- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Seward Street Slides
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
313 reviews for Seward Street Slides
This is by far one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. I take anyone who visits from out of town here. Even my New York friends, often reticent to believe anything could ever rival glory child of the East have left proclaiming "I want to live HERE!"
I only give it 4 stars, because I have twice now had run-ins with the "so lucky to be homeowners in San Francisco" stick up the bum neighbors who, despite knowing what their owned Victorians sit next to, love to threaten to call the police on people laughing or squealing on the slides. The first instance involved one lady yelling at my 54 year old father and his wife for being too loud. Thanks, Miss Marple. You seem coo-ka-loo.
The last instance happened last night when I went with a group as a stop for a 31st birthday party and a guy came out screaming at us at 5pm on a Sunday. Ol' ZZ Top proceeded to berate us as people and threaten to call the police. Too late. Miss Marple was already on TWO DIFFERENT phones with the police and she wanted us to know it.
I could understand if we had been there at 10pm, midnight, 4am, but it was still daylight and it wasn't even dinner time. When told that he was ruining a birthday party he said "I don't care." Thanks ZZ Top. Who's wearing nice shoes and speaking calmly and who might possibly be hiding a squirrel in their facial hair in this situation?
The neighbors are jerks. And for some reason they think that the SF PD is going to actually do something about a group of well-dressed adults having a nice time on some slides that are WAY too dangerous for children.
So beware of ZZ Top and Miss Marple. Otherwise, the slides are the best thing ever.
FUN! But I was only brave enough to go down once.
There were a few McDonald's trays lying around- and boy, do those give you a lot of speed. I used the cardboard method and I don't think it went as fast as the plastic trays. I luckily didnt get any scrapes or land too hard on the sand. I think people were saying that the right slide is a little faster than the left one. If you dont go down with the cardboard, its not very fast at all- some lady was sliding down with her dog down and the dog seemed to enjoy it as well!
I also went during the afternoon, so I didn't get scolded by any neighbors as some other Yelpers have mentioned.
Bad effing ass. There are many fun things to do in "the city", but if you want something quaint, fun and free, well then find your way to the Seward Street Slides.
Following Ellen S's directions, it's a real easy spot to find.
It was Sunday afternoon, and there was one other family there (granted I think the parents had more fun going down the slide than the kids did).
There are 2 ways to walk up, the left side facing the slide has some steps (careful, I was in heels) and there is also just a direct steep ramp up too.
Make sure to raise your arms (not even for the fact that you go fast, but holding on will scrap up your arms for sure).
There WERE some McDonald's plastic trays there you could use in additon to the cardboard. I wasn't gangsta enough to use it though since I was in my heels (don't ask, I wasn't prepared for this) but my friend used it and said you actually catch AIR at a part of the slide that drops a bit.
2 people that went before me straight up landed on their asses HARD. I was so freaked out that would happen to me, I made sure to slow down as I was approaching the end.
Craziness. Want it more crazier? Smoke some herbs and you'll have a blast. :)
The slide is great fun, but please be polite and don't come late at night. It is torture on the neighbors, who hear folks screaming down the slide several times a night, night after night. That's really not cool. If folks can't control themselves, the City may one day close the slide and then the fun is over for everyone.
After eating mexican food and getting boxes from the place, we go on an adventure to the street slides. I had heard of these and was interested. It wasn't what I expected. These slides are for little kids? Really? We went late at night. Sometime after 10pm. And while no crazy people were running after us calling the cops it was enjoyable. You can slide down on your back or even your stomach while hearing the cardboard boxes grinding away. The right side as you face down is the faster steeper one and the left is more of a bunny slope. Watch out and be safe!
Talk about an adrenaline rush.
Keep your arms tucked inside your cardboard luge. I left with a scrape.
My friend landed on the sand pit on his behind. There was something funky in it (like dog piss or droppings), so try landing on your feet or else you might leave smelling like poo.
This place is absolutely wonderful. It's free and AWESOME, which is hard to find in this expensive city. I went with a friend after a few drinks, and I flew down that thing so fast, that I caught some air after the bump, and then landed straight on my tailbone, causing a bruise that lasted for several weeks. Ouch, right? TOTALLY WORTH IT.
As for the nice folks living in the area: sorry, but hell, you know you're living in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in SF, right? So, give us poor assholes a break when we seek out free entertainment.
My best friend and I stayed here for well over an hour sliding down these wonderful slides. Yes - four full grown couples had already come and gone at separate times while we were there. They're just that fun.
