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ANIMALS, AMUSEMENTS & ATTRACTIONS
• Año Nuevo State Reserve – 20 miles north of Santa Cruz off Hwy. 1; 650-879-0227; www.parks.ca.gov. Open Dec. through Mar. for guided walks only. Call 800-444-4445 for reservations. The largest mainland breeding colony in the world for the northern elephant seal.
• Arena Green – Guadalupe River Park, Autumn St. at Santa Clara St., San Jose; 408-298-7657; www.grpg.org. Call or visit site for carousel schedule. Features The Children’s Carousel with 33 painted fiberglass animals, two playgrounds and a visitor center.
• California’s Great America – Great America Parkway (between Hwys. 101 and 237), Santa Clara; 408-988-1776; www.pgathrills.com. Rides for small children, costumed characters, a water park and entertainment.
• Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park Visitor Center – 10840 Coyote Lake Rd., Gilroy; 408-842-7800; www.parkhere.org. Park’s visitor center features exhibits on local wildlife, including live reptiles and amphibians.
• Deer Hollow Farm – Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, Cristo Rey Dr. (off I-280, Foothill Blvd. exit), Los Altos Hills; 650-903-6430; www.ci.mtnview.ca.us. Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday, 8am-4pm and Wednesday, 8am-1pm (animals visible 9am-3pm). Families can participate in a family farm at this 2,135-acre preserve. Free.
• Dennis the Menace Playground – El Estero Park Complex, center of Monterey (at Del Monte Ave. and Camino Aguajito, Fremont Ave. and Camino El Estero); 831-646-3866; www.monterey.org/rec. Daily, 10am-dusk. Unique climbing structure and more.
• Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Preserve – Visitor Center, 1700 Elkhorn Rd., Watsonville; 831-728-2822; www.elkhornslough.org. Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm. Docent tours Saturday and Sunday, 10am and 1pm. Early birding walk first Saturday of the month at 8:30am. Largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of the San Francisco Bay, home to more than 400 species of plants and 340 species of birds.
• Emma Prusch Farm Park – 647 S. King Rd., San Jose; 408-926-5555; www.pruschfarmpark.org. Features a barn with a variety of farm animals, including sheep, pigs, ducks, rabbits and chickens, as well as vintage farm equipment and a rare fruit orchard. Free.
• Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park – 3050 Hecker Pass Hwy., Gilroy; 408-840-7100; www.gilroygardens.org. Call or visit site for schedule. More than 40 rides and attractions for all ages.
• Golfland – 1199 Jacklin Rd., Milpitas, 408-263-6855; 976 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose, 408-225-1533; 855 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, 408-245-8434; www.golfland.com. All three parks feature miniature golf and an arcade, while San Jose site also features waterslides.
• Happy Hollow Park & Zoo – Kelley Park, 1300 Senter Rd., San Jose; 408-277-3000; www.hhpz.org. Call or visit site for schedule. Zoo and petting zoo, children’s rides, amusements and play areas, as well as picnic groves and a puppet theater.
• Hidden Villa Farm – 26870 Moody Rd., Los Altos Hills; 650-949-8650; www.hiddenvilla.org. Open Tuesday-Sunday. This 1,600-acre organic farm and wilderness preserve features weekend farm tours at 11am and 1pm for kids, plus other programs.
• Jungle Fun & Adventure – El Paseo Center, 950 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose; 408-866-4386; www.thejunglefun.com. Set your kids loose in these wild indoor family entertainment centers for kids 12 and under.
• Jungle Fun and Adventure Island – 5401 Camden Ave., San Jose; 408-448-4386; www.jungleisland.com. A toddler play area, arcade, arts and crafts and a modular soft playground.
• McEnery Park – Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, south side of San Fernando St., San Jose; 408-298-7657; www.grpg.org. Designed for children’s creative play with a structure of nets and ropes for climbing for older kids, spring toys and a model boat for younger kids and a re-creation of the Guadalupe River.
• Monopoly in the Park – Guadalupe River Park, Discovery Meadow, Park Ave. and Woz Way, San Jose; 408-995-MITP (6487); www.monopolyinthepark.com. The world’s largest version of the popular board game.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium – 886 Cannery Row, Monterey; 831-648-4800; www.mbayaq.org. Daily, 10am-6pm. Features exhibits that recreate the Bay’s habitats, such as “Ocean’s Edge: Coastal Habitats of Monterey Bay” that features a gallery devoted to the giant octopus and larger and more accessible touch pools.
• Mystery Spot – 465 Mystery Spot Rd., Santa Cruz; 831-423-8897; www.mysteryspot.com. Daily, 9am-5pm (until 7pm during the summer). Discovered in 1939, this 150-foot area in the redwood forests has amazed and perplexed thousands of visitors, as the laws of physics and gravity seem to cease to exist.
• Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo – 1451 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto; 650-329-2111; www.pajmzfriends.org. Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday, 1-4pm. Home to bobcats, reptiles and more, while the museum features hands-on exhibits.
• Point Lobos State Reserve – Hwy. 1 (3 miles south of Carmel); 831-624-4909; http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us. One of the richest underwater habitats in the world with wildlife including seals, sea lions, sea otters and migrating grey whales (Dec.-May).
• Raging Waters – 2333 S. White Rd., San Jose; 408-238-9900; www.rwsplash.com. Operational May-Sept. Northern California’s largest water park.
• Redwings Horse Sanctuary – 47240 Lockwood-Jolon Rd., Lockwood (take Hwy. 1 south past Carmel, turn left on Riley Ranch Rd. and follow signs); 831-386-0135; www.redwings.org. Previously mistreated horses, ponies and donkeys live out their lives peacefully at this sanctuary. Open daily, 9am-4pm.
• Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk – 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz; 831-423-5590; www.beachboardwalk.com. All rides open Memorial Day to Labor Day; limited operation the rest of the year. This half-mile long, historic amusement park features more than 34 rides and attractions, games, indoor arcades and shops.
• Wild Things – 400 River Rd., Salinas; 800-228-7382; www.wildthingsinc.com. Daily one-hour tours at 1pm (additional 3pm tour June-Aug., reservations not required). Tour this animal rental company that provides professionally and humanely trained birds and animals for film, TV, life productions and education.
• William E. “Bill” Mason Carousel – Oak Meadow Park at Blossom Hill Rd. and University Ave., Los Gatos; 408-395-RIDE (7433); www.bjwrr.org. Originally made for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.
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