Virtually everyone in the San Diego area has heard of Balboa Park, and with good reason. It contains more lush gardens, more amazing architecture, and more fountains, gardens, and walks than any other park for miles around. There’s also an arts and crafts village, so you and your senior loved one can spend some time enjoying the creative displays which area artisans have produced and put on display here. The architecture of the buildings in this park is also truly inspirational, belonging to the Spanish Ornate style, which has enchanted thousands of observers over the past decades.

For more inspirational beauty, you can take your senior parent to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, which is situated right on the ocean and provides some breath-taking views of the Pacific, along with some wonderful coastline sights as well. If your parent is able to do some hiking, there will be ample opportunities provided in this Reserve, and the sights you’ll see as you’re walking will be truly remarkable. Much of the coastal area is beachfront that you can stroll along, and there are also some hillsides that you can include on your trek through the park.

There are far more opportunities for shade in Balboa Park than there are in the relatively open areas afforded by Torrey Pines, so depending on which of these you choose, you may need to prepare for your trip a little differently. With less protection from the powerful rays of the sun at Torrey Pines, you should probably take lots of water, and protect yourself and your parent from the heat of the day with sunglasses, sunscreen, and even a wide-brimmed hat to ward off the sun’s rays. There are lots of restaurants at Balboa Park, but if you’d like to pack a little picnic lunch and enjoy it in the great outdoors, you can do exactly that at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.