When looking for things to do with the kids this holiday season, consider exploring San Jose. Located in California’s Silicon Valley, much of San Jose’s cultural scene resides in the area around Plaza de César Chávez, which means you can simply park your car and have many interesting attractions within walking distance. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, the plaza is transformed into a holiday wonderland with acres of Christmas trees decorated by San Jose schools, community groups, and businesses. Christmas in the Park has been a San Jose holiday tradition for the better part of 30 years. The event includes over 60 musical and animated exhibits, glittering lights and the 60-foot Community Giving Tree. Get your picture taken with Santa, enjoy carnival rides, and share one of the most amazing giant cups of hot chocolate you’ve ever seen! It’s sold by one the park vendors.
For some this event is a stop on the way to or from the San Jose Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker, just minutes from the edge of the park. Others may be headed to the Fairmont Hotel to enjoy the gingerbread city, electric holiday trains, and amazing giant chocolate nutcrackers. But there are other attractions to take in around Plaza de César Chávez during the holidays as well as other times during the year.
The San Jose Museum of Art not only houses modern and contemporary art, the institution is committed to making art accessible to diverse populations. It not only offers the chance to view masterpieces, but to also create your own. Several workshops on constructing DIY light up holiday cards are scheduled during the month of December. Downtown Ice sets up at the museum’s front steps. A holiday classic, Downtown Ice is open to skaters in mid-November and operates through mid-January.
If your interests are more of a scientific and technical bent, you may prefer to check out the Tech Museum. The mango and azure building situated directly across the plaza from the Fairmont Hotel, offers visitors of all ages a unique comprehensive Silicon Valley experience with hands-on, interactive experiences in genetics, earth sciences, alternative energy, virtual design, microchips and lots more. The museum is also home to an IMAX dome movie theater.
The Children’s Discovery Museum is not on Plaza de Caesar Chavez but, it is about a 10-minute walk from the area. Located on the edge of Guadalupe Park, it contains about 150 interactive exhibits that enable young visitors to explore, understand and enjoy the world in which they live.
Now all this exploring is bound to make a family hungry. Here are some suggestions for getting nourishment for your crew:
- The Old Spaghetti Factory: This place is what happens when old saloon style meets Italian-style comfort food. Whether you dine inside the trolley car that sits in the middle of the restaurant or one of the unusual high backed chairs in the place, be sure to try the restaurant’s classic spaghetti with Mitzithra cheese and browned butter.
- Peggy Sue’s: Located across the street from the Tech Museum, this 1950’s inspired diner makes the best burgers, floats, and shakes in the area! One of our favorites is the Teriyaki Burger. They also offer a decent kids’ menu.
- Il Fornaio: Located inside the historic St. Claire Hotel, which is just steps away from Plaza de Caesar Chavez, Il Fornaio is a great place to lunch either on the way to or from the Nutcracker Ballet. A little dressier than our other suggestions, the restaurant offers a more high end family dining experience.
If you’d like more information on downtown San Jose during the holidays, check out this handy schedule.
Kristine Dworkin is one of Trekaroo’s Northern California Destination Guroos
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If you’ve ever been to San Francisco in the summer, you’ll know summer time temperatures never get very hot in the city, but drive a few minutes north, south, or east and you’ll find hot days in the 80s and the 90s. Fortunately, for families who are looking for ways to cool off this summer, there are some world class water parks within an hour driving distance and there are many places where you can cool off for free or close to free.
Here are some of the places that Trekaroo families have voted as their favorite places to cool off around the San Francisco Bay Area. So grab those swim suits and head on out.
Best Water Park - Aqua Adventure (Fremont, CA)
Photo by: Brennan Pang
Surprisingly the new Aqua Adventure Water Park wins over the popular Raging Waters Water Park in San Jose. This one year old facility that’s run by the city of Fremont isn’t the largest water park, but it’s in almost brand new condition, it’s clean, and best of all, the price is right. Resident adults pay $15.99, while non-residents pay $16.99. Under 48″ tall? You only pay $11.99. 3 and under get in for just $2. For little ones, you’ll be hearing squeals of delight for hours at the Lil’ Squirts area for wee ones who aren’t quite ready to be fully immersed in water. Bucket Bay is basically a play structure that has water spraying in every which direction that even a 6 year can be quite happy in. The big slides are fun, but nothing too over the top. Reviews of Aqua Adventure Water Park with Kids
More Water Parks in the San Francisco Bay Area
Best Theme Park with Water Play Features: California’s Great America (and Boomerang Bay Water Park)
Photo by: Flickr/bryce_edwards
California’s Great America is a great hit with Trekaroo families with an impressive 4 star rating. Families with older kids and teenagers in particular enjoy the thrilling roller coaster rides. But what’s even better is that the admission also gets you into Boomerang Bay. At Boomerang Bay, you’ll find 30 foot slides as well as rafting slides. Younger kids will drop their jaws at the not so kiddie kiddie area complete with tri-level fortress with 8 family slides connected by bridges and passageways and rope ladders. Best of all, there is water water water everywhere. Thrilling? -Yes! Cool Off? – Yes! Only draw back is that admission is pricey. So, for a summer treat, California’s Great America gets rave reviews on Trekaroo and will most definitely bring smiles to everyone’s face.
