The City by the Bay is also home to many wonderful attractions that are perfect for families with kids. Below are five top picks to keep even the youngest in your clan happily entertained. These attractions are listed alphabetically, and provide for wonderful learning opportunities about the amazing and diverse world in which we live. Make sure to visit them next time you are in the great metropolitan city of San Francisco.

Aquarium of the Bay

A bat ray glides through the water at the Aquarium of the Bay

Located at the edge of Fisherman’s Wharf at Pier 39 by the San Francisco Bay, Aquarium of the Bay is home to more than 20,000 aquatic animals native to the bay and surrounding waters. The 50,000-square-foot aquarium is divided into three exhibit galleries: Discover the Bay, Under the Bay and Touch the Bay. Some of its impressive collections feature a variety of sharks, rays, skates, rock fish, sea stars, eels, jellies and more. A successful breeding program includes pipefish, moon jellies and skates, many of which are donated to educational facilities and public aquariums throughout the country. The aquarium’s water supply comes from the San Francisco Bay itself, where it is filtered and maintained a constant 55 degrees.

Guests can walk through two tunnel tanks for an up-close experience with the aquatic life gliding through their watery world. Several touch pools allow visitors to meet the amazing animals that live there, and include such creatures as leopard sharks, juvenile bat rays, skates, urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars and anemones. This is an exciting opportunity for children especially to discover what the creatures look like and how they feel — from smooth, slippery textures, to rougher exteriors.

Aquarium of the Bay features daily feeding presentations, an interactive bay lab station with animal encounters including terrestrial critters like tarantulas, hedgehogs and skinks, and hands-on activities like games and puzzles for children to pique their curiosities and further enhance their learning experiences. A theater offers families a chance to see 3D films that immerse one in the mysterious and captivating world of the animals there.

For more information visit their website at www.aquariumofthebay.org

California Academy of Sciences

California Academy of Sciences Entrance

The California Academy of Sciences features a planetarium, a four-story rainforest, an aquarium with 38,000 live animals, and a natural history museum with beautiful dioramas including the African Hall, and exhibits that explore the wildlife of Madagascar and the Galapagos, as well as skeletons of a T-Rex and blue whale. The stunning exhibits are also home to many live plants and animals including a popular 17-year-old albino alligator named Claude.

Guests can watch fascinating shows in the planetarium, observe the educational penguin feedings and coral reef dives, meander through a 90-foot diameter glass-domed rainforest with a lush variety of tropical plants and animals representative of different habitats in our world and  including such creatures as free-flying birds, butterflies, frogs, spiders, snakes, tropical fresh-water fish and more. Programs for adults and kids include a variety of tours, presentations, academy sleepovers, and a plethora of fun in the Naturalist Center with crafts, games and stories, as well as lots of hands-on activities for toddlers in the Early Explorers Cove.

The California Academy of Sciences building is a spectacular sight in itself, with its domed grassy roof with sloping hills and lush vegetation. The Academy also features two delicious dining options, shops and gardens for strolling. This is a must-see while visiting San Francisco.

The California Academy of Sciences in located at 55 Music Concourse Dr. in Golden Gate Park. For more information check out our more detailed article called The California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.

Exploratorium

As its name implies, Exploratorium in San Francisco is a wonderful place for children and adults to explore its fascinating exhibits while learning about the world in which we live. Established in 1969, this museum of human perception, art and science has hundreds of interactive exhibits that pique our natural human curiosity. The hands-on exhibits allow guests to learn more about things like physics, biology, cognition, listening, and visual perception through the exploration of intriguing subjects like living things, the human body, the mind, astronomy and space, the earth, and the everyday science of things around us.

Exploratorium will be moving to a new location at Pier 15 in spring 2013. This waterfront venue will feature 150 new exhibits, a Bay Observatory, an outdoor gallery and free civic space, and will be an improvement on this already fantastic museum.

