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California Children's Getaway, from horses to Innertube
California has its theme parks, but where can lead to children in California, besides the usual trips to Disneyland or SeaWorld?
Here are three examples of an ideal vacation getaway, or for any other time of year that can take the kids along.
San Francisco
San Francisco has a great variety of attractions for those who go to small fry of the theme parks museums to aquariums to the islands where you can enjoy great walks and spectacular views of the bay. While many see San Francisco as a romantic city, the truth you can have as much fun as taking the kids along.
Start by booking a suite Children, as we have booked at Hotel Union Square in the center of the city. It is likely that we will see a lot of children running through the halls, or teenagers congregating in the lobby. This is a sophisticated hotel that happens to offer some of its accommodation in a special format that appeals to families.
While parents will love the fact that this is a boutique hotel – with all the extras that the term implies, like brick walls, mosaic murals, warm colors and stylish furniture – the children sharing the suite Children with Mom and Dad are in for a special treat. The suite is actually a large room with high ceilings corner that has been subdivided into an area of parents and a children's area. A free-standing partition also serves as a storage device where games, toys, dolls and everything you could wish that their children are ready for use in any time.
There is a bed for children, and children's desk is a Mac ready to shoot and play games online. But the highlight is the 47 "HD flat screen TV hanging on the wall with a Wii Game System attached – an incredibly fun diversion for children and adults alike. The Wii console lets you tennis, baseball or golf or other sports by holding the remote controls in his hands and hit "the ball with the same physical movements you would use in real sport. Literally, he spent hours playing these games with our eight years old – one of the most unusual and fun experiences we have had with our children in a hotel room.
When you leave, there are many family activities in the city, especially near Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39: Aquarium of the Bay, a real arcade atmosphere as close to animals, like sea lions lounging at the dock. From here you can take a ferry to the Angel Island, an island popular trails where visitors go and visit more than 100 historic buildings. Another great attraction in the city is the center of circulation in the called the Exploratorium science, which is located near the Presidio at the end of the shoreline near the Golden Gate Bridge. And then there's Golden Gate Park, where there is a playground, including a restored carousel, Alcatraz Island, where you can take a self-guided tour of the famous prison that was closed in 1963 and the San Francisco Zoo, which provides hours of fun for the whole family.
For more information on Hotel Union Square, phone 1-800-553-1900 or visit www.hotelunionsquare.com.
Resort at Indio
Other "adult" place can be fun for children is the greatest area of Palm Springs. On our trip latest to desert we base a few miles east of Palm Springs in Indio, a comfortable neighborhood, but perhaps less extravagant than other parts of the valley. Out on the eastern edge of the valley cities, this area is undergoing a major transformation with several sets of houses have modern, spacious houses are artificial lakes and canals together, five minutes from the motorway. It is in this same area a major new resort complex – Resort in Indio – was built in the past years.
This group of condominium-style buildings, including 453 units in total, around which almost looks like a water theme park full of pools, baths Jacuzzi, giant sprinklers for children, ponds, canals and even an artificial river to float at the spa provided inner-tube. There are a couple of large swimming pools – the majority of almost 5,000 square meters. The resort also includes tennis courts, a basketball court, a recreation center with pool, ping-pong and other games, and gym modern training.
Given the opportunities for recreation, not surprisingly, the Resort at Indio is especially popular among families. During our visit on a weekend unusually warm spring, the large and small family groups were taking advantage of the pools and other facilities. Families were being used cover hundreds of chairs all placed next to the pool and located near the snack area. Come lunchtime, many walk the short distance back to their condominium units and fire from barbecues available on their decks and patios.
As expected, the rooms are really vacation rentals, not hotel rooms – each unit comes with a full kitchen, multiple bedrooms, living and dining areas. Since the complex is almost brand new, everything is in perfect condition, with the latest appliances, colors and decorations.
This is the kind of place where you can settle in a few days, let the children play and meet other kids and just relax. A short drive will also find fun family outings, such as the Patton Museum with its tanks of the Second World War and the control of other equipment and memorabilia. There are many excursions in the general area, and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is another fun family adventure.
For more information about the ski resort in Indio, phone 800-867-2095 or visit www.greatpricedcondos.com/id/.
Novato guest ranch
To our way of thinking, one more family vacation we have taken is ideal when visiting rookie Guest Ranch, about an hour's drive west of Reno Plumas County, California.
Sometimes you just know when you're home. Within about 30 minutes of our arrival at the beginner, we down instead of eating your roast on Friday night to suck their fingers, ribs, bone-fall, with all the Fixin. The owners of the ranch, Trish and Ralph Wilburn, were playing their guitars and singing western songs by the campfire. Soon, the children in the group ran to get their marshmallows and chocolate so they could get more smores than anyone.
Out there, the big city might as well have been on the moon – which, incidentally, was beginning to rise to take its place among the bright stars visible above the dark tower of pine trees surrounding the ranch.
Rookie Creek Guest Ranch is where to go for a healthier heart. Not that the ribs BBQ meats and hearty breakfasts of bacon and sausage and biscuits will unclog the arteries. The heart that we are talking about is what helps you to see the world and how their reactions to it. Is that sometimes gets a little overwhelmed with the day to day and forget the main idea.
The overall picture is considerably brighter after spending a few days with fellow ranch visitors of all ages, shapes and sizes. Some of the people who visit the novice to know about horses and may even have own horses. Others are not sure at first walking step. Some are constantly running from one ranch to the next activity. Others are just happy to sit in their cabin porches and inhale fresh air. Most people ride a horse, sometimes an hour or two each day.
Cabins are cozy and good food in the dining Chuckhouse. Coming week of Thanksgiving, the food probably will be quite spectacular, with a traditional dinner of Action Thanksgiving, and many holiday activities such as wreath making and a ride on horse-drawn carriage to reduce their own Christmas tree. Customers do not have to stay all week, you can come for just one night or two to get a taste of this wonderful family experience.
For more information on rookie Creek Guest Ranch, visit or call 1-800-334-6939 www.greenhornranch.com.
About the Author
Cary Ordway is president of Getaway Media Corp, publisher of websites focusing on Northwest travel and California travel.
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