There's lots of leftover cardboard in the sand, which was great, because we took BART to SF for the day and couldn't haul boxes around with us. Choose wisely - some of the cardboard slides better others.
This place is meant to be a playground, although I really think these are big kid (*cough* adult) slides... they're kind of dangerous-looking for the babies I saw a lot of moms bringing. They're concrete, they're steep, and you'll catch air. And scrape yourself (it's awesome).
If you need help finding it, what we did was go south on Castro, right on 20th, and then the street turns - literally - into Douglass. Take the first left (Seward) and the playground will be marked by a large arch. :)
Go in the daytime, let the kids go first (it is a playground), take turns with the adults, and don't make too much noise. Be polite and everyone will have a great time. Oh and don't bring your dog - one lady brought hers and it peed in the sand at the bottom of the slides. People (me) are going to fall into that sand, I don't need to fall into pee too.
Yes - I'm just a BIG kid at Heart. I LOVE this place.
Stop repressing your inner child and step up to the concrete chutes that is Seward Street Slides.
Cardboard is needed to participate but there is always some laying around the grounds.
The angry lady you hear about in the reviews is real! My girlfriend is a vocal one and we were told to quite down. It was 4pm and a sunny day, we'll laugh and giggle all we want until sunset you damn hater.
This is the most fun i've had in San Francisco. And can you believe it's a lesser known secret location, which means many people have lived in San Francisco for years without knowing of its existence.
Everyone young and old needs to experience these slides. Take your cardboard box, or just take yourself in a pair of pants you dont care about, and wiz down those slides to release your inner child. And don't forget the most important thing... SCREAM at the top of your lungs !!!
Yelp's address says they're located on the corner of Douglass and Seward Street, but they're actually located in a garden b/t Corwin and Seward (the Corwin Street Community Gardens to be specific), near Kite Hill.
However beware of the neighbours. As the reviews below point out, the neighbours are unreasonable and slightly psychotic, yelling and threatening to call the cops. They really make you feel like a bad person. And like the reviewer below, it was around 5pm on a sunday when we were set upon by the nasty neighbours.
Plus these slides seem too dangerous for children. As an adult i was so scared i watched everyone else go down first before even daring to attempt it myself. So don't fall for the neighbours' mantra that the slides are only for kids. Though it makes sense they'd say that, since they are psychotic, maybe they want to see children get hurt.
I dont know what is wrong with the locals, but my advice is to ignore them and dont argue with them. They've probably called the cops so many times that the cops don't pay attention anymore
Have fun fun fun !!
I discovered the slides online yesterday looking for fun free stuff to do in San Francisco lol We're broke college kids and wanted to have a good time.
My best friend and I got some pizza boxes and my boyfriend got some McDonald's trays. [don't go down without something under you lol too slow and not fun]
It was so much fun! I went down with the cardboard first and that was ok but as others have said, I definitely recommend grabbing yourself a plastic tray from McDonalds or something. It's soo much better! It seems kinda scary the first time but trust me, totally worth it and pretty safe for the most part just be sure to put your hands up! =)
Another great thing is once it got dark, we got bored and wondered around a bit. We turned a few streets and ended up on Castro St. A fun little end to the day.
Words of advice:
-Bring a plastic fast food tray, if you can't get one then cardboard is ok.
-Wear long pants.
-Put your arms up.
-Try the left slide first, it seems funner/faster then the right.
Definitely recommend going here for some simple free fun if you're in the area. =)
Life sucks sometimes.
I got some bad news yesterday and I was feeling bitter. All sorts of awful thoughts were flooding my mind and I could feel the bitterness taking over my entire body. Then I looked in the mirror and realized that bitter is NOT a good look on me. I had to snap out of it, and fast. I needed some serious hardcore straight up FUN.
I grabbed the first friend I could find and made a beeline for the Seward Street Slides.
Just try and stay in a bad mood while flying down one of these super smooth cement slides. It's simply not possible.
We were the two creepy adults interrupting some kid's 5th birthday party. Uhhh, sorry children, I'm having a quarter life crisis and must slide immediately. Lucky for us, the kids didn't mind and we got to jump right into their game, using a checkered flag to let those on deck know when the slides were clear.
For maximum speed, you can slide down on a piece of cardboard, but you'll fly without one too.
Next time you need to escape the bitterness of reality, make the trek to Seward St Slides...guaranteed to turn that frown upside down. And doesn't everyone look better with a smile?
