This lively enclave in the Methow Valley bristles with a whimsical blend of Wild West charms, contemporary culture, and a mosaic of outdoor adventures—from river to lake to waterfalls, and beyond.

    View
  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

    View