With so many things to see and touch, families with kids can have a great time discovering all the artwork, displays and exhibits that have been built on-site. Programs at Exploratorium include film screenings, original plays, lectures, craft demonstrations, and more. For more information visit their website at www.exploratorium.edu

Muir Woods National Monument

Muir Woods National Monument

Muir Woods National Monument is home to the world’s tallest trees. Soaring over 250 feet into the sky, one feels an absolute sense of awe for these towering spires of nature. These coastal redwoods range from 500-800 years in age, with the oldest trees living over 1,000 years. Their long lifespans are a marvel. Just imagine historical events like the California Gold Rush, the American Revolution, or Christopher Columbus’s sailing to America. Then looking around at the trees, it can be rather mind-boggling to realize that many of the trees in this primeval wood existed at the time of those significant moments in history.

A short, comfortable drive from San Francisco, Muir Woods National Monument makes for a lovely family getaway any time of the year. The clearly-marked trails are lush with ferns and fragrant mosses that peek out among the stately trunks of these majestic trees. Being close to the San Francisco Bay, fog and mists rest above the canopy, or creep with haunting beauty through the evergreen branches. Sunlight filters below, illuminating the landscape with a hazy light that seems to transport one to a time of mythical beauty and enchantment.

A visit to Muir Woods National Monument is perfect for families with children of all ages, though will be most appreciated by school-aged children who can roam about on their own feet. Parents with infants and toddlers can carry their little ones in front or backpack carriers for hands-free versatility. Jogger strollers are best for negotiating the trails. For more information visit their official website at www.nps.gov/muwo

Muir Woods National Monument was also featured in a Tots & Travel article titled by the same name Muir Woods National Monument.

San Francisco Zoo

Kangaroo at the San Francisco Zoo

Nestled along the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Zoo is one of the top 10 zoos on the West Coast, and was featured in a Tots & Travel article in 2011. This 100-acre oasis has everything from feathered friends, ravenous reptiles, magnificent mammals, adaptable amphibians, to intriguing insects and more. Its fabulous exhibits invite guests to roam through the lush grounds and learn about the 700 animals representative of North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Some of the amazing animals living at the zoo are lions, tigers, kangaroos, bears, monkeys, gorillas, alligators, snakes, frogs, birds and a host of creepy crawly critters.

The zoo also features rides on a miniature steam train, a historic carousel, and a children’s zoo with petting farm, exhibits, insect zoo, and delightful activities for little ones. An interactive storybook with storybook sites spread throughout the park allows visitors to listen and learn about the animals at the zoo. The storybook recordings are activated by keys that can be purchased at the entrance. The San Francisco Zoo makes for a memorable visit that the whole family will enjoy. For more information visit their website at www.sfzoo.org

The majestic coastal redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument are the tallest living things on our planet

There is something about the primeval wood that has enchanted many for ages. Muir Woods National Monument in the San Francisco Bay Area is no exception. Its grove of coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) stand tall with a timeless grace that has captivated visitors with its moss draped branches and variety of lichen that cling like soft fragrant velvet.

This ancient forest of majestic redwoods is often shrouded in mists due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, while light pierces the canopy in long thick rays that seem to set the forest aglow with an emerald fire.

The ferns and fragrant mosses add to this primeval wood's enchantment

I had the opportunity to visit Muir Woods National Monument with my family over the holiday season. I happened to go during a crowded time since many people were off from work and school, and parking was a challenge. The parking lot by the entrance is small and it fills up quickly, leaving many cars to park along the road leading to the entrance. Because of this, it is best to go off-season and early in the day.

The visitor center has a small gift shop with souvenirs and maps

The forest is a short comfortable drive from San Francisco and is found 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, off of Highway 101, from the Highway 1/ Stinson Beach Exit. Steep and winding roads lead up to the park with signs guiding the way. As of January 1, 2012 the entrance fees are $7 for adults (16 and older) and free for children 15 and under. Food is not permitted in the park other than a light snack on the cafe deck and plaza.

There are 6 miles of trails consisting of a 30 minute loop, a 1 hour loop, and a 1 ½ hour loop. Longer trails that encompass nearby surrounding parks can also be hiked. All of the trails allow hikers to view the regal coastal redwoods. We went on the 1 hour loop trail which was perfect for my two school age children ages 7 and 9. The hike was comfortable and wide enough for a stroller, though a backpack child carrier would be most suitable for transporting tiny tots.