Great place to take non-natives and natives alike. Good scary fun, great at night to have a beer or 2 and see if you can avoid injury. It's at the top of a calf burner of a hill, so you might want to drive. And yeah-- watch that tailbone. These slides aren't made of marshmallows, and that's not cotton candy you land on at the end...
The fun lasts for just long enough, then you're over it and it's time to check out the view over SF a block or 2 away on the bench that gives you one of the best views in the city. I wish I knew what that was called... I'll yelp it.
Im lucky to have Ruggy as a friend, otherwise I probably would have never even heard of these slides.
In the middle of a normal neighborhood lies this awesome little gem.
Two concrete slides are so fun, its worth the walk up the damn hill.
Probably a good idea to wear jeans.
As you get older, you find fewer and fewer things that you do that make you genuinely excited (even work becomes work after awhile). But finding this gem was one of those things that just makes your day, week, heck even your month so much better!
A couple words of wisdom.
First, I recommended having a beer before, during, and/or after going here. There is a great corner store at 20th St. and Castro St. that sells one pint cans with an accompanying brown sack- best $2.75 I have spent in awhile.
Second, wear sturdy clothes and be prepared for some pain (the beer helps with this part). Shorts or pants and a shirt that you are not afraid of getting dirty are musts.
Third, if you are having a hard time finding it, go to 20th St and Castro St (good time to get a beer) and go West (toward the ocean!) on 20th until it veers to the right. Take the first left and you are there.
Have fun!
My cousin read about this place on yelp and we finally went. After initially being a bit skeptical, the Seward Street Slides rocked! It wasn't so impressive at first glance... I mean, it's gray concrete, lots of cardboard boxes laying about, and some scraps of wax paper. But, then you slide and it's like you're 5 years old all over again. You get a lot of speed and air going down those slides. We started racing (the west slide, I believe is faster and gives you bigger air) and landing perfect 10's at the end. Some of the kids at the park started egging us on and getting us to place wax paper under that cardboard boxes for more speed..whoa. That was a bit intense. I felt flat on my butt in the tiny sandbox and definitely bruised it. Three days later, I'm still sitting funny but it's all good.
Being unemployed has it's perks. When else could I check out a concrete slide in the middle of a secluded neighborhood in Noe Valley on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon?
I will definitely be back....cardboard or taco bell tray in hand.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!
The slide is ok (sure is dirty). I would never say make a special trip just for them.
Not worth it!
I hear the ones in Golden Gate Park are better, and there is more to do in GGP once you are done with the slides.
If you don't want to meet the lady next to the slides (or the cops) don't scream your head off and you should be fine.
Went to the Seward slides as a challenge for the Oyster Race in the city. If it weren't for the time constraints I was under, I would have spent an hour there just going down the slides. I don't know who the old broad is that lives near there, but she's gotta move elsewhere. She called the cops on all of the race participants and started yelling at the cops to arrest anyone that came near the slides. The old hag needs a foot in her ass. I would give the slides 5 stars if it weren't for that old hag.
I originally posted this in 07, but it needs refreshing. The woman next door might be the most vocal, but all of us in the neighborhood are suffering from the extreme rudeness of nighttime sliders. It is regularly 2 or 3 groups a night now. It was never this way before the Yelp reviews- so I'm talking to you. Don't come at night. Just don't. Don't leave your trash- and yes- that cardboard that you think someone else will use is trash. Don't park illegally- the street is narrow enough. It's just basic politeness, folks. The park is meant to be enjoyed. But even during the day, if your inner child is not accompanied by your inner mother, you should stay away.
7-24-07
Hey Yelpers... Thanks to your enthusastic response to this post, we in the neighborhood have lost all patience with the night time noise problems in the park. Look at it. It is surrounded by residences. When you yelp, or holler, or whoop your way down our dear once-semi-secret slides at 11, or 2, or 4 in the morning, about 30 people wake up and think evil, evil thoughts about you. And now, sorry, but we're going to call the cops a lot more often. Like, all the time. Because the park is closed at night. And it's a place for kids, so it shouldn't smell like beer. And we shouldn't have to pick broken glass out of the sand. And did I mention the noise?
