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Places To Go In
Central California
South
Bay & Silicon Valley
Baylands
Park
999 East Caribbean Drive
(Near Lawrence Expressway & Highway 237)
Fun and unusual playground areas fringed by a beautiful wetlands
setting -- with nature paths. Ideal for kite flying, long walks, and
even bikes. A gorgeous place to spend a piece of your day. Seasonal
passes available. Visit their website for more information -- and pictures.
 B.F.I
Recyclery
1601 Dixon Landing Road, Milpitas CA
(408) 945-2807, (408) 262-1401
A great place to take your recycling
materials or ...your class field trip.
Children's
Discovery Museum
180 Woz Way, San Jose CA
(408)298-5437
A museum that goes way beyond "hands-on"!
Climb aboard a fire truck, a stage coach, an ambulance; play Post
Office; conduct bubble experiments; make a doll; check your pulse;
visit the garden, and so much more! And when you're tired -- sit on
an old vintage porch and sit a spell while your kids clean the
laundry on the old-fashioned washboard. Your kids will be busy as the
bees in the museum's hive, so eat your Wheaties and be sure to allot
plenty of time (3-5 hours).
Check out the Discovery
Museum's Major New Addition:
The Wonder Cabinet (click
here )
Deer Hollow Farm
Rancho San Antonio County Park
Los Altos, CA,
94024
(650) 965-FARM
Located within
the 3,800-acre Rancho San Antonio wildlife preserve,
Deer Hollow Farm is an educational center where visitors, school
classes, and community groups can participate in an historic working
farm. A visit to the Farm will take you back 150 years to when
homesteads were an important source of food for the residents in
this area. Not just the orchard and gardens, but animals
as well contribute to the food stuff produced by the farm.
Thus visitors will see chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, and a cow.
(Animals can be view from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm) The natural
setting created by the wildlife preserve gives visitors a unique
opportunity to sample rural life as it once existed all over Santa
Clara Valley.
The farm is open to the public Tuesday,
Thursday-Sunday from 8:00am-4:pm. And on Wednesdays from
8:00am-4:00pm. Animal viewing from 9:00am-3:00pm.
Admission is $2 for children and $5 for
adults.
For more information about tours, educational
opportunities, summer camp, or becoming a
volunteer, you
can
visit their website.
Or for special questions, email
DhFarms@mountainview.gov
Don
Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Grand Blvd., Alviso
(408) 262-5513
Great for field trips or a casual visit. Check
their website for their calendar of current events. I love to pack a
snack and go for a walk on the zigzagging boardwalk. See if your
kids can spot all the different kinds of tracks left in the mud --
check for birds, mice, possum, coons, feral dogs, and of course..
humans! Take a trek out onto the levy and see if you can spot any
shells and bones buried in the dirt. This is a popular feeding spot
for owls, hawks, and shorebirds. Check out the Environmental
Education Center for even more observation tips!
When you're ready for new sights and sounds,
head up to the Refuge Headquarters in Fremont for even more hiking,
more animals, and even better views of the bay. Take your
binoculars!
To find out about upcoming events and classes at
Don Edwards, check their
activities guide for more information. And check out the
Tideline Newsletter to learn more about the refuge and its
efforts to preserve this critical habitat.
Great
America Amusement Park
Great America Parkway, Santa Clara
Just off Highway 101
(408) 988-1776
Canned entertainment to be sure, but there's lots to
challenge the developing motor skills of young children, and heck,
it's a way to get out of the house. I recommend getting a group of
friends together with children of the same age and meeting up (or
carpooling). Parents can chat each other up while the kids go
"again!" on their favorite rides. (Be sure to dress your
child in something bright that's easily spotted.)
Happy
Hollow Park & Zoo
1300 Senter Road, San Jose, Ca 95112
Kelley Park
(408) 295-8383
What better place to take young children for
the morning or afternoon? It's relatively inexpensive, nearly
everything is their size, and there are lots of fun storybook like
themes used in the rides and decor. (And the zoo has made huge (and
ongoing) strides in improving the living quarters of its animals!)
All rides are included in the price of admission. A snack bar is
available, but is rather pricey. Picnic tables provided. Warning: The
Danny the Dragon tunnel is a bit much for toddlers and some preschoolers.
Great place to hold a birthday party!
Hidden
Villa
26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills
(650) 949-8650
A 1600 acre farm and nature preserve. Great for families or field trips.
Hidden Villas offers an opportunity for hiking and experiencing
nature, plus workshops, summer camps, and a wide array of
educational enrichment activities. Hidden Villa places a
heavy emphasis on environmental awareness, understanding where our
food comes from, and on using "green" techniques to create a better
future.
Check out their
Calendar of Events for more information or call (650) 949-9704.
Or email
communityprograms@hiddenvilla.org.
The Jungle
950 El Paseo de Saratoga,
San Jose, CA
408-866-4FUN (4386)
An indoor
playground with a jungle/wild animal theme where the loudspeakers
announce "It's a jungle in here!" Boy they're not kidding.
