This 205 acre historic farm is a
wonderful place for families to relax and explore an earlier
era.
Older children can learn about the rural life of 100 years
ago
through hands-on exhibits about cooking, blacksmithing, wool
spinning, soap making, growing crops, and etc.
The littlest ones will enjoy just seeing the animals!
Chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, horses, and strolling
peacocks are just part of the farm's menagerie.
Bring a picnic
to enjoy at one of the tables or out on picturesque front
lawn of the 1890s Victorian style main house. Restrooms and
group picnic facilities are available.
Special
weekend activities and demonstrations (including wagon
rides) are augmented by
seasonal events such as the pumpkin patch and corn maze in
the fall, the Civil War reenactment in May, the Christmas
tour of the big house in December, and etc. See
Special Events
for more
details.
The East Bay park features great family
hiking amidst fascinating mini biomes that
include salt evaporation ponds, rolling hills,
and marshes with boardwalk trails.
Restrooms are few and far between so have
children plan wisely or be prepared to go "au
natural". Note that it's location next to
the bay means this park gets a cool summer
breeze.
Stop in at the Visitor's Center to learn about
the Native Americans who once inhabited this
area.
The visitor center is open Tuesdays through
Sundays 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but is closed on
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
See the East Bay Regional
Park District site's section on
Coyote Hills Events
to
find about Native American Pow-Wows, guided
nature walks, and other fun events.
Lake Elizabeth offers
an active family outing in a tranquil setting.
Multiple playground areas,
10 Reservable group picnic sites,
plenty of open space and grassy lawns, all combine with
the natural beauty of the lake and it's wild
inhabitants. The many ducks and other water
birds will fascinate and delight young children,
while the paved 2 mile walkway circling the lake is
a perfect walk for parents pushing strollers, or
pulling wagons, who just want a bit of exercise.
The Lake
Elizabeth/Central Park complex also offers
3 Snack bars, a
golf driving range,
Boat rentals,
Boat launch,
and
Boat storage.
It also provides
18 Tennis Courts,
6 Softball Fields,
10 Soccer Fields,
2 Basketball Courts,
Skate Park,
and
a
Dog Park.
Mission Peak offers a more
challenging hiking experience ideal for
teenagers and adults. Those
determined enough to reach the top enjoy
fabulous views of the whole south bay
area as well as some soaring mountain
top denizens like hawks and turkey
vultures. Bring your binoculars
and, weather permitting, you might sight
Mt. Tamalpais, Mt. Diablo, and even the
Sierra Nevadas, to the northeast.
29 miles of hiking trails ensure plenty
of variety on your return visits.
The entire round trip journey to the top
of Mission Peak is about 5 and a half
miles, up and back, and it takes about 5
hours to complete, not including time
spent taking in the view and etc.
Mission San Jose was founded by the
Catholic Church through the efforts of
Father Fermin
Francisco de Lasuen in 1797. Number
13 in the California mission chain, it
was the most successful mission in the
whole of California. The mission
supplied its needs, and created products
for sale, by raising cattle, horses and
sheep, as well as such crops as corn,
wheat, and olives. After 1834,
often called the "Rancho Period", the
missions were secularized, with their
lands sold off and the buildings allowed
to fall into ruin. But a mere 20
years later, dDuring the California Gold
Rush, the mission found new importance.
It's buildings pressed into service as a
hotel, general store and Post Office and
the mission complex became a new
agricultural center for the area.
The Mission San Jose museum is open to
visitors
daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.
This huge complex, which lies
northeast of Lake Elizabeth (see above),
provides plenty of space for fishing,
swimming, and boating. (Please
note that no gas-powered engines are
allowed.)
Quarry Lakes is bordered by, or is in
close proximity to, a number of
community parks including Rancho Arroyo
Park, Osprey Arroyo Park, the California
Nursery Historic Park, and the Los
Cerritos Community Center and Park.
The swim center is open from April to
October and features sandy beaches, a
lifeguard, and vending machines.
There is a fee for entry to the swim
center, and access is available to those
in wheelchairs.