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
7/24/2007
I originally posted this in 07, but it needs refreshing. The woman next door might be the most… Read more »
My cousin and I got so lost finding these slides. We dutifully toted our cardboard around San Francisco for about 45 minutes before we gave up, stashed it in someone's recycling bin, and decided to head elsewhere. We turned around, walked for a while and suddenly...oh, THERE THEY ARE! Too bad our cardboard was long gone. Fortunately, a kindly man who was replacing the bags in the trash cans gave us a bag, which worked out ok. I think it may have slowed us down a bit, but it was still amazingly fun.
Next time I'm bringing waxed paper!
Yelpers! Thank you for introducing me to these slides...
HELLA FUN + FREE = NO BRAINER
I brought my 11 year old niece to the slides so I could have an excuse to ride them myself. When we got there, we were the only ones, so we had the slides all to ourselves for about 30 minutes. The first round, the speed and air you catch scared the bejeezus out of my niece, but after my mom pointed out the sign that said "No adults unless accompanied by children", my niece let loose and really started having fun. Now, whenever she comes up to visit, the first thing she wants to do is come back to the slides.
As for me, it's been a long time since I felt so exhilarated or laughed so hard at such a simple pleasure, made me feel like a kid again. We ran back up the stairs over and over like 20 times! Fortunately, no loss of skin, or major bruises for any of us on this visit.
Bonus: Eventually, others started showing up, one lady rode down the slide so fast that she flew out of the bottom end and landed straight on her @$$! She was kinda embarrassed, but it was quite comical to watch....heh heh heh.
Wanna impress people with your knowledge of San Francisco? Then take them to the Seward Street Slides, a hidden gem off of lovely Seward St. in the Castro. So much fun!!! Yippee!!
They have a large supply of cardboard on-hand, as well as a stash of McDonald's trays for those with a major need for speed. I like to live life in the slow lane, so I just stuck with the cardboard. (My preference for the cardboard was vindicated when a guy careened down the slide on a tray and almost ate it on the concrete at the bottom and my husband had to leap out of the way. Kind of dangerous, but funny as hell to watch!) Even with the cardboard, though, man, are these slides fast! I got some air at one point on the way down. And, as some folks pointed out, definitely wear jeans.
Can't wait to experience the glee of these slides again very soon!
As trite as it sounds, these slides make you feel like a kid again!
THIS SLIDE IS AMAZING.
The instant I got there some kid went down to fast and hit himself and started crying. And all I could think was "Bring it on, bitch"
Its really dangerous, ridden with pieces of cardboard, but it's so fun and amazing. Im not lightweight, but I caught some air on the middle bump. I love it. I want to go back ASAP. I need a doctor, I need a lawyer, I need a cheese sandwich.
Admittedly, that sign about "No adults unless accompanies by children" made me feel bad :(
Looking at these from straight on - they don't look so steep, looking down, they're kinda steep. Talk about exhilarating! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee is right! I would have given 5 but my friend flew off and hurt her tail bone. Make sure you have someone 1) sober enough 2) strong enough, to stand at the base to keep you from flying off.
Oh you catch a little air too.
Uh....
Thank you, whoever left the plastic lids there for everyone to use!
Flying is fun on a San Francisco, half-moon night. Give it a try.
Very surprised that the neighbors didn't boo us out this time too. Thank you Seward Street neighbors!
I am still scrubbing slide brains from under my skin, and pressing on this amazing bruise I caught on my thigh on that last slide down. Mmm, bruises from fun things.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/2/2009
Yes!
This is the best way to feel like you're five years old again (in that oh-so-exhilarating way)!… Read more »
By far one of the funnest things to do in the city! The slide on the right gives you more air after the steep drop, so brace yourself! I recommend trying wax paper instead of cardboard, if you really want to get some speed!
If you take your kids down the slide be sure to hold on to them when the slide drops off, it could be dangerous.
I used to come here a lot as a kid... but now that I'm grown up I don't seem to go as fast as I used to. But still a fun hidden treasure.
One of the funnest (yes, funnest!) things you can do for free.
Especially a blast after a night of heavy drinking. Make sure to bring some wax paper so you can really fly!
*Note -- don't do this bare skinned!!
mercy. it is a serious bitch to find this place. my map implied that douglass connected to seward st from the north, that 24th hits eden, and that you can turn off market to get here. all of those ideas are lies.
this is sposed to be kids only, and closes at sunset. our group of adults still showed up on a wed at 9 pm, and had no problems, except the house next door slammed their window shut. several dog walkers went past and nodded hi. one even told us we REALLY need to steal some plastic trays from mcdonalds if we want to go fast. but we are too much of pussies to do that.
of the two slides, the one on the right (outside) is better, cause if you are wearing short sleeves and aren't careful, you can scratch your arm up on the inner one.
the key to going fast is to get the largest piece/box of cardboard you can find, so your feet are up too, nothing is providing any drag. otherwise it's easy to slide off your cardboard.