For young kids under 12, Gilroy Bonfante Gardens is a favorite theme park with a water feature too that isn’t quite as pricey, but lots of fun nonetheless.
Best Free Splash Pad Area: Mitchell Park (Palo Alto, CA)
Photo by: Brennan Pang
Mitchell Park is a small playground with a fantastic splash pad. The splash pad is attached to the playground which is small, but adequate in supplying a couple of hours of active play. The splash pad is delightful for little ones with water squirting out at unpredictable intervals catching kids by surprise. Benches around the water play area allow parents to sit and soak in the heartwarming scene of happy children. Best of all, it’s absolutely FREE! Reviews of Mitchell Park Playground
Other Splash Parks along the Peninsula and South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
Other Splash Parks on the Easy Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
Best Swimming Lake – Shadow Cliffs (Pleasanton, CA)
Photo by: Flickr/fromkmr
In the 266 -acre park of Shadow Cliffs Recreation Area is no ordinary 80 acre lake. You can swim at the beach complete with a bathhouse and refreshment stand, but the big attraction is the 4 -flume Rapids Water Slide located at Shadow Cliffs. It’s privately owned and operated and open on weekends in the spring and fall, and daily during the summer. For those not interested in the water slides, you can also go boating and fishing in the lake.
Best Beach - San Gregorio State Beach
Photo by: Picassa/ Jean Tessier
San Gregorio state beach is a big favorite of families on Trekaroo with a glowing 5 star rating. This beach is unique not because of the wonderful sandy beach, but because it has two other features that are a hit with kids. Most of the year, the top end of the beach is strewn with drift wood that teases a child’s (and adult’s) imagination. You’ll see the remnants of last week’s fort that Johnny built as your child is busily adding on to a tee pee from a previous visitor. In addition, San Gregorio river pours into the ocean at San Gregorio beach. The slow flowing river is a much safer place for kids to splash around than in the ocean where the waves tend to be rather big. Bring a tube and float down a short section of the river on a hot summer day. Reviews of San Gregorio State Beach with Kids
For beaches closer to the city, you might also consider:
- Crissy Field Beach, San Francisco,CA
- Schoonmaker Beach, Sausalito, CA
- Crown Memorial State Beach, Alameda, CA
Best Place to Splash around in a River: Russian River
Photo by: Flickr/ ((brian))
To the north of San Francisco, in Sonoma County is beautiful Russian River. You can rent kayaks or just find you way down to the banks of the river and get comfortable on a sandy river bank. You can pick up a canoe at Johnson’s Beach and Resort, Burke’s Canoe Trips and Kayaks, or Soar Russian River Adventures. However, if you don’t want to hang out at Johnson’s, there are several river access points along the Russian River you can just hike down to. Some popular ones are Healdsburg Memorial beach, and Monte Rio Beach.
To the south, you might try San Lorenzo River near Henry Cowell Redwood State Park
Related:
- Keeping Kids Safe at Water Parks and Pools
- Public Pools in San Francisco
- Public Pools in the East Bay (San Francisco)
- Public Pools on the Peninsula (San Francisco)
- Water Parks in Florida
- Water Parks in Washington State
- Indoor Water Parks in Denver
- Great Places to Cool Off with Kids in Texas
- Great Places to Cool Off with Kids in the Chicago Area (Chi-town)
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LiLing Pang is a contributing author and co-founder of Trekaroo.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
The Happy Hollow Park and Zoo has been a place where young families and grandparents have made memories for 46 years. Moms and Dads who themselves were once tots tearing through this whimsical land of fairytales, furry animal friends, and of course the beloved Danny the Dragon, have the happiest memories of Happy Hollow. It’s no wonder that when the Happy Hollow magic started to fade after years of service, the residents of San Jose came to it’s rescue by passing a bond measure to fund the renovation of their special place.
Now 20 months and $72 million later, Happy Hollow is reopening its gates following an extensive overhaul and expansion. The grand opening of Happy Hollow is this Saturday, March 20, 2010. Trekaroo got a special sneak peak last week and my oh my, are we excited to tell you that your younger children will be in heaven. Grab your calendars, call some friends, and make a play date right now to visit the new Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
From the moment I set eyes on the new entry way with it’s delightful display of whimsical animal sculptures created by artist Tom Otterness, I knew we were in for a treat. If you have a kid between the ages of 2 and 10, you’ve got to come check it out for yourself. Here’s what we loved about the new Happy Hollow:
Delightful playgrounds – At Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, you aren’t going to find any pre-fabricated playground structures. Instead, you’ll find custom-designed playgrounds that resemble works of art. The Redwood Lookout playground was absolutely stunning. I just couldn’t help myself and climbed atop this two-story tree house structure and slid down one of those magnificent slides. Despite its size, there’s a smaller redwood structure on the other side for the little ones to enjoy. Parents can feel part of the fun by resting on the big boulders in the middle of Redwood Lookout and keep an eye on their “little monkeys.”
