Smyth Fernwald

Family Outings

There are many wonderful family destinations in the Bay Area. Here are some of our favorites:

Angel Island - In San Francisco Bay. Catch the ferry from S.F. wharf or Tiburon (near San Rafael). Take lunch and plan on at least 3 hours to walk around this island where military bases dating back to the Civil War still stand. Easy to moderate walking and biking trails. Few overnight campsites available.

Brentwood - This small town in Eastern Contra Costa County is a center of pick-your-own fruits and vegetables, as well as being full of farmstands where you can buy already picked produce in season. You can write for a map with information about the farms from: Harvest Time in Brentwood, P.O. Box 0, Brentwood, CA 94513. (Enclose a self-addressed envelope.) It gets much hotter there than here, and things are often picked out by the end of the day, so try to get go early, and preferably during the week. Strawberry picking, for instance, is usually a big hit with kids three and up. For lunch, try La Gallina on Route 4 heading southeast out of town. It is a small, simple place with great tamales.

Children’s Fairyland - By Lake Merritt in Oakland. A fairytale land for kids and adults who love them. Pre-dates Disneyland and much cheaper. Adults permitted only if accompanied by children.

Emeryville Public Market - Off Powell St. near Highway 80. Works well for the whole family. There is a ballroom and other amusements for the kids, a good bookstore for parents, and a multitude of ethnic take-out restaurants.

Exploratorium - In San Francisco. A famous hands-on science museum. Mostly for children 5 and older.

Fort Ross - Did you know the Russians once occupied part of California? Fort Ross is one of the remnants, now partially restored and interpreted. The drive up is worth the trip in itself. You have your choice of spectacular Route 1 along the coast or the inland route through the orchards of Sebastopol. A team of UC Berkeley archaeologists excavates there in the summer. This is another great day trip.

Golden Gate Park - In San Francisco, one of the world’s great urban parks. It contains such items as an arboretum, a Japanese tea garden, a bison herd, the Conservatory filled with tropical flowers, the De Young Art Museum, and the superb California Academy of Sciences (dioramas, planetarium, etc.)

Lawrence Hall of Science - On Centennial Drive above the football stadium. It offers discounts to UC students. Lots of great science exhibits for kids, permanent and traveling. Also a great view out over the bay.

Oakland Museum - (1000 Oak) is great for older kids and adults, with exhibits on California environments, history and art. FREE!!

Paleontology Museum - Earth Sciences building on campus. Most of the time there is not much to se, but watch for their yearly open house in the spring. They open more of their collections and offer several dinosaur-related children activities.

Point Reyes National Seashore - In Marin County, this is a wonderful destination for day trips. The drive takes just over an hour, and much of it is beautiful in itself. Point Reyes has beaches, although not very good for swimming, lots of hiking, camping, a tule elk herd, a lighthouse; great whale watching spot in season, and an oyster farm.

Tilden Park - Along the ridgeline is full of great resources. As well as hiking and picnicking, there are low-cost swimming at Lake Anza, rides on miniature stream trains, a lovely vintage merry-go-around, pony rides, and the Little Farm (always a big hit with the kids), bring some old vegetables to feed the animals. Check out the Environmental Education Center next to the Little Farm; they often have events for children. There is newsletter listing upcoming events.

UC Botanical Garden - Centennial Drive above the football stadium. One can see a wide range of California wildflowers and other native plants, Chinese herbs, tropical cultigens, etc. It is open from 9:30am to 4:45pm everyday. There are picnic tables. Great place for children! FREE!!

Wine Country - This is a classic Bay Area day trip. It’s mostly for adults, but kids can enjoy it too, with breaks to play in the picnic areas along the way. Napa and Sonoma Counties are filled with wineries large and small, many open to public for tours and tasting. Tip>>go in the fall; harvest time is a lot of fun, and it is jammed with tourists in the summer, especially along Highway 29. If you do go in the summer, take the Silverado Trail up the other side of the valley. It is less crowded and passes some great wineries (Stag’s Leap, Clos du Val).

Smyth Fernwald is a unit of the Office of Student Development