Chuck E Cheese

Specs Type: Amusement Distance: Short Drive Area: Roseville Ages: 2 and up Cost: $ Information: www.chuckecheese.com I know, but it's Chuck E Cheese. That dirty, crowded place with bad pizza you remember from your childhood. Ah, but Chuck E Cheese has a few things going for it that you might not have considered. The first is those black lights. You don't know about those black lights? When you first walk into Chuck E Cheese,...

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The Sacramento Zoo

Specs Type: Animals, Zoos Distance: Short Drive Area: Sacramento Ages: All Ages Cost: $ to $$ Information: www.saczoo.org Chances are if you've lived in this area for very long you've already been to the Sacramento Zoo. Though it's not as fancy or state-of-the-art as, say, the San Diego Zoo, it's still a nice little zoo where (if you take your time) you can probably spend a whole day. The Sacramento Zoo is not expensive (as...

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Funderland

Specs Type: Amusement Distance: Short Drive Area: Sacramento Ages: All ages, but smaller kids will enjoy more Cost: $ to $$ Information: www.funderlandpark.com Think you have to wait until August for amusement park rides to come to town? Think again! Funderland is open year-round. Sure, they don't have The Nitro or the Scrambler, but there's plenty to keep kids from preschool age to tween occupied for a whole afternoon. There's...

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Memorial Park Pool

Specs Type: Swimming Distance: Local Area: Grass Valley Ages: All Ages Cost: $ Information: www.cityofgrassvalley.com My kids love to swim, and besides a 10x10 foot inflatable pool we got on sale at Rite-Aide one year, we have nowhere to do it. That's why we love Memorial Park Pool--it's inexpensive, it's local, there's a snack bar and there's lifeguards. Did I mention the lifeguards? Three of my four kids are old enough...

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Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Specs Type: Museum Distance: Weekend Trip Area: San Jose Ages: All Ages Cost: $ Information: www.cdm.org My kids call this "The Clifford Place," because of its most memorable exhibit: an entire room devoted to that beloved book and TV show about a freakishly large, primary-colored dog. The Clifford exhibit is laid out like a little village, complete with a restaurant where kids can serve up fish and chips, a post office and...

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Gold Country Gym

Specs Type: Birthday Parties, Sports Distance: Local Area: Grass Valley Ages: Toddler up Cost: $ (activities) $$ (parties) Information: www.goldcountrygymnastics.com If you're raising kids in the Grass Valley area, you already know about Gold Country Gym. It's probably the area's single most popular birthday party venue, and for good reason. The gym is full of fun things for kids to climb, bounce on or...

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Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park

Specs Type: Parks, camping Distance: Local Area: Nevada City Ages: All Ages, but older children will benefit most Cost: $ Information: www.parks.ca.gov Malakoff Diggins is one of the parks that was on the list of state closures, but so far it has eluded budget-insipred execution. It's a pretty neat place for a picnic and a look-around, with a number of different attractions that should appeal to older children in particular. Malakoff...

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Scandia Family Fun Center

Specs Type: Museum, Trains Distance: Short Drive Area: Fairfield Ages: 4 and up Cost: $$ Information: www.scandiafamilycenter.com You know that giant spinny thing that you see from Highway 80? That's The Screamer, at Scandia Family Fun Center. Of course, the website makes no mention of this attraction and I know it's been closed off and on, so if anyone knows its status please let me know and I'll post...

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Bridgeport

Specs Type: Parks, Landmarks, Hiking Distance: Local Area: Bridgeport Ages: All Ages Cost: Free Information: www.southyubariverstatepark.org The longest single-span wooden covered bridge in America is just down the road from us in Bridgeport. This part of the South Yuba River State Park is one of the best local places to take your kids for an inexpensive summer afternoon. The bridge itself is of course a fun attraction, but...

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Purpose Ranch

Specs Type: Birthday Parties Distance: Local Area: Grass Valley Ages: Ages 3 and up Cost: $$$ Information: www.purposeranch.com If you have a horse-loving little boy or girl, a birthday party at Purpose Ranch is pricey but oh-so worth it. This isn't an ordinary pony party, but a whole-horse experience that begins with the kids gathering in the barn to groom the horses, a short lesson in horsemanship and safety followed by...

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Independence Trail

Specs Type: Hiking Distance: Local Area: Nevada City Ages: All Ages Cost: Free Information: www.southyubariverstatepark.org Independence Trail is America's first wheelchair-accessible hiking trail, which means something for those of us with small children and babies, too: it's stroller accessible! Independence Trail is a nice, shady walk that goes fairly high above the Yuba River and travels 1 1/2 miles either east or west...

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Empire Mine State Historic Park

Specs Type: Museum, Park Distance: Local Area: Grass Valley Ages: All Ages, but older kids will benefit more Cost: $ Information: www.empiremine.org Empire Mine is one of those places that you've always known about but hardly ever take advantage of. If you're a local you already know that this area played a big role in California's Gold Rush, but if you want to learn more about that role you really need to visit Empire Mine. Empire...

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Sonoma TrainTown Railroad

Specs Type: Trains, Amusement Distance: Day Trip Area: Sonoma Ages: All Ages Cost: $ to $$ Information: http://www.traintown.com There's not a whole lot at Sonoma TrainTown, so it's a good idea to combine your trip there with something else in the Sonoma area. The primary attraction at TrainTown is the 1/4-scale railroad that travels four miles through a wooded area. The route includes tunnels, bridges and a short stop in...

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Folsom Zoo

Specs Type: Animals, Zoos Distance: Short Drive Area: Folsom Ages: All Ages Cost: $ Information: www.folsom.ca.us/depts/parks_n_recreation/zoo/ The Folsom Zoo is one of those hidden gems that you don't find out about until you've lived here a couple of years. It's a little bit overshadowed by its more popular cousin, The Sacramento Zoo, but it has a few extra things going for it. The Sacramento Zoo has a lot of exotic animals--the...

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Skatetown, Roseville

Specs Type: Sports, Amusement Distance: Short Drive Area: Roseville Ages: All Ages Cost: $ Information: www.skatetown-roseville.com This family-friendly ice skating rink has a lot to offer for not a whole lot of money. And when I say "all ages" I mean it ... if your child is too small for skates you can rent a sled and pull him around the rink. Skatetown offers group skates if you just want to get out there and go, or you...

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California State Railroad Museum

Specs Type: Museum, Trains Distance: Short Drive Area: Sacramento Ages: All Ages Cost: $ Information: www.csrmf.org The California State Railroad Museum is not huge, but it has enough to keep a family occupied for a couple of hours, especially if you take your time and then finish your trip with a train ride along the Sacramento River. This museum is pretty inexpensive and has a lot of walk-on exhibits, which is great for...

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