Before you even purchase your ticket you are greeted initially by an interactive display on electricity, which the kids can play around with while you stand in line to get tickets. When you walk inside the museum, the foyer is filled with one station after another of things to touch, watch, and contemplate. The display signs are great at explaining the associated science in non-technical language.

I am a huge fan of large rooms where my kids, several years apart, can explore different things while I can keep an eye on each one. And there is also an advantage to those places that offer entire rooms for the younger set to explore apart from activities that their older siblings are interested in. This museum has both. The large room on the bottom offers things that kids of different ages can do.  The experiments are simple enough for any kid to master (and my three-year-old had to try just about each and every one) and visual enough to entice even the science-phobe.  We spent a little more than an hour in the bottom foyer and easily could have spent more time.  Upstairs had one spacious room dedicated to the 5 yrs. and under crowd. Here were shaped blocks made from sponges that fit into a wall of corresponding shapes, a large scale to weigh fruits and vegetables, and so many other things that were inviting to play with and introduced science concepts that were age-appropriate. Those kids older than five might enjoy the room of KEVA planks. Due to the shape and balance of each plank, you can build and balance just about anything that you can imagine. Aside from these two main areas upstairs, there are hallways full of optical illusions and mind benders, enought to make your brain melt.

Attached is the IMAX Dome Theatre where different shows are played on the hour. A small cafe is also attached to the musuem, with outdoor only seating. Parking is free and nearby. There is also an outdoor playground within walking distance.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion.

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A nice park with picnic tables under a shaded area is right next door to the zoo. If your kids get hyped from seeing so many cool animals, there is climbing equipment nearby to let them monkey around on. To read more about our visit here, you can read my blog.

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Some of the cars of the steam train are covered and some are uncovered.  The conductor offers interesting tidbits of information about the woods in which you pass through, and about the train itself, mixed with ample pauses of silence to drink in the scenery. There is a point about half-way through the trip at which the train stops and you can explore a cleared area of the mountain, grab a snack on the picnic table, or use the restroom. The train returns you to the station which looks a bit like an old town. There is a small place where you can purchase some lunch. There’s also picnic tables and lots of grass to run around and burn off the energy from sitting on the train.  For bird lovers you can find cliff swallows all around, and from June – Sept. one can see the mud houses they built under the awning of many of the buildings.

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Fantastic playground for all ages.  In addition to that various aged climbing structures you may typically see at playgrounds, there are nice additional features. One includes a water feature where by stomping on a button on the ground, you can get a very mild stream of water that runs down a ramp area and into a sandpit. It was difficult to pull either boy from their moat creation, despite the fact that their feet were wet and it was the normal cold and foggy weather. Another nice addition were small tilted seats that spin 360 degrees. And of course, there was the cement slide area that my four year old spent lots of time on. There is also a tall rope structure to climb for those who enjoy heights.  Nearby is a carousel which runs from 9am – 4pm.  And as with golden gate park, lots of grass and space to run around.

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Perched on a hill in central San Francisco, this museum is made for the younger crowd, and its FREE!  A puppet theatre welcomes you as you enter. A large room full of interesting animals, some you can pet if they aren’t hiding, is on the right side as you enter. There is an area to build leggo structures, then see if they can withstand a mini earthquake. Downstairs on Saturdays the model train room is open. All in all its a great place to burn an hour or two.

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Deer Hollow Farm is located in the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, nestled in the foothills of Los Altos. As there is no address that I can find, here are some directions:

1. Exit 280 at Foothill Expressway/Grant Road.
2. Follow the signs to Rancho San Antonio County Park.
3. Turn right onto Cristo Rey Drive, within a ¼-mile from the 280 off-ramp.
4. Follow Cristo Rey Drive for approximately 1-mile to the roundabout circle. Take the second roundabout exit to continue on Cristo Rey Drive.
5. Turn left into the entrance of Rancho San Antonio County Park.
6. Park at any of the five parking lots. Deer Hollow Farm is a leisurely 1-mile walk into the preserve

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To make this into a half-day trip, click here.

In addition, the area also includes a huge, well-kept open grass area to run around on. There is a small trail around the park, and a large gazebo where you might want to picnic away from the bustle of the playground (and sometimes bees).  If you prefer eating on picnic tables, though, there are several nearby the playground. 

Another feature sure to excite the young kids is the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad miniature train that you can ride around the park for about $2. The train was named after a former worker on the Southern Pacific who built a small track on his orchard in Los Gatos which provided train rides to kids for twenty five years. The train in Oak Meadow Park runs daily during the summer, and only on weekends through the rest of the year.  The boarding station sits right next to a 100-year old carousel.

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The first thing I have to say is my son LOVES this place. It has the largest tube maze (three stories high) I have ever seen. There are tons of turns, twists and padded obstacles in the middle which for a young kid is great, but for the parent who has to maneuver on hands and knees after the kid is not quite as fun. It is, in fact, so large of a maze that it is very easy for anyone to get turned around and feel they can’t find an exit. I had to resort to asking an eight year old my first time through. My four year old has twice come out crying when he was ready to leave but couldn’t find an out. For those older or more into crawling in tubes for hours, this is your place. For the littler ones there are ball pits and mini token-fed rides. There is a bounce house and on the top floor, a whole mess of arcade games which seem to give out random amounts of tickets.  The cleanliness is not stellar, but what one would expect with so many kids in one area.

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