The trails offer breathtaking views of the forest

There were several rest areas with benches to stop and rest along the way. A few fallen hollowed-out logs even afforded children a fun place to explore and take pictures. The paths are well marked and easy to follow with lots of wonderful photo opportunities along the way.

Coastal redwood trees are the tallest living things on the planet, and can reach heights of up to 380 feet, though the tallest tree in Muir Woods stands at over 252 feet. The trees range in ages of 500-800 years old, while the oldest trees are well over 1,000 years old.

Although the redwood is the star attraction at this monument, the ancient forest is also home to the Big-leaf Maple, the Tanoak, and the California Bay Laurel trees. Its lush undergrowth makes the most of the lovely dappled light that filters through the canopy above, thriving in this protected sanctuary. There are cool mosses, sword ferns and a host of pretty little wildflowers that grow in cheerful clumps by decaying fallen logs in this shaded refuge.

The cross-section of this 1000-plus year old fallen tree has an interesting timeline of historical dates plotted along its rings

Informative displays along the trails provide interesting trivia about the trees and the forest. A large cross-section of a redwood is marked with a timeline of significant historical dates along its rings and goes back to the tree’s birth in 909 AD. How fascinating to trace Time’s chronological incidents that have shaped our history and see them plotted on a tree – one that lived through it all as a silent witness in this wooded cathedral.

This particular tree was alive during the building of the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings that began in the year 1100, through the Aztec construction of Teotihuacan, Mexico in 1325, the sailing of Columbus to America in 1492, the founding of Jamestown, Virginia by the English colonists in 1607, the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the 1849 California Gold Rush, the establishment of Muir Woods National Monument in 1908, until its falling in 1930.

These gentle giants inspire a deep respect and reverence for life

Fallen trees are a critical part of the forest’s life cycle, as they provide nourishment and refuge to the plants and surrounding trees. And this forest is a lovely place to observe the unending cycle of life and how each stage is essential to the prosperity of the flora and fauna. Hiking here serves as a valuable reminder of our humble place in the grand scheme of things, of time’s continuing march, and of the quiet grace and majesty of these gentle giants of nature. It inspires a deep respect and reverence for life and its unending cycle.

For more information on Muir Woods National Monument, visit their official website at http://www.nps.gov/muwo

View of Alcatraz Island

From a distance, Alcatraz Island appears like an idyllic outcrop rising from a tranquil San Francisco Bay in Northern California. It looks lush with its green vegetation, flowers, and variety of bird species that find refuge on this remote landmass. Even the twinkling lights that illuminate it at night seem to beckon with romance. Who would have ever thought that this little island was used as an army fortress, military prison, and a maximum-security federal penitentiary. For in contrast to its idyllic appearance, it was a place of infamy, hardship and Hollywood myth. A place that housed the most hardened of criminals – those transferred from other prisons who broke the prison rules – to serve out jail sentences on this isolated rock. A desolate and craggy boulder buffeted by cold winds and treacherous currents in a lonely bay.

Alcatraz Guard Tower

Alcatraz Island is a National Historic Landmark and was used to house Civil War prisoners as early as 1861, so one can see that its historical use as a penal colony goes way back. It is also home to the United States west coast’s oldest operating lighthouse, and has been featured in many television shows, Hollywood films, books, games, and other media.

Alcatraz Cruises

Alcatraz Cruises offer short and comfortable ferry rides to the island

I had the opportunity to visit and tour Alcatraz Island recently with my family in December 2011. We went with Alcatraz Cruises who is the official authorized concessioner for tickets to Alcatraz Island.  Being one who has a very low threshold for motion sickness, I was a bit apprehensive before boarding the ferry at Pier 33 near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, California. However, this large ferry was roomy and very comfortable, taking us to the island in just a short 12 minute comfortable ride without any sea sickness problems or queasiness whatsoever. Alcatraz Cruises conveniently provide transportation to the island at about 30 to 40-minute intervals.

