Ready for some family fun in the SF Bay Area? We’ve compiled a useful Spring Guide for some family-friendly activities for a long weekend escape from other American cities in the West or a week or more if you’re coming from elsewhere.
Six Flags Discovery Park
We opted to try the Six Flags Discovery Park in the East Bay since it not only included thrill rides and plenty of fun rollercoasters, but an opportunity to hang with animals as well. Jake loves rollercoasters, so we always start with the best ones in the park. BATMAN for example, is a 4D Free Fly Coaster that thrusts you into a totally immersive, high-speed Gotham City adventure. Riders flip head-over-heels at least six times along a weightless, tumbling journey with unexpected drops and vertical free-falls.
The Medusa Coaster is equally thrilling. Named with Medusa in mind, this ride offers seven relentless inversions that loop like snakes and are made of steel. At 3,937 feet, Medusa is the longest and highest coaster in Northern California and boasts a 150-foot drop. There’s also two corkscrew loops before a hellacious helix that winds into an s-shaped turn. Kong is another popular coaster ride in the park as is one they refer to as Boomerang Coast-to-Coaster. This ride uses 935 feet of track and travels at nearly 50 miles per hour with three mind-ripping loops along the way, including a 120-foot vertical loop. You might say that this one is for the warrior within each of us.
The most extreme pendulum ride in the park goes to WONDER WOMAN, the Lasso of Truth, because she embodies justice, equality and peace. She is also the symbol of female empowerment, as she seeks to fight evil at every turn.
Fauna, flowers and relaxing fountains can be found in the park as well.
Then there’s SUPERMAN, which is a rollercoaster ride with red and gold tracks. You’ll launch out of the station from a standstill through a warping tunnel to a whopping 62 miles per hour in only a couple of seconds. On the way around the coaster, you have a wide-open view of the world as it blurs past you – it’s a thriller.
For something a little different, try the thrilling Sky Screamer ride and let’s not forget THE JOKER, a fun, hybrid rollercoaster. As the second DC-themed attraction at the park after SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight, THE JOKER’s villainous personality comes through in the coaster’s chaotic twists and turns, including the world’s first ever step-up under flip and the only breaking wave turn on the West Coast.
If fast, furious and winding things aren’t for you, there are other activities to enjoy, such as Rock Wall Climbing, Safari Jeep Tours, the Seaport Carousel, which is great if you have younger kids in tow, and plenty of animal experiences. You can take the Wildlife Adventure Tour, explore the Wolf’s Den, the Lion’s Lair, Alligators, Cheetah Creek, Giraffes, Dolphin Discovery, a show with Sea Lion’s and visit designated sections where you can observe otters, penguins, seals and stingrays (called Stingray Bay). You can also walk through the reptiles section and the Shark Tunnel, where you can observe them swimming around through glass.
We had a great time and would encourage you to visit on a non-holiday weekend and get the fast pass to avoid the long lines. Visit their website for more information, how to grab tickets and to learn about their sister parks.
Bowling @ AMF Petaluma Lanes
In northern Marin, there’s a massive bowling alley called AMF Petaluma Lanes in Petaluma. They have 40 lanes with full wheelchair accessibility. Beyond the lanes, there’s a full arcade, billiards tables, and a sports bar. Whether you’re in the mood to bowl for no reason at all, are eager to get the kids moving and away from their screens, or want to hire private event spaces, it’s a great spot.
Truth be told, we hadn’t bowled in a while so most of our scores were somewhere in the nineties, although I surpassed 100 twice . . . barely. That said, it was a fun experience and we felt that we had the place to ourselves because there were so few bowlers on a mid-day afternoon. They also have menu bar codes, so you can order sodas, sandwiches, fries and other bites through your phone and your order arrives automatically when the food and drinks are ready.
We loved that there were different lighting adjustments, from a dim darker light with a green glow, to something a bit more vibrant. The digital system does all the calculating so you don’t even need to keep score. The downside of course is that your scores are on the overhead screen for all to see.
To find out more about the Petaluma lanes, including prices, how to reserve a lane and their hours, be sure to visit their website.
Rollerskating in Rohnert Park
We discovered CalSkate in Rohnert Park in 2022. I grew up rollerskating and spent as much time as I could at rinks in New York, Arizona, Florida, and California during my teenage years. I even competed a few times, but when you’re out of practice and your body isn’t as flexible as it once was, it can be a challenge to keep up with others flying around the floor. When we went in April, we opted for an adult evening only (Tuesdays and Sundays), but note that it is mostly teenagers and young adults. In other words, if you’re expecting any “oldie” tunes, you’ll be out of luck.