Faux foliage, animal themed fast food snacks, and wild children
running, climbing, and jumping all around. Kids
absolutely love it. Parents may want ear plugs.
Note that special toddler areas are available, but you'll want to
caution your younger children to watch out for big kids in other
areas of the facility.
Do remember to bring socks
for everyone in your party, or you'll be heading right back home (or
shelling out some extra cash to buy some).
On the plus side, The Jungle
provides a much needed outlet for kids cooped up in the house too
long by poor weather. The Jungle is dry in winter,
and blissfully air-conditioned in the summer.
Map and Directions
 The Jungle
Island
5401 Camden Avenue,
San Jose, CA
(408)448-4386
Sister facility to the Jungle at Paseo de Saratoga. Located in the former Bamboola location.
Includes bumper car ride and a build-your-own stuffed animal
concession.
McClellan Ranch
Park
22221 McClellan Road
Cupertino,
CA,
95014
(408) 777-3149 (museum)
Located in Cupertino, this 18
acre park and nature preserve used to be a horse
ranch, owned in the 1930s and 40s by the McClellan
family. And the original ranch house and
livestock and milking barns can still be seen today,
along with a few other historic buildings that have
been relocated to the park from the surrounding
area. The ranch is a beautiful place to
go for a walk and enjoy a rustic riparian
environment complete with deer, numerous bird
species and other wildlife. There are
also demonstration gardens and native plant gardens,
and some animals maintained by a local 4-H club.
(MAP)
During your visit, stop in at
the museum and nature shop run by the
Santa Clara Valley Audubon
Society.
To learn about other great
Cupertino parks,
click here.
Palo
Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
(650) 329-2111
This place may be unfamiliar to many, but it's well-loved
by those who know it. A wide assortment of hands-on exhibits and
things to do for the young crowd. The exhibits inside the museum
change from time to time, so check their website to see what's go on
currently. The museum's tiny zoo features many local animals,
some displayed in naturalistic exhibits. Watch the raccoons
playing, check out the darting fish in the river exhibit, and rest
on the bench in the tranquility of the bat house ("They look just
like Stellaluna!"). When you're all done, head
back to the adjoining park to play on one of the two playground
structure's (one for smaller folks).
Rosicrucian
Egyptian Museum & Planetarium
1342 Naglee Avenue
(408) 947-3635
For a brief review and directions to the museum,
click
here.
A great museum for school aged
children, especially those fascinated with the land of the Nile. The
beautiful grounds feature real papyrus plants, and indoors you will
find plenty of artifacts, models, mummies.. and even... a replica of
an Egyptian tomb.
 San
Jose History Museum
1300 Senter Road, San Jose CA
Kelley Park
(408) 287-2290
We love to visit this place just before Christmas when
it's all decked out in it's 19th century holiday finery and chestnuts
can be found roasting over open fires. Taste one, and see what all
the musical hubbub was about.
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
While you can certainly visit the SCVAS Nature
Shop out at beautiful McClellan Ranch Park
(get
directions), you can also use their website and publications for
information about bird watching all over the South Bay to go bird
watching. Whether you're interested in viewing forest
habitats, fields, or marshes, you can grab your binoculars and head
out to one of the sites on their maps and guides. Don't miss
their special
page for kids and their
resources for teachers.
If you are interested in joining the society
or volunteering your time
click
here.
Tech
Museum of Innovation
201 S. Market St., San Jose CA
(408) 294-8324
Nifty exhibits for the tech heads. Check their site to see what's
going at present! Educational for school-agers, often exciting to
younger siblings as well. (Depending on the exhibits.)
Theme Fest
181 Martinvale Lane, San Jose CA
95119
408-225-4FUN (4386)
South Bay kids have a new indoor
play area to explore! At Theme Fest kids can come dressed up
according to their favorite theme.
Inside they will find 7 different Theme/Play areas:
At Theme Fest
kids will enjoy imaginative play, games, and art. And the Theme Fest
staff is there to interact with the children with dancing and
telling theme based stories. Expect to see fun favorites such
as the Hokey Pokey, the Chicken Dance, and maybe even a Conga line.
Adults can enjoy complimentary coffee.
Theme Fest is easy to find. It's located in South San Jose at
181 Martinvale Lane, San Jose CA 95119; right across the street from
the DMV.
Please note that Theme Fest is open to playgroups and general
admission from 10AM to 3PM Monday through Friday. For more
information, including admission prices and party information,
please visit their website at www.themefest.com
Youth
Science Institute
A private, non-profit organization dedicated to
enhancing science education in local schools. They offer summer
science day camps, science safaris, afternoon science classes (ages
3-8), and a variety of special exhibits and events.
To receive a complimentary issue of their
newsletter/schedule of events, call (408) 356-4945.
Further information about each individual YSI
site can be had by calling one of the numbers below:
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Alum
Rock Center
16260 Alum Rock Ave.
San Jose, CA 95127
(408) 258-4322 |
Sanborn
Nature Center
15055 Sanborn Road
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 867-6940 |
Vasona
Nature Center
296 Garden Hill Drive
Los Gatos, CA 95032
(408) 356-4945 |
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