The panoramic views from the ferry - like the Golden Gate Bridge - are beautiful

Alcatraz Cruises operates a well-organized schedule of getting visitors to and from Alcatraz Island in a smooth and efficient manner. The ferry also had a concession stand for coffee, beverages and snacks, as well as clean restrooms. There are plenty of comfortable seating areas inside the ferry, although passengers are free to wander outside on the decks by the railing to enjoy the panoramic bay views. A professional photographer takes passenger photos before they board so that they can have the option to purchase the photos upon their return back to the pier after visiting the island.

San Francisco rising in silhouette above the shimmering bay as seen from the ferry

Because the tickets sell out several days to a few weeks in advance – especially during peak holiday seasons – it is best to book early to guarantee spots on the ferry. For tickets to Alcatraz visit the official Alcatraz Cruises website at www.alcatrazcruises.com where you will find plenty of information on tours, the history of Alcatraz, the fauna and flora of the island, live streaming web cams, video clips, slide shows, and much more.

Touring the Rock

Exterior view of the cell house - note the moisture-damaged corrosion in the concrete

Once we disembarked on Alcatraz, we listened to a short informative chat about the island. We then stopped at the clean restrooms by the dock and continued on with our sightseeing. There are complementary interpretive walks offered by park rangers and volunteers, self-guided tours, many exhibits with memorabilia and information about the history of Alcatraz, free audio tours, and bookstores selling a variety of postcards, books, videos, apparel and Alcatraz-themed souvenirs. Visitors can also watch a 17-minute orientation video in the theater by the cell house which introduces guests to Alcatraz. Because the island is full of steep hills, it’s best to wear comfortable walking shoes. Visitors can also take the electric shuttle that runs twice hourly from the dock to the cell house building.

Interior view of the cell house

Being with my two children – ages 7 and 9 – I choose the self-guided tour and audio tour so we could see the island at our own pace. It was fascinating. The audio tour is available in several languages and free of charge. This award-winning 45-minute recorded tour is a captivating account of life on Alcatraz given by former inmates, correctional officers and residents. This audio tour really brought the history of Alcatraz alive in an extraordinary way. It was informative, exciting, and suspenseful, especially given that it was told by the actual people who experienced it – the prisoners and the guards themselves. What a fascinating account of a much dramatized subject! Visitors even learn about life on the island from the resident guards’ families and what it was like to live there even for the children who caught the ferry to go to school in San Francisco then return back to the island in the afternoons.

Alcatraz prison cell - note the chiseled air vent below the sink

The cell house itself was the most interesting part of the tour for us.  My children stared in awe through the metal bars at the dreary little cells that housed the inmates. It was a cold dismal place reserved for those incorrigible prisoners that included the notorious Al “Scarface” Capone, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, “Doc” Barker, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Stroud – the “Birdman of Alcatraz” among others. We learned about the attempted escapes, the notable inmates, and general prison life. One of the prominent rules was “You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege.” (Number 5, Alcatraz Prison Rules and Regulations, 1934)

Time in the recreation yard was an earned privilege

We spent less than two hours discovering the island, listening to the audio tour, exploring the areas of the cell house – including the prison library, kitchen and showers – the recreation yard, and perusing the gift shops before heading back to the dock where we once again boarded the Alcatraz Cruises ferry that comfortably returned us to Pier 33 in San Francisco.

Though the story of Alcatraz Island is rather bleak and disturbing, it is a notable part of history, and one worth learning firsthand by visiting with Alcatraz Cruises. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in its history, as well to those seeking to dispel the many myths surrounding this lonely outcrop in the San Francisco Bay.

Close-up of the front of the building (photo © Tim Griffith)

The California Academy of Sciences is one of the best family museums in San Francisco, a prominent research institution, and the world’s greenest museum with its commitment to sustainability and a domed roof that is alive with lush plant and floral species native to California. It is comprised of a natural history museum, an aquarium, a planetarium, and a four-story rainforest, and includes about 40,000 live animals and hundreds of fantastic exhibits.

