ML Interest Tag: donkey

Adventure and Animals at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

by Kate Loweth

If heading to the “Happiest Place on Earth” isn’t in the cards this summer, then try something closer to home! Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose has been a local favorite for kids of all ages for over five decades. With rides, animals and tons of special events to offer, Happy Hollow is a great choice for families looking for a day of fun (with a little animal education thrown in too). Read on for some of our favorite features of this fun park!

Hop Aboard the Keep-Around Carousel
As soon as you walk though the gates at Happy Hollow, you are greeted by one of the Bay Area’s best carousels. The Keep-Around Carousel features endangered species and whimsical characters like dragons that are sure to delight riders of all ages. (Insider tip: save the carousel for the end of the day as a bribe to get your wee-ones out of the park when you are ready to head home!)

Feed Some Goats at the Zoo on the Hill
To the left of the carousel as you enter the park is the Zoo on the Hill. Here you can get up-close-and-personal with all sorts of animals. Bring some quarters to feed the greedy goats or head to the barn to check out the miniature horse and dwarf donkey. Just past the barn are two of the zoo’s newest additions – Xander and Xena, the anteaters. Kids will delight to know that their tongues can grow as much as two feet long! Check out the daily schedule to see when they offer animal meet-n-greets to learn some amazing animal facts.

Climb to the Sky at the Redwood Lookout
Looking to tire out the kids? Then head to the Redwood Lookout where even the littlest guests can find some rocks to climb. This area has two structures – a big climbing area perfect for the 4+ crew and a smaller climber for the little ones. This area is pretty well shaded which is great for keeping cool while you watch your little monkeys on the rope bridge. (Insider tip: have your little one sport a bright-colored shirt for easy spotting on this big climbing structure!)

Up, Down and Around and Around!
In the back of the park past the Redwood Lookout you will find the big draw for most kids—the rides! These are not the big rides that you will find at Great America—they are geared more towards kids under 10. Thrill seekers will enjoy the park’s roller coaster, The Pacific Fruit Express, or the ever-favorite, Frog Hopper. Danny the Dragon will take you on a leisurely ride through familiar storybook tales. Or hop aboard the Mini Putt-Putts and Granny Bugs for some round-and-round good fun!

Zip on Over to the Zoo in the Hollow
Jaguars, meerkats, lemurs and more make their home at the Zoo in the Hollow. Kids love walking inside the aviary to watch all sorts of feathered friends fly overhead. Parrots are often the focus of the animal meet-n-greets that take place throughout the day. Little explorers will enjoy digging around in the Dino Dig to find bones and other treasures!

Extra! Extra!
Happy Hollow has all sorts of special programs for kids (and adults, too!). Every afternoon crowds delight in the miniature antics at the puppet theatre. Summer camps, fall camps and school break camps are great way to explore the park when school is out and get inside information on the animals there.

On October 24 the park will host the Howl-o-ween Family Sleepover. Bring your tent to camp in the Crooked House Meadow or sleep indoors in the Learning LODGE. Check the special events page for information on these events and more!

Good to Know
Admission into Happy Hollow gets you unlimited rides as well as access to all of the animals. Weekdays are less crowded than weekends. Parking is $10 in the two lots—on Senter Road by Kelley Park (lots of shady spots here) and a bigger lot on Story Road (no shade but you get to enter the park via a very cool bridge).  Pick up a daily schedule when you enter as there are times when the rides will close for an hour for maintenance.

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
1300 Senter Road
San Jose, Ca
Online: hhpz.org
Hours: through the end of August, the hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. After that, the weekday hours vary so check the schedule before heading over.
Cost: $12.95 for guests aged 2-69; guests 70+ are $9.95 and under 2 are free

What attraction do you kids run to when you go to Happy Hollow? Let us know in the comments below!

—Kate Loweth

All photos credit the author unless otherwise noted

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Just Opened: The Officers’ Club in the Presidio

by Garrick Ramirez

San Francisco just got an impressive new cultural center and social hub with The Presidio Officers’ Club. After an intensive three-year rehab, SF’s most historic building (don’t tell our friends at Mission Dolores we said that) is ready for its close-up. The massive, nearly 37,000-square-foot building holds lots of treats for families too. Here are some of the things you and your kiddo can look forward to.

Get to Know the Presidio
Make the Heritage Room your first stop. The dramatically-lit gallery space serves as a virtual Presidio for Dummies by detailing the former fortress’ role in American history with engaging displays that won’t leave your little one tugging at your sleeve. Start your visit with an orientation of the property that’s screened in the comfy micro-theatre.

If These Walls Could Talk
You can step back in time in the Mesa Room thanks to a literal display of history via the exposed layers of the Officers’ Club’s walls. Trace the historic structure’s progression from the actual adobe walls of the 1810s to the colorful Victorian clapboard of the 1880s to the popular Spanish stucco of the 1930s and end with the fabulously drab white walls of the 1970s.

Say adios to audio wands: visitors can also check-out a free, preloaded iPad and swipe their way through the Presidio’s history with interactive photos, videos, and StoryCorps conversations.

Al Fresco Dining and Craft Cocktails
The Officers’ Club is home to chef Traci des Jardin’s new restaurant Arguello. Named for the first Mexican Governor of Alta California—and former Presidio commander—the new spot will feature Mexican dishes served in a handsome dining room or on a blessedly heated outdoor patio.