The walls are colorful and bright here, making it a fun and lively experience to do with your kids.
We had a blast: Anthony even took his hair down for this one.
Check out their website for more information including hours and prices.
The Alley Piano Bar in Oakland
The Alley, one of the last remainders from a rich history of Oakland piano bars, was founded in 1934 and is located on Grand Avenue in Oakland, CA, near the Grand Lake Theatre and the Lake Merritt estuary. Most of the piano bars in the area closed decades ago, and unlike most piano bars, they serve food, so we were able to bring Jake and Julissa with us.
The bar is part saloon, part 1920’s alley, a design the East Bay Express once described as “Dashiell Hammet in Disneyland.” As you walk in, you’re faced with wood shingles, telephone wires and postcards plastered all over the walls inside. There’s also a silhouette of a busty dame above one rooftop as well as a fake pawn shop along the back wall. In addition to photos, you’ll find nearly 50,000 business cards stapled up by visitors from all over the world for decades, including ones from Jerry Brown and Gregg Allman. A large image of Frank Sinatra sits above the piano itself.
Below are some of the booths in the restaurant/bar.
We landed there on a Thursday night, which apparently is Vintage Night. This translates to only vintage songs being played until around 10 or 10:30 pm and then it opens up to other tunes, including Broadway. The grand piano is located past the main bar, topped by a lacquered wood table. There are only twelve seats around the bar, so if you want to get a seat, you need to go early. That said, you can’t eat at the bar, so you need to take a booth first and then cozy up at the bar for singalong after dinner.
Songbooks and microphones rest on the bar; think the Great American Songbook, although more contemporary songs are also now played. Since the 1950s, singers wait their turn to sing along with the resident piano player (or guitar player) for the evening. Says the Lonely Planet Guide, the bar attracts “a wacky mix of hams and crooners,” and apparently the mixed drinks are strong. The ambiance feels like a mishmash of New York City with New Orleans. We loved our experience.
For more information, visit their website.
Shopping in the Haight
On the corner of San Francisco’s Haight and Ashbury Streets sits a street sign marking the heart of the neighborhood where 1960s flower power blossomed. Today, the main downtown drag is surrounded by colorful Victorian houses on hillsides, and there are tons of cafes, pizza joints, restaurants and boutiques.
Haight Ashbury, commonly shortened to The Haight, is a great spot to bring teenagers because shopping seems to be designed for them, from vintage and designer shops to trendy coffee bars.
Jake went into most of the second hand and vintage stores that also carried some unique designer “catches,” and found some great deals. One of my personal favorites is The Love of Ganesha, which is a store loaded with gemstones, ritual tools and all things East.
You might say that it is a bit dizzying walking through the store because there’s so much to look at — you can spend hours getting lost in all things ancient and esoteric.
For more information about Haight Ashbury, check out this SF Travel neighborhood page that explains more.
Walk Around Sonoma Square
While it may not have glimmer and shine, Sonoma is a down-to-earth town in the heart of Sonoma Valley wine country. And the drive is beautiful, so whether you want the whole family to have a vineyard experience or want to go as a romantic escape, Sonoma is a wonderful option.
The square, which is in the heart of downtown, is a lovely way to spend an hour or so. Meander around it and pop your head into the different shops and cafes; there are also alleyways you can venture down, some of which offer wine tasting rooms.
There’s also Chateau Sonoma, a lovely French store that is brimming with all things country — it’s my favorite shop in the square and one I always venture into whenever we’re in Sonoma.
Window dressings and design are also beautiful here.
After walking around and taking in the senses (at the olive oil tasting room for example), duck into the ever so authentic Della Santina’s Restaurant and the Enoteca next door. You feel as if you’ve been transported to Italy. Here, authentic Northern Italian fare is created under the direction of Quirico Della Santina, a third generation chef who came to the United States from Lucca nearly fifty years ago. He learned cooking alongside his mother and his grandmother, who created true farm to table, simple food.
Today, they call it “Tuscan Soul Food” — homemade pastas, rotisserie meats, bread baked daily, soups and fish — all of it delicious and served in a quaint Italian courtyard with fountains and flowers around you. They also have a “wine library” with a 250+ bottle “wine wall” so visitors can sample, drink and purchase wines from hard-to find local producers. We have come here often over the years, so it was a great spot to share with the kids.
Above, the burrata salad at Della Santina’s and below a delicious Rum Cake for dessert.
Check out the restaurant website for more on their story. Also check out the Sonoma Valley Tourism Board site for more activities to choose from when planning a trip.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