In addition to Redwood Lookout, there were several bump-out areas for kid’s needing a smaller playspace. Integrated into the new petting zoo is another fantastic playground called Lemur Woods geared towards a younger crowd. At first glance, you might think it’s another pretty fabulous playground, but it’s strategic placement next to the goat pen and lemur exhibit was purposeful to encourage children to parallel play with their furry friends. Don’t be surprised to find your 4-year old prancing little a billy goat or swaying around the play structure like a lemur.
Read what other parents are saying about Happy Hollow Park and Zoo>>
Plentiful Learning Opportunities – Teaching about animal and environmental conservation is at the very heart of Happy Hollow. No dreary alarmist documentary here to get the point across. Instead, children learn about conservation through having fun observing, discovering, and exploring. In fact, Happy Hollow is working on getting it’s LEED silver certification. The Learning L.O.D.G.E. which is the center for educational activity is constructed of hay bales and kids can see proof of it for themselves. Right outside the learning center is an on-site rain water catchment system that filters and cleans rainwater and keeps it in the park for the health of the abundant vegetation. Throughout the park, kids have multiple opportunities to learn about environmental conservation whether it’s through the abundance of recycling bins (and the lack of trash cans), the radiant floor cooling/heating in place of traditional energy sucking A/C, or the use of recycled materials throughout the park.
“Double H” Ranch is the wonderful new animal contact area where kids can get up close and personal with goats, sheep, lemurs and more. As they learn to care for their animal friends, children are also learning about the species conservation projects that Happy Hollow participates in. Down in the lower zoo, most things are the same except for two new areas: Dinosaur Dig for your budding paleontologists and a fantastic bee hive area that teaches kids about the important role that these hardworking friends play in our eco-system. Not only can children see the bees hard at work but all their senses are engaged in the world of the bees, learning how we can all be thoughtful in helping them thrive.
If you would like to visit with a school group, the education department can make classroom visits, or host students. Happy Hollow also offers classes for kids as young as 12 months and summer camps for kids 3 to 13.
Old Favorites are Still Here - Danny the Dragon hasn’t left although, he might have stepped out briefly to get a make-over. Newly minted with shiny new tires and a bright coat of paint, Danny’s ready to take kids on a tour of the new Happy Hollow. The maze and puppet theater have been updated, but still offer the same charm as before. The beloved crooked house has been spruced up herself and ready to welcome children back. The lower zoo’s been freshened up and many of the same animals are still here. One new friend is the Foosa, a rare member of the mongoose family and a top predator native to Madagascar. The lemurs aren’t so sure about him, but Happy Hollow is excited to be one of just 22 facilities in the US to provide a home to this endangered little guy. Oh yes, the Mini Putt-Putt cars and Granny Bug rides are also still around.
Wonderful place for birthday parties – Once word gets out, this might be the hottest place for a birthday party this year. Get in the front of the line because bookings are starting to fill up already for the summer. There are 9 different party spots that you can rent out at Happy Hollow depending on the size of the group. Here’s a tip – Danny’s Place, Whistling Woods and Chimes and Bells are all located close to Redwood Lookout – the big playground. Party packages range from $235 to $455 with add-ons you can choose from. No outside food is allowed except cake. But all entertainment is taken care of, so mom and dad can just kick back and celebrate with the kids.
Fully ADA Accessible – During the renovations of Happy Hollow, a lot of thought was given towards making the park fully ADA accessible. That means that the placement of sculptures give consideration to whether a wheel chair can weave it’s way easily between them. But beyond having ramps throughout the park which make it wonderfully stroller friendly (although it is small enough that you probably won’t need one), even the playground areas are ADA accessible. The maze has extra wide paths and is accessed via a ramp, some of the slides at Redwood Lookout can even be accessed with a wheel chair. All doorways are perfectly flushed with the ground.
Congrats to Happy Hollow and the residents of San Jose for preserving this wonderful place for families. We are looking forward to hearing about all the new memories Trekaroo families are making at Happy Hollow. (Write a review of Happy Hollow Park & Zoo) Admission to Happy Hollow is $12 for kids and adults 2 and up (under 2 is free). Once you’re in, there are no extras to pay for, so your kids can enjoy as many rides as they want unlike most zoos in the Bay Area. If you live within a 45 minute drive, seriously consider getting the Family Membership which is a steal at $95 for the whole year. The Family Membership will get two parents and up to 4 kids in for free all year in addition to lots of discounts on classes and food.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
1300 Senter Road, San Jose, CA
Grand reopening on March 20, 2010
For more information, call 408.794.6420 or visit www.hhpz.org.
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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 | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
