Forget expensive, far-away vacations; some of the best family
spots are just miles away
It’s a funny thing, summer. School will have just ended, and
each year one of my children will inevitably ask,
”
Where are we going for vacation?
”
Forget expensive, far-away vacations; some of the best family spots are just miles away
It’s a funny thing, summer. School will have just ended, and each year one of my children will inevitably ask, “Where are we going for vacation?”
What’s funny is my kids’ assumption that simply because it is summer, and they are out of school, we are going on a “trip.” First, there’s the money – or lack of money – issue. I don’t have the funds to pack up six people, rent a car (we don’t have one that will fit six human beings and the luggage a vacation requires), pick a destination and then hang out for seven days.
Two summers ago, my sister and I took my daughters on a four-day trip to Anaheim. It was my first vacation since we took my sons to Anaheim 10 years earlier. On this latest trip, we spent two days at Disneyland, visited with my grandmother and made a pit stop at Hilo Hattie’s, a store specializing in Hawaiian merchandise. The trip was special because it was the girls’ first time at Disneyland, and we tricked them the morning we left. They thought we were having breakfast with my sister before she went on a business trip. We were into King City before my older daughter mentioned we had already passed about 12 McDonald’s. Surprising them was fun, and we had a really good time.
But many children, including my own, don’t realize that vacations don’t just happen. Vacations take money (I saved for a year for the girls’ Disneyland trip) and time, which working parents such as me don’t always have. It’s hard to take vacations in the summer. Employers prefer you take time off during slow periods, such as January.
So if you are like me, short on funds and time, I suggest focusing on places that can be reached in an hour or so, and whose admission prices won’t break the bank. Here are some places that fit the bill. Believe it or not, there are a lot of fun things to do that are relatively inexpensive and fairly close by.
In fact, the vacation I remember most fondly from my childhood does not revolve around Disneyland or long trips cross country. My favorite summer vacation was a week spent with my family doing things near our Morgan Hill home, such as a trip to Happy Hollow Park and another to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We still talk about that week some 26 years later. That’s what I call a vacation.
Fremont Peak State Park, San Juan Bautista
There are many beautiful parks in the California State Parks system, but one of the best is right here in our own backyard.
Fremont Peak State Park features a gorgeous view of Monterey Bay and hiking trails up into the Gavilan mountain range. Other views include the San Benito and Salinas valleys and the Santa Lucia Mountains. There is also an astronomical observatory with a 30-inch telescope, which is open for public programs on selected evenings.
After a warm summer day, a sunset family picnic at Fremont Peak is a great way to cool off. But bring a jacket – even on the hottest of days, nighttime can be chilly on the peak.
The park is open year-round, and there is a $3 parking fee. Day use hours are from 8 a.m. to 30 minutes past sunset. Observatory programs are held April through October on moonless Saturday evenings starting at 8 p.m. For more information about any California state park, go to www.parks.ca.gov.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz
My first trip to the Boardwalk was during my family’s best vacation ever – and what I remember most about that day was my dad’s 10 or so times on the park’s log ride. It is still my favorite ride at the park, although the famous Giant Dipper roller coaster is a close second.
Admission to the boardwalk is free, so you can walk around and check out the arcades, souvenir shops and food booths (try a fried Twinkie – I dare you). You can buy tickets for rides individually (at about $4 per ticket, with most rides needing multiple tickets) or you can buy an all-day unlimited pass for $28.95 per person. There are other season pass packages available, but for me, the best deal is Pepsi Can Night – every Wednesday and Thursday after 5 p.m. through Aug. 30 an unlimited rides wristband is only $9.95 per person with a can of Pepsi. In celebration of the Boardwalk’s 100th anniversary, this summer there are 1907 Nights on Mondays and Tuesdays – after 5 p.m., all rides are just 75 cents each. Go to www.beachboardwalk.com for more information.
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San Jose
There are several neat museums in San Jose – the Children’s Discovery Museum, the Tech Museum and the Museum of Art, to name a few. But my family’s favorite is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium. It has mummies, which are always cool, beautiful artifacts, several video tours and even a full-scale replica of a noble’s rock-cut tomb. It has a gift shop featuring jewelry, post cards and educational items reasonably priced.