You can also grab a craft cocktail and take it the adjacent Moraga Room, an atmospheric space that serves as the building’s de facto lobby with a fireplace and dramatic wrought iron chandeliers (hint: this is when that iPad may come in handy for certain, smaller members of the family that don’t get a cocktail so that those who do can relax). Arguello officially opens on October 8th for lunch and dinner.

Go See an New Goldsworthy
Does Andy Goldsworthy have a pied-à-terre in SF yet? The nature-based artist is a frequent visitor with numerous works in town including four in The Presidio. The Officers’ Club houses his latest, Earth Wall, which consists of a bundle of branches that he collected over the past year, then buried in an earthen wall and “excavated” a la Indiana Jones.

Digging the Past
Speaking of Indiana Jones, did you know that The Presidio is an active archaeological site? The Officers’ Club is also home to a snazzy archaeology lab that allows guests to witness how the Presidio’s artifacts are analyzed and processed. Just outside, there’s an ongoing excavation of the El Presidio de San Francisco ruins. From May through October, visitors can observe—and possibly participate in—excavations and chat with staff about their discoveries.

Field Trippin’
The Officers’ Club is set to become a new field trip fave thanks to hands-on and immersive activities for kids. Multidisciplinary programs allow students to explore local and national history as well as the park’s natural and cultural resources in an authentic historic setting. Programs are tied to curriculum standards and free for participating schools.

Special Events for Families
Starting October 11th, you can drop by on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for crafts based on the Presidio’s natural and cultural heritage and geared for kids 5 through 12.

Also, every Saturday at 2 pm, the Officers’ Club will feature free theatre, music, and dance performances. On Saturday, November 1st, kids can gather around The Tree & The Donkey Who Wanted to Sing, a participatory music and dance program that tells the story of the diverse roots of Mexican people and the making of musical instruments from nature.

Take advantage of the free PresidiGo which picks up at the Transbay Terminal, Embarcadero BART, and the corner of Van Ness & Union.

50 Moraga Ave., Presidio Main Post
San Francisco, Ca
415-561-4400
Online: presidioofficersclub.com

Hours: Tues.-Sun., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Cost: free

Have you been to the Presidio Officers’ Club yet? What was your family’s favorite part?

—Garrick Rameriez

All photos by Henrik Kam and courtesy of the Presidio Officers’ Club

 

 

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A Retro Arcade Where Games Cost Nickels

by liz overson

Arcades are scarce nowadays as our little ones are growing up in the age of PlayStation and Xbox. But have no fear! There is a special little place where you can still hear the ping, zings and tokens oozing from the change machine. An arcade that is just as cool as you remember ‘em to be, fully equipped with air hockey, skee ball, pinball…all begging for your high score. Even the pricing is retro with most games taking two to four nickels per play. Yes! Nickels. So, grab your little ones and take a trip back to your glory days at Electric Castle’s Wunderland.

Need to Know
Wunderland charges admission but hey, it’s so worth it. Adults admission is $2.75 and kiddos $2.25 (ages 5-11). After entering the arcade, your first mission is to buy your baggies of nickels you and your little ones before you can play the neon, noisy, pingy, crane-y, driving game delights.  And just as you remember from rainy summer days at the beach arcade, you get tickets as you play that are redeemable to for cool prizes your little tykes will love.

At Electric Wunderland, you can teach your little ones the ins and outs of air hockey or help them land a 100-pointer in skee ball and transform them into mini pinball wizards. Afterwards, jhop on a motorcycle or speedboat and drag race with your tiny tots. And after all that high-speed adventure, step right up to your first arcade loves – Pac Man, Donkey Kong, target action and bonking hippo heads. It’s all as it used to be and it’s still crazy fun.

If We Had a Nickel for Every Time…
Some Wunderlands even come attached with a movie theater showing $3 movies. And we’re not talking older flicks but the most current films playing in theaters everywhere. Some offer stadium seating, some offer 3D action and all offer tasty popcorn, candies and other yummy treats and a chance to sit back and enjoy the show.

No Wooden Nickels
The well-trained and ever-present gang at Wunderland could not be nicer or friendlier, always willing to help you and the family out with broken or jammed games. Plus, they will help you make choices about where and what to play, how many nickels to buy and most important of all – how to spend those tickets! The staff is also extremely dedicated to safe, clean and friendly arcades so no worries here.

Electric Castle Wunderlands are available for parties and groups. For the diehards, check out the web site for Club Wunderland details, coupons and newsletters. Currently, this awesome arcade is open Sunday to Thursday from 12:00 pm-11:00 pm, Fridays from 12:00 pm-midnight and Saturday from 11:00 am- midnight. It’s a cool way to spend a rainy afternoon with the ones you love and it’s THE best spot around to rub two nickels together!

Locations:

Milwaukie Cinema and Wunderland
11011 SE Main Steet
Milwaukie, OR 97222
503-653-2222

Gresham Cinema and Wunderland
140 NW Burnside Road
Gresham, OR 97030
503-328-8496

Gateway Wunderland
10306 NE Halsey St
Portland, OR 97220
503-255-7333

Beaverton Wunderland
4070 Cedar Hills Boulevard
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-626-1665

Salem Wunderland
1657 Hawthorne NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-399-9410

Tell us about your trip to Wunderland in the comment section below!

— Liz Overson

Thanks for the photos Electric Castle’s Wunderland Facebook page!


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