Places to travel to this summer....

We have so many wonderful places to visit close to Santa Cruz. Pick out one or two, and take your kids on an adventure
for the day! The variety of attractions within a day's drive is endless!

North of Santa Cruz on Hwy 1 

Go visit the Elephant Seals at Ano Nuevo State Reserve. It is located about 25 miles north of Santa Cruz, off Highway 1. The guided tours are the only way to see the seals during their mating and birthing season. Tours are held daily, from early morning until mid-afternoon, rain or shine. The season is the middle of December through the end of March and cost about $4.00. (Kids 3 and under are free) Reservations must be made in advance at 800-444-4445. Weekend reservations sell out immediately when they go on sale (56 days prior to the desired tour date). Park information is 650-879-0227 or www.parks.ca.gov

Other activities north along Hwy 1: Half Moon Bay, Pidgeon Point Lighthouse, picking berries in season at the farms along the way, hiking at Pescadero State Beach, watching the windsurfers at Waddell Beach, touring the little Natural History Museum at Rancho del Oso across from Waddell Beach. 

North of Santa Cruz Via Hwy 17: San Jose
Attractions:
Kelley Park- www.sjparks.org/regional/kelleypark.asp
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo- www.hhpz.org/
Japanese Friendship Gardens & History Park- www.sjparks.org/regional/japanesefriendship.asp
Paramount's Great America- www.cagreatamerica.com/
Raging Waters- www.ragingwaters.com/
San Jose Flea Market- www.sjfm.com/
Winchester Mystery House- www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Museums:
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose- www.cdm.org/
History Museum of San Jose- http://historysanjose.org/
San Jose Museum of Art- www.sjmusart.org/
Rosicrusian Egyptian Museum- www.egyptianmuseum.org/
The Tech Museum- www.thetech.org/
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles- www.sjquiltmuseum.org/

Local Teams:
San Jose Giants- www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t476
 San Jose Earthquakes- www.sjearthquakes.com/
 San Jose Sharks-  http://sharks.nhl.com/
 San Jose Sabercats- www.thesanjosesabercats.com/

Venues:
Center for the Performing Arts- http://www.livesv.com/venue/detail/2043
H.P.Pavillion at San Jose- http://www.hppavilion.com/schedule/
Le Petit Trianon- http://www.trianontheatre.com/calendar.html
San Jose Repertory Theatre- http://www.sjrep.com/plays/1112/

For more event ideas check out: http://www.sanjose.org/

North of Santa Cruz Via Hwy 17: Oakland
Attractions:
 Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/lake-merritt/NewHome.htm
 Chabot Space and Science Center: http://www.chabotspace.org/index.htm
 Children's Fairyland: http://fairyland.org/
 Gondola Servizio: http://www.gondolaservizio.com/
 Jack London Square: http://www.jacklondonsquare.com/services.html
 Oakland Zoo: http://www.oaklandzoo.org/
 Theatre First: http://www.theatrefirst.com/?page_id=2348    
 USS Potomac: http://www.usspotomac.org/ 
 Chinatown: http://www.oaklandchinatownchamber.org/visitor/about_chinatown.html 
 Morcom Amphitheater of Roses
 Jack London State Historic Park: http://www.jacklondonpark.com/ 
 Lake Merritt Boating Center: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/opr/s/boating/OAK029815 

Museums:
 African American Museum & Library at Oakland: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations/african-american-museum-library-oakland
 Oakland Aviation Museum: http://www.oaklandaviationmuseum.org/
 Oakland Museum of California: http://museumca.org/ 
 Mills College Art Museum: http://mcam.mills.edu/ 
 Museum of Children's Art: http://mocha.org/
 Pardee Home Museum: http://www.pardeehome.org/
 Peralta Hacienda Historical Park: http://www.peraltahacienda.org/pages/main.php?pageid=1&pagecategory=1

Local Teams:
   Oakland A's: http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=oak
   Oakland Raiders: http://www.raiders.com/tickets/index.html 

For more ideas check out: visitoakland.org
       oaklandloveit.org
 

 San Francisco:
Attractions:
Alcatraz Island: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/
 Pier 39: http://www.pier39.com/
Aquarium of the Bay: http://www.aquariumofthebay.com/
Golden Gate Park: http://www.golden-gate-park.com/
The Presidio: http://www.nps.gov/prsf/index.htm
                       http://www.presidio.gov/Pages/default.aspx
 Union Square: http://www.visitunionsquaresf.com/
 Ghirardelli Square: http://ghirardellisq.com/
 Maritime National Historic Park: http://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm
 China Town: http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/

Activities:
  Bike Rentals: Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals: http://www.blazingsaddles.com/san-francisco.aspx?gclid=CJSHpdmKi7ICFQjZQgodPWcAxQ
  Cable Cars:    http://www.sfcablecar.com/
 
 Museums:
  Asian Art Museum: http://www.asianart.org/
  California Academy of Sciences: http://www.calacademy.org/
  Contemporary Jewish Museum: http://www.thecjm.org/
  Exploratorium: http://www.exploratorium.edu/
  Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum: http://www.ripleys.com/sanfrancisco/
  Museum of Modern Art: http://www.sfmoma.org/
  Walt Disney Family Museum: http://www.waltdisney.com/
  Wax Museum: http://www.waxmuseum.com/
  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: http://www.ybca.org/

Local Teams:
   San Fransisco Giants: http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=sf&sv=1
   San Fransisco 49ers: http://www.49ers.com/
  

For more ideas check out: http://visitsf.com/
                                       http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/

South of Santa Cruz on Hwy 1

Head south towards Monterey to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium,  886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California 93940 24-Hr. Info: (831) 648-4888 Español (800) 555-3656. Open every day except Dec. 25, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Daily 9:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Summer & Holidays.

Other activities south on Highway 1: walking the beaches at Carmel-by-the Sea, kayaking near Fisherman's wharf in Monterey, renting bicycles and riding on the bike path between Monterey and Pacific Grove to Lover's Point, walking along Cannery Row, hiking in Pt. Lobos State Reserve south of Carmel and having a picnic there. Send us your ideas!

Movies Worth Watching

There have been several excellent documentaries produced in the last few years that are well worth watching. See if you can catch them! They are available at various screenings throughout the county at different venues and different times (they come and go).

Bully http://www.thenick.com/nowPlaying.html#nowplaying_Bully  

Miss Representation http://www.missrepresentation.org/  The documentary Miss Representation, by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and aired on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The film explores how the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence.

 Race to Nowhere http://www.racetonowhere.com/  “Race to Nowhere” is a film and call to mobilize families, educators and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

Waiting for Superman http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/action/ "When people ask me what inspired "WAITING FOR SUPERMAN" says Guggenheim, "it was really that feeling I had every morning driving past my public school — the feeling that I'm so lucky to have found another way for my kids, and the feeling that this is not enough, it's not enough that I take care of my kids and move on. Unless each one of us fights for change, our schools won't get any better." 

We welcome your ideas! Email us at
contact@santacruzkids.com

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