This T-Rex welcomes guests with open jaws in the Academy's spacious entry

I had the privilege of visiting this amazing museum with my family during the holiday season. Despite this being a large museum, it is so well designed and organized that one never feels overwhelmed by its size or the diversity of its exhibits. The seamless integration of its galleries and exhibits reflects the interdependence and unity within our world’s diverse life and ecosystems. Although we came at a busy time of year, we were able to see most of the museum at a very comfortable and unhurried pace within about a 2-3 hour time frame.

The centrally located piazza was our first stop, where we visited the ’Tis the Season for Science exhibit. Here we smelled all the sweet holiday spices in the Spice Forest, danced in the snow flurries, studied the taxidermy birds in the Twelve Days of Christmas song, and then wandered outside to say hello to the reindeer in the corral. My children each brought their own cameras and enjoyed snapping photos of the reindeer.

Realistic dioramas fill the African Hall

We then explored the Kimball Natural History Museum which includes the spacious African Hall with stunning lifelike dioramas portraying a variety of animal species in their natural habitats. There we saw zebras, baboons, lions, gorillas, antelopes, cheetahs, and hunting dogs.

The three feathered tenors? These playful penguins are adorable

Several live animal dioramas are also showcased and include the African Penguin colony where these delightful birds frolic in a 25,000-gallon tank among realistic waves and lighting to create simulated days and nights.

Other natural history exhibits can be found throughout the museum, such as the Islands of Evolution that highlight the Academy’s expeditions in the Galapagos Islands and Madagascar. A large map of the Galapagos with a collection of tortoise shells heralds the entrance to the Galapagos exhibit. Many interesting displays with live animals and research specimens abound and include beetles, spiders, elephant birds, snails, geckos, as well as plants. Photographs, interactive exhibits and video footage enrich the experiences of guests.

Children can touch and observe colorful starfish and other creatures in the Discovery Tidepool

The Steinhart Aquarium was our next stop. About 38,000 live animals from around the globe live here, from penguins to sharks, stingrays, jellies, eels, piranhas, delicate leafy sea dragons and so much more. There are tidepools, a vibrant and colorful coral reef, a kelp forest, mangroves teeming with aquatic life, and numerous tanks of various sizes with an immense variety of fish, amphibians, reptiles and insects, as well as interactive media that engages and informs visitors.

The sea jellies are soothing to behold

My children loved touching the starfish in the Discovery Tidepool touch tank. They were also particularly intrigued by the giant anaconda and gold-speckled piranhas. We saw a dive show presentation which was very popular with the children. They looked amazed to see a human being swimming among the fish and other sea life in the giant tank.

Two of my favorite exhibits at the aquarium were the sea jellies and sea nettles. They seemed to pulsate with an otherworldly grace that simply captivates and mesmerizes.  The changing lights above the jellies’ tank illuminate these creatures in stunning hues of blue, violet, orange, pink and green. It had a very soothing effect on those watching.

Meet Claude: a 16 year old albino alligator

Next to the aquarium was Claude – the museum’s albino alligator – who was lounging on an obliging heated rock in the Swamp tank, basking in the admiration of onlookers while fish and snapping turtles swam about by the roots of a large simulated tree. Claude is 16 years old and quite amazing to observe, especially given that white alligators do not survive in the wild due to their inability to be camouflaged.

This four-story rainforest is a lush sanctuary to many birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and spiders

The Rainforests of the World is a lush and symphonic natural sanctuary that is home to free-flying birds, butterflies, chameleons, fish, reptiles, amphibians and tropical plants. We even saw spiders, including orb weavers, with their beautiful and intricate webs. Two colorful male macaws were among the birds we saw, and seemed to eye us with as much interest as we did them. They are very intelligent, playful parrots with their own unique personalities.

The Morrison Planetarium boasts the world’s largest all-digital planetarium with a high-tech projector and software technologies that produce an exquisitely accurate digital Universe. A variety of shows and presentations are featured including Life: A Cosmic Story. Planetarium shows are offered hourly on the half-hour. Due to their popularity, it’s good to reserve a place early upon arrival at the California Academy of Sciences.

