Micke Grove Regional Park and Zoo, Lodi
This is a wonderful find particularly if you have young toddlers and are looking to get away from the crowds. It is surprisingly close to Sacramento, and a green oasis from the summer heat. To enter the 258-acre park will cost $3.00 on weekdays. Parking is pretty close, though, to the center of the kid activities. The physical address is: 11793 N. Micke Grove Rd., Lodi, CA
First you’ll see the zoo. The zoo does not contain many large exhibits, making it walking friendly for even the younger kids. The animals there are mostly small, such as lemurs , birds, etc. but still interesting to look at and set in jungle-esque exhibits. From May – Sept. (2009) there is a fabulous lorikeet exhibit. For $1 you can purchase a small cup of nectar and walk into the enclosure filled with 45 cock-a-tiel sized birds. These beautiful birds may drink from the cup if you offer it to them, or they may decide to help themselves by flying right onto your hand. I would allow about an hour to see the zoo. It opens at 10am.
A little further down the road is Funtown, a nice and small entertainment park. Rides are generally $1.75 each or ten rides for $15.00. Many of the rides are doable for two-year olds, and even my four-year old enjoyed them all. There are a few where parents can sit alongside the kids if that is needed. There is a concession stand with the typical icee or cotten candy. I went on a weekday and there were so few people there, the employee would simply follow us to whichever ride we wanted to go on and turn it on for us. Talk about personalized service!
If you are still feeling in the mood to stroll around, across from the zoo is a path that leads to the Japanese Tea gardens. It is serene, green, and pristine. A large pond with fish is a main feature, over which there is a red Japanese bridge and of course lots of beautiful landscaping. This is a nice place to stop for a picnic lunch. A cafe near the zoo entrance is also available with the typical hot-dog /chips lunch menu as well.
Topping off the day, there are some great playground areas. Here is a map to locate each of those playgrounds. Depending on the time of day you may want to drive and see which offers the best shade. Also note the nearby lake and huge fountain as a nice place to run around. Micke Grove is a bit out of the way from the city, so I did not find any nearby eating places to refuel if need be. The cafe near the zoo does have quite a bit of typical snacks, but if you are looking for something more on the healthy side I would suggest bringing snacks from home.
