Welcome to 
Last Thursday we highlighted parks in the Seattle area that are some of the regions best. This week, we are traveling down the coast and visiting some of the best that San Francisco Bay area has to offer. These are the kind of places residents hold dear and are willing to hop and in the car and brave bay area traffic for. These are also the parks that parents should bookmark for their future Bay Area vacations because there is no better way to end a day of sightseeing than letting the kids run off their excess energy on at an amazing playground. Here a few of my favorites from the list:
Photo Courtesy City of Santa Rosa
Pony rides, the train, and paddle boats are all part of the fun at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa. The playground is both unique and fun with its Land of Imagination theme. The large playground is broken up into prehistoric, Native Americans, Rancho Santa Rosa, Old West settlers, and modern times sections. The dinosaur dig and water play areas are especially popular. Read reviews on Howarth Park Playground here.
Photo Courtesy Trekaroo Member yangthemen
I could write an entire post touting the many great sections of Golden Gate Park (and probably will some day!) but we couldn’t have a list of destination worthy playgrounds without including one of America’s first. Built in 1887, families have been visiting Koret’s Children’s Quarter (formerly known as Children’s Playground) for generations. There are play structures, swings, and sand boxes, but our favorite will always be the long cement slides. Read reviews of Koret’s Children Quarter here.
Photo Courtesy Trekaroo User cheeriofamily
This amazing Berkeley playground is both fun and eco-friendly. This playground will be permanently under construction and the visitors couldn’t be more pleased. Here kids and volunteers can build the playground using scrap wood, old nets, and lost of imagination. Work tools and safety gear are donned as kids hammer, sand and paint away. In order to earn a tool to use, kids must pick up five pieces of trash. Forts, tunnels, bridges, pirate coves, and towers all brought to you by the power of imagination- this is many kids’ idea of what heaven must be like. Read reviews on Adventure Playground here.
I hope these three playgrounds perked your interest and that you will check out the other seven on the list. If you know of some Bay Area playgrounds that you think the rest of us should be aware of, add a review! Without your knowledge and insight, Trekaroo wouldn’t exist.
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?
Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)
Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)
Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.
We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Welcome to
I consider myself a bit of playground aficionado. I get tired of the same old lot with a couple of swings and a slide. If I feel this way, I imagine my children must as well, which is why I am always on the hunt for a new park to be discovered. This same sentiment holds true for when we travel. Parks are a great way to run out some extra energy after being in a car all day, wind down after a long day of exploring a city, or just catch a glimpse of some of the places that are held close in the hearts of local children.
Trekaroo member TravelMom has put together a great list of destination worthy playgrounds in the Greater Seattle/Pugent Sound area. This list is a great resource for families visiting the region and locals who are looking to spice their playground time up a bit. Just reading about the hill perfect for kite flying at Magnuson Park the salmon slide and faux tide pools at Carkeek Park, and the working farm at Kelsey Creek Park in Bellevue is enough to make me want to hope on a plane and head to the Pacific Northwest.
To read the entire list of parks in the Seattle area that you and your kids HAVE to visit, click here.
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?
Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)
Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)
Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.
We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Trekaroo’s KidsMobile is starting to chalk up those miles. We’ve traveled from New York, to Los Angeles, to Chicago and now we’re pulling into
Seattle, Washington
Don’t be fooled by Seattle’s rainy and gloomy reputation, because it is Seattle’s abundant rainfall that make spring, summer and fall lush and green. Set in Puget sound, this city offers fantastic outdoor recreation. In the rainy months, Seattle has some world class attractions that families absolutely love. Congrats to the families who helped launch Trekaroo in Seattle today.
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Trekaroo’s growing community of families have pitched in with their votes for 2009. Here’s the verdict!
Best Kid-friendly Hotels in Seattle – voted by parents
Best Activities for Kids in Seattle – voted by parents
Seattle is also the hometown for some exceptional moms who are smart, savvy and in the know about what real moms love about Seattle.
Michelle Duffy, better known as Wandermom starts us off with a list of her favorite Seattle Parks and Playgrounds. Wandermom is truly a travel guru! Her active family of 4 manages to travel on a budget, spending much time hiking, diving and skiing around the world. She is also the co-author of “Wanderlust and Lipstick: Traveling with Kids“. Her wealth of helpful tips can be found on her blog: Wandermom!
Carrie, a super energetic mom who lives in the heart of downtown Seattle knows the best Places to Visit with Young Kids in Seattle. She is the voice behind – Growing a baby in Seattle. Carrie reviews products and services that urban moms are interested in. Her reviews are insightful and personable at the same time. Get her take on some really cool stuff, afterall, Christmas is just around the corner.
Jill Dickinson brings us a list of Stores Moms and Kids love in Seattle who are owned by Momprenuers. Jill knows a good idea when she sees it because she’s the author of a book in the writing called “How to Become a Mompreneur”. She has interviewed a multitude of successful mompreneurs, so if you’re toying with a great business idea yourself, head on over to her blog – mombite - for some inspiration.
Hungry tummies = melt downs. Mona knows Where to eat in Seattle with Kids In Tow. Mona is the witty mom of a 3 year old and writes humorously about life as a full-time working mom on her blog – kirida. Need a good laugh about your predicament as a mom, you could spend hours on her blog (I just did myself – you sucked me in, Mona!)
So where are the locals hanging out? Amy tips us off with 5 Lesser Known Pit Stops in and around the Seattle Area. Her blog – Pit Stop for Kids – is filled with lots of helpful reviews about places to stop along various road trip routes around the country. Her mantra: Getting there should be half the fun! We couldn’t agree more.
Other Resources for Seattle:
- All 140 Activities for kids in the Seattle-Puget Sound Area
- Kid-friendly hotels in and around Seattle-Puget Sound
- Destination Playgrounds in Greater Seattle and Puget Sound – Travelmom
- Pumpkin Patches in the Seattle Area - Lydie Thomas
Next stop, the town where the Trekaroo founders first met - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Go Phillies!
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.
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LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA and now IL and WA