The 75-foot-diameter planetarium screen, made of perforated aluminum panels, matches the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles as the largest planetarium screen in North America (photo © Tim Griffith)

This fantastic museum also has two restaurants, a 3D theater, a lecture hall, a Naturalist Center, a roof terrace, an adjacent garden and aviary, and an Academy store. The science labs and library have an extensive archive of over 26 million specimens. Sleepover programs, weekly nightlife events, lectures, presentations, penguin feedings, stories, nature crafts and more add to the wonders of this outstanding Academy.

The California Academy of Sciences is located at 55 Music Concourse Drive in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 379-8000. For more information visit their website at www.calacademy.org

The Fairmont San Francisco commands panoramic views atop Nob Hill

Since its opening in 1907, the Fairmont in San Francisco has treated guests to an extraordinary experience from check-in to check-out. It sits atop Nob Hill and is close to all the wonderful sites that make San Francisco the wonderful cosmopolitan city that it is.  Everything about this hotel speaks of old world elegance and comfort, from its lofty ceilings in the grand lobby, to its Corinthian columns, the intricate architectural details, gleaming marble, posh accommodations, and superior service.

The flags from the participating countries in the United Nations grace the entrance facade

This hotel was the site of the 1945 drafting of the United Nations Charter. The flags of those participating countries still grace the stunning façade of the hotel’s entrance today. It has also been featured in movies, and hosted celebrities and dignitaries from around the world.

This life size ginger bread house was a sweet delight made with 7,500 real ginger bread bricks, 1,500 pounds of icing and 650 pounds of candy

We visited the Fairmont during the recent holidays when the lobby area was transformed into a wonderland with a giant Christmas tree and life-size gingerbread house standing 22 feet tall and 23 feet wide, complete with icing, candy canes, gum drops, marshmallow figures, candy sprinkles and a miniature village with electric toy train, toy penguins, toy polar bears and other nostalgic accessories of the season. It was nice to see children and their parents exploring the grand room with all its attractions at this family-friendly resort.

We spent our days discovering San Francisco’s popular attractions – from Alcatraz, to Chinatown, North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, The California Academy of Sciences, Muir Woods and more. The concierge was extremely helpful in suggesting great food at local restaurants, and tips on fun excursions and transportation, helping to make our expeditions seamless and stress-free.

Accommodations, Dining & Shopping

The accommodations are elegant and very comfortable

The accommodations are spacious and well-appointed with complimentary bath amenities, luxurious linens, flat screen televisions, paid high-speed wired and wireless internet access, in-room safes, views of the surrounding city and more. We stayed in a one bedroom suite with separate living room and an additional connecting hotel room so that we could have plenty of space.

The suite's living room is spacious with a lovely balcony

The suite also came with a lovely spacious balcony that boasted city and partial bay views. Those traveling with families will appreciate the diverse accommodation options to suit their individual needs.

There are three restaurants and lounges at the hotel including the famous Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar with its South Pacific tiki décor surrounding the hotel’s former pool that was converted into a tropical lagoon with thunder storms that thrill guests at regular intervals with simulated lighting, thunder and rain. This is a very family-friendly venue, though it is best to reserve a table a day or more in advance due to its popularity. The drinks and appetizers are especially delicious. Be sure to try the chicken satay and spring rolls.

The Fairmont San Francisco has its own culinary garden and honey beehives to support the bee population

For breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar offers a superb selection. The omelet bar at the buffet breakfast was my favorite, freshly prepared to order and cooked while you wait. The children enjoyed the waffles – also freshly made – with real maple syrup. A little known fact about the hotel is that it has its own culinary garden and honey beehives. I had the opportunity to try their delicious honey, and it was unlike anything I have had before. Pure, raw and natural, it retains the sweet and delicate floral bouquet of the flowers from which it has been harvested by the bees. What a treat! I wanted to take some home with me.

The grandiose lobby is a great gathering place

There are several boutique shops, a business center, and a health club and spa on site. Guest services also include babysitting, concierge, a bell staff, daily housekeeping, laundry service, safe deposit boxes and more. Guests can also catch the historic cable cars just outside the hotel, making transportation both fun and convenient.