The museum is located at 1342 Naglee Ave. and is open daily except on major holidays. For hours of operation, check out their Web site at www.egyptianmuseum.org. General admission is $9 per person, $7 for seniors and students and $5 for children ages 5-10. Children under 5 years are free. Planetarium shows are free; pick up complimentary tickets when you pay your admission fees.
Mission San Juan Bautista, San Juan Bautista
Anyone who lives in San Benito County has probably been to Mission San Juan Bautista at least once, but its quiet beauty is always worth a second look. It is one of the most visited missions in the California chain and features the chain’s biggest church, an old Indian cemetery, tons of artifacts and a great view of the San Andreas Fault. The buildings of the State Historic Park that surrounds the mission make for a fun day of reliving the past. Bring a lunch to eat on the grassy plaza in front of the mission. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated. You can walk around the park for free, but a tour inside the buildings will cost you just $2 per person.
There are 21 missions in California’s chain, and several are close by. I also recommend San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in Carmel, where Father Junipero Serra is buried – it is a beautiful mission with a church built from stone, rather than adobe.
Monterey Walk of History, Monterey
Okay, there are no thrill rides and your kids will have to walk – a lot. But taking the time to stop and look around Historic Monterey is definitely worth it.
It’s an easy walk, and if you don’t enter any of the historic buildings, it’s completely free. The walk will take you past historic buildings such as Colton Hall, where California’s first Constitution was drafted, into hidden gardens and an old jail and California’s First Theatre. Plan to include a few hours at Dennis the Menace Park, known for its swinging rope bridge, a roller slide and a life-sized hedge maze. The park opens daily at 10 a.m. and admission is free. Use the money you save by bringing a picnic lunch on a snow-cone – they come highly recommended. For more information, go to www.historicmonterey.org.
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, San Jose
Happy Hollow was one of my favorite places when I was younger. I remember running through a maze, wearing a poncho my mother crocheted for me, thinking it was the coolest park ever. I mean, it had rides, a zoo, and everything!
It still does. Geared towards children ages 2-10, Happy Hollow features rides such as a merry-go-round, the Crooked House (my personal favorite) and Danny the Dragon. There is also a Puppet Theater, picnic areas for those who want to bring their own lunch, the Kids Cafe for those who don’t and a gift shop.
The zoo, which is accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, is home to many domestic and exotic animals and includes a petting zoo.
Happy Hollow is located in San Jose’s Kelley Park, 1300 Senter Road. General admission is $6 for persons ages 2-59 and $5.50 for persons ages 60-74. Parking is $6 per car. For more information, go to www.hhpz.org.
Japanese Friendship Gardens and Historical Park, San Jose
When you are done checking out the animals and running around Happy Hollow, cross the parking lot and visit the Japanese Friendship Gardens or the San Jose Historical Park. Either is a great way to help the kids wind down before getting back into the car. The garden is modeled after Korakuen Park in Okayama, Japan. Its features include bridges, ponds, flowers, plants and pathways based on Japanese landscape gardening. The ponds are home to dozens of huge koi fish, which children can feed during summer months.
The Historical Park features several renovated historical buildings, including the Santa Ana Schoolhouse, a former one-room school house from Hollister’s Santa Ana Valley. During the self-guided tour, you can ride a vintage trolley, visit a working print shop, look at buildings, visit three different exhibition galleries or buy some candy at O’Brien’s Cafe.
Admission to the gardens or the historical park is free. Hours of operation vary. For more information about the historical park, go to www.historysanjose.org.
There are many more ways you can spend a fun day with your family around the Central Coast without spending a lot of money. Fishing from any local pier is free, and no license is required. Free music is everywhere – at the boardwalk, at a park near Capitola Beach and even in downtown Hollister. Several places, such as the boardwalk, Capitola and downtown San Jose, offer free outdoor screenings of movies. Pack a picnic, visit the surf museum in Santa Cruz – it’s free – then watch the surfers at Lighthouse Point. Or plan a trip to Pinnacles National Monument to see wildlife from our own county. A crawl through the caves is definitely worth the $4 parking fee.
