Family Fun

Kids of all ages love learning about California history, people, and multifaceted landscape. After all, this trendsetting state has been home to some of the most intrepid explorers and pioneers, creative minds, and brilliant and eccentric innovators-all situated in one of the world's most diverse and awe-inspiring natural environments.

The state boasts hundreds of historical museums, historic parks, and restored 18th- and 19th-century homes and buildings. A few of the more fascinating ones include the San Bernardino County Museum ; the KidZone Museum in Truckee; the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento; and the Lori Brock Children's Discovery Center .

If your children fancy themselves budding scientists or inventors, treat them to The Tech Museum in San Jose , the California Science Center in Los Angeles, or the Exploratorium in San Francisco. 

Perhaps no other state has a greater variety of outdoor activities for kids than California. From the endless coastline to the state's extensive state park system-and of course, more national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas than any other state-California will keep your active child on the go.

Start, like many people do, at Yosemite National Park . Yosemite is full of family-centric activities, from Yosemite High Sierra Camps to Yosemite Trails Pack Station trail rides. Or if your kids are fond of the ocean, you won't need to coax them in the water at one of California's best swimming beaches, Corona Del Mar State Beach in Orange County's Newport Beach.

Make sure to visit some of the state's unique outdoor attractions, such as lush Balboa Park in San Diego, the Children's Forest Exploration Trail near Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino National Forest, or Fort Bragg's Skunk Train , which wends through the majestic North Coast redwoods.

 

When talking theme parks, everybody starts with Walt's creation, Disneyland , which launched a worldwide phenomenon. But California has a slew of other theme parks full of nonstop thrills and magic.

A rite of passage for kids growing up throughout Central and Northern California is the annual summer expedition to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk . This classic park- featuring the vintage 1924 wooden roller coaster, the Giant Dipper-is jam-packed with rides, arcade games, musical performance venues, and, of course, a spectacular beach. Just east of San Francisco, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo is a combination theme park, wildlife park, and oceanarium. California's Great America in Santa Clara, south of San Francisco, has more thrill rides than any other Northern California theme park, including FireFall, new in 2008.

Several theme parks in Southern California offer visitors endless opportunities to explore their inner child (or, as the case may be, outer child-because it's awfully hard not to let out a scream of delight careening down a roller coaster track at 60 mph). Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, founded in 1920, is billed as America's first theme park. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia boasts 15 roller coasters, including Tatsu, the longest, fastest, and tallest roller coaster in the world. Universal Studios Hollywood offers both studio tours and a host of amusement park rides and attractions, including its latest, the Simpsons Ride. Kids and kids at heart will also love LEGOLAND California, just 30 minutes north of San Diego.  Opened in 1999, the family theme park has more than 55 rides, shows and attractions, including the new Land of Adventure.  Opened on August 11, 2008, SEA LIFE Aquarium at the LEGOLAND California Resort puts children in touch with the aquatic world in a truly memorable way, featuring LEGO submarines, the Lost City of Atlantis and cool sea creatures!

Many other nonstop-fun theme parks are scattered throughout the state, including Fairytale Town and Funderland Amusement Park ; Children's Fairyland in Oakland; Belmont Park in San Diego; Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy; and Castle Park in Riverside.

Wildlife is abundant throughout California-and we don't just mean at state and national parks. From San Diego to Redding, the state offers wildlife and nature enthusiasts endless opportunities to get up close and personal with wildlife and its habitats.

Perhaps the best-known wildlife attractions in California are in San Diego-SeaWorld San Diego , the San Diego Zoo , and the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park . Heading north, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is one of the country's premier aquariums, with its focus on the world's largest ocean. And in Palm Desert, the Living Desert is a great place to learn about California's unique desert ecosystem, flora, and fauna.

In the Central Valley, more than 125 animals call the Fresno Chaffee Zoo home. Head to the coast, and marvel at the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium , which features a million-gallon indoor ocean, a three-story kelp forest, and a two-story sea otter exhibit.

Wander through the Bay Area's two marvelous zoos, the San Francisco Zoo and the Oakland Zoo . Heading north, get ready to be transported at Sonoma County's Safari West , an African wildlife preserve. And don't miss the exhibits at Redding's Turtle Bay Exploration Park , often focusing on the relationship of the Sacramento River region's flora, fauna, and people.