Our stay at the Fairmont San Francisco made a trip to this renowned city unforgettably luxurious, and is definitely on our list to visit again in the future. The Fairmont San Francisco is located at 950 Mason Street in San Francisco, California 94108 (866) 540-4491. For more information visit their official website at www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco

Snow is like ice cream - cold but great fun for kids of all ages.

Okay, once you overcome the shock that not only did your child think you made a terrible mistake, but you could’ve saved a lot of money and stayed warmer by just visiting that beach boardwalk, even in winter – it’s time to hit the slopes.

The best way to do this with children of any age (once they can walk effectively and are over the age of two) is to get lessons. Kind, age appropriate, group or individual lessons that let mom or dad head off to the big slopes or the lodge for a fireplace and hot chocolate, or to ‘bunny slopes’ for slow old people, like me.

Of course you’ll need to get to that ski resort in the first place, and whether its Park City, Utah or a homespun Vermont resort geared to day trippers, you’ll need gear. You could rent it on site, like we did; or bring it with you from home – which is great if you’re planning to ski repeatedly, or are in fact an afficiando of the sport, otherwise, transporting cumbersome gear via plane or stuffed vehicle should be eschewed for the less sleek rental items available at any resort you’ll visit.

Mammoth Mountain – Mammoth Lakes, CA

Making a ski trip fun for kids should always involve great quantities of hot chocolate, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a rental condo, lodge, or motel room that’s conveniently located near the slopes. We took one such trip to Mammoth Mountain California, staying at the lodge, dining in the over priced but oh-so- convenient dining room, riding an enclosed lift car for a scenic view and then back down again to the baby slopes where we all had our respective lessons. A drive to picturesquely iced Reds Lake apres ski, and cozy rental-movie watching in our pine walled room made this one easy. Best of all was an outdoor jacuzzi which one could spend hours in and which one wanted to, at least in order to avoid getting out of it and hoping not to slip on the ice that formed as your wet footprints hit the red wood deck. Mountain views: A+, ski rentals and meals on the pricey side, convenience also great.

Skiing Park City, Utah

A different sort of a trip was found at Park City Mountain resort, where the kids were a bit older, and the ski instruction better and longer. A six hour day including lunch break took my son up amazingly high slopes when he gained fast skill and mobility in his small-fry group lesson. When his instructor called me and cajoled me into a private lesson praising his great learning ability, who was I to fight future Olympic ski champion greatness. Luckily for me I didn’t know just how high he was going, or that it was going to start snowing while he was up there. He returned triumphant, unscathed, and skilled. My daughter and I stuck to movies – we were there primarily for the Sundance Film Festival – and hot cocoa.

Tips for Parents

How early is too early to go skiing? Apparently, to my surprise, once your child can competently walk. Toddler classes are everywhere, and the babe who conquers a bunny slope will be thrilled with his or her abilities. Also apparently, the earlier you learn, the easier that learning comes, which may explain why my college age learning skill had severely limited my capabilities.

If you’re ski-inclined, a good time of year to pursue that passion is holiday time. Along with the obvious delight of children, snow, snowballs, and the ubiquitous cocoa offerings, there are usually some special events taking place. Park City Mountain Resort for example presents Santa. A skiing Santa, who will descend from the mountain top via the Town ski lift, where he waits for photo ops, carols, and cookies just after dark.

Park City Utah – snowy fun

I’m a big fan of Park City, because the resorts lessons were provably good, somewhat reasonable in price, and it’s not a glitzy show palace despite its location. It’s received several top family resort awards, and I can see why, particularly since its class sizes are for five children or less, and kids age six and up can choose lunch away from their parents in one of the resorts on-mountain restaurants. It’s toddler age program, for kids three and a half to five has only three kids per class, and these lessons are understandably shorter and do not include lunch.

For families with matriarchs braver and more adventuresome than me, there are family zip line tours, an arctic coaster, night skiing, and other fast moving pursuits. At the end of a three day stay, I no longer heard any mention of skee ball, although that would be an interesting activity to add to any ski resort willing to take on such an idea.

