San Diego Mom Creates ‘Go Deck’ — 52 Cards with Outdoor Activities for Every Week of the Year – Times of San Diego

Go Deck cards. Photo from Facebook page

Deanna Ratnikova has always loved being active and being outdoors. Now, shes sharing her passion through a business venture that highlights the many free, outdoor attractions that San Diego has to offer.

The San Diego single mom has become an entrepreneur with the creation of the Go Deck, a stack of 52 information cards that highlight local hikes and parks from walking paths around downtowns Embarcadero and Coronado to hikes in Mission Trails Regional Park and Tecolote Canyon.

I really wanted to showcase places that are easily accessible so the average person could have just an everyday outing and not find it too difficult, she said.

The idea sprung from Ratnikovas own background and her contemplation during the pandemic.

Ratnikova, 38, has always been active in sports and when she moved to San Diego in 2012, she began to explore the region.

With the pandemic, I thought I got to get out and go somewhere thats open, she said.

At around the same time, her boyfriend gave her a relationship-building card game.

I really like the idea of I could just pull one card, you can read it in maybe two, three minutes and put it back in, she recalled.

From there, Ratnikova started building the Go Deck. She visited locations to research them. She hired a writer and graphic artist to help her design the cards. She created focus groups of moms and others to provide feedback and help fine-tune the cards.

The result is a 52-card deck because she wanted to offer an activity for each week of the year.

Every card has a picture on one side and information on the other. The information side is broken up into three sections. The first has a general description of the area. The second, called Lets Move!, suggests walking, hiking or activities, with descriptions of the location.

The third is Explore More! and offers history or unusual knowledge about the attraction. For example, The Embarcadero card mentions the location of the former Lane Field baseball park. The Mission Hills & Pioneer Park card highlights a nearby topiary garden.

At the bottom of each card are icons that indicate whether restrooms are available, if dogs are allowed, if a location is wheel friendly and accessible and if parking is available.

I think of it almost like Instagram, but in physical content, said Ratnikova.

There are cards for locations in each geographic area of the county.

The cards underscore Ratnikovas belief that being outdoors can improve peoples lives in so many ways.

I feel like when Im outdoors with friends and family, I just connect with them more, we build memories more, she said.

Ratnikova printed 1,000 Go Decks and started selling them in November. The going was slow at first, but she is now getting repeat buyers. The Go Deck is meant for everyone, but Ratnikova now sees there can be a market not just for San Diegans, but for tourists, for companies to provide for employee wellness programs and for real estate agents to welcome homebuyers to their new neighborhoods.

Although she hopes to get the Go Deck in retail stores eventually, for now they are only available online at The GO Deck. Each deck goes for $19.95.

Ratnikova is hoping to expand. Shes working on a Go Deck for her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. And shed like to do a separate Go Deck specifically for North County.

She hopes success is in the cards.

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San Diego Mom Creates 'Go Deck' -- 52 Cards with Outdoor Activities for Every Week of the Year - Times of San Diego