I've been 2 additional times-- it is SO worth it to bring plastic trays!!!
Best use of concrete EVAR!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
3/7/2009
Finally went here last night. O.M.G. Too much fun.
Since I read the reviews, my sweetie and I were… Read more »
Went last night for my first Seward Street Slide adventure, and IT. WAS. AWESOME. Best late night adventure that I've had in a LOOONG time. I'm still smiling and laughing thinking about it!
Definitely BYOC (bring your own cardboard) as the ones there were soaking wet or too small. And yes, there was a nasty pit of pond water at the bottom so be sure to avoid that when disembarking from said slide lest you get a soaking sneaker full of who-knows-what's-in-that-water.
No Adults Unless Accompanied By A Child. Those words will forever be ingrained in my mind as walk up the steep slope to the top of the slides. I quickly take a piece of wax paper, the size of my ass and place it atop the slide. i quickly hop onto the slide, sit on the piece of wax paper and mentally prepare myself for the quick ride down. 1-2-3 whoosh. Down i go. I hit the turn and i get a lot of air and my ass drops back down onto the slide right before i fly off the end of the slide. im able to get my feet down but i end up falling to my knees. Woohoo!! let's do it again!!
Hidden in a small park, this place is known to few. After coming here, my ass was sore, i have a few burns from my arm rubbing against the side of the slides, and and a tweaked foot for landing funny off the slide. Despite the pain, i would come here again in a heart beat. Cardboard is provided, if you don't mind using dirty cardboard on in the dirt. But if you wanna fly through the slide, you gotta use wax paper! i felt like i was a kid again and boy was it fun!
First I was afraid
I was petrified.
I told my friends there was no way
I'd go down that big slide.
But as I watched my friends catch air
And slide down those bad boys with such glee,
I took the plunge
It was so fun I screamed out "Wheeeeeeeee!"
And so you're back
From outer space
...wait what?
Oh you marvelous slides! Quite possibly the city's best use of concrete in a public area! I remember when I first found out about the Seward Street slides I was 7 years old and thought them to be the coolest thing ever. Many years later and I still love going to them.
The slides are tucked away on a small strip in a residential area between Seward and Corwin Streets. You can enter from either side, though I like to walk downhill from Corwin because there is a very nice like garden. If you are familiar with Kite Hill, they are located a mere block away if you follow the trail off Corwin (this is a good starting point if you have difficulty locating the slides).
You can get some real speed and real airtime on these puppies, so use a bit of caution when you go. I once saw someone with a child in the lap go down and the poor kid hit his head during the middle jump spot.
Now to maximize your enjoyment of the slides several things are essential
1) CARDBOARD! You can usually find this laying around in the sand pit at the bottom, however if you have the chance play it safe and bring your own (I've gone on a whim before and was quite bummed when I only found overused scraps).
2) WAXPAPER. If you really want to build speed and have a frictionless ride put some wax paper underneath your cardboard.
3)....and for the truly daring...throw a handful of sand down the slide (and even a little underneath your cardboard) right before you take the plunge. I find that this increases speed, kind of like little ball bearings. Though some people have told me that this is bullsh*t and doesn't help at all, and also that it may erode the slides, because it will sure erode your waxpapper and cardboard quicker. Try it once and see if it's for you.
Also...
-Be aware that it is a playground and technically adults without children are not allowed (a large sign clearly states this). Not that this will ever stop me, but I do take it into account and I'm mindful of when children and their parents want to use it. Be polite and considerate to other sliders of all ages.
-Try not to come at night or inebriated. I know it's fun to go down slides drunk, but it's a very residential area and they shouldn't have to be bothered or kept up at night by the exhilarated screams.
-Wear clothes that you don't care too much about. I've had friends tear and stain their clothing .
These slides are just so damn cool.
great place to bring out of towners or first dates.
i brought a friend who's lived here for 11years and never knew about them.
we got lucky and scored the mcdonalds trays, which proved to be way faster than the cardboard.
wear long sleeves or raise your arms, otherwise you'll definitely scrap up your arms. ouch.
This place is AWESOME. Wear long pants and long sleeves to avoid concrete burn. Cool place to take friends who are visiting SF.