We’ve been to a good number of children’s museums across the U.S. and the San Jose Discovery Museum is one of our favorites. While the museum’s exhibits are aimed at younger children, older siblings and parents won’t be bored either with over a hundred and fifty interactive exhibits designed to suit a variety of age ranges.

On the National History front, there’s a Columbian mammoth skull discovered recently in San Jose and nicknamed Lupe. And you’ll also find dig pits and a mammoth themed play area. On the pure fun front, there’s Bubbalogna – dedicated to letting kids create bubbles in all shapes and sizes. My kids liked WaterWays best, an exhibit that moves small colored balls through water pressure. Little children are going to get wet, so bring a change of clothes, although cover ups are provided they won’t completely keep an exuberant child dry. Trust me, I know. And I didn’t bring a change of clothes either. If you want to purchase a new tee shirt for the rest of the day’s activities then feel free to ignore this caveat.

One of the many wonderful exhibits at the Rosicurian Museum in San Jose, CA

Pre-schoolers and toddlers will love WaterWays, a section of the museum designed just for them with a soft, safe space to crawl around, puppets, and art projects aimed clearly at this age group. Older siblings are welcome too, but will probably prefer to explore other parts of the museum.

The next time you hear a chorus of “Mommy, Mommy” pretend to turn a deaf ear and take them to see a “Mummy” instead. Our next San Jose stop was at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, a fascinating place that contains one of the largest collections of Egyptian mummies and artifacts on the west coast. With a replica of a mummy’s rock tomb to explore and four perfectly preserved human mummies plus a plethora of animal mummies on display, the kids will be fascinated for hours. It’s truly a great exhibition space, the most enjoyable mummy display I’ve seen since the British Museum in London. Best exhibit by far is the tomb replica. The guided tour of this exhibit is given by flashlight, and moving through the tomb’s chambers, the evocative lighting and hieroglyphic covered walls create the sensation of being inside an actual Egyptian tomb. Small children will feel entirely transported, but older siblings and adults will love the experience, too.

The Rosicrucian has a nicely interactive element, also. Kids are given a Passport to Ancient Egypt when they enter the museum, allowing them to collect stamps at different exhibit sites to show that they’ve seen them, and even some space for older kids to write down interesting things they’ve learned or observed. Best of all for the elementary age set is a chart to decode the Egyptian Hieroglyphic Alphabet.

The museum is divided into four main areas, with clothing and artifacts well represented as well as the mummies themselves. We really loved this museum, and spent almost an entire day there. It’s a truly transporting place for younger children, who really will feel as if they spent a day playing Indiana Jones in a far more exotic locale than San Jose.

We made one last San Jose stop this trip, and it’s a classic: The Winchester Mystery House. Very small children will simply enjoy walking through the house, although the stories behind the strange dwelling will pass them by. Still we certainly saw a number of tots in our tour group, although ages five and up will enjoy the experience of touring the elaborate and strange house and gardens more. Owned by Sarah Winchester, widow of the rifle maker and obsessive constructor – she spent thirty eight years in construction on the enormous Victorian mansion, all in an effort to appease spirits of those who died from Winchester rifles from haunting her house. The tour is fast moving and guides eager, young, and engaging story tellers.

This door goes nowhere...the quirks of the Winchester Mystery House are fascinating for kids of all ages.

The detailed carpentry and the wonderful woodwork make the house visually fascinating, as do the  beautiful Tiffany glass, stair cases and doors that lead nowhere, and the pleasantly creepy “seance” room. The wackiness of the house will keep small children entranced, and older kids asking lots of questions. Outside, the gardens are pretty and provide space for small children to burn off a little steam.

Hungry after all of this sightseeing? We tried the delicious, organic, inexpensive and highly recommended Mexican restaurant Aqui Cal Mex. With plenty of vegetarian choices, amazing avocado dip, and prices for four well under fifty dollars (as of 2011), we loved the place. Casual, family friendly, and open late – even Mrs. Winchester would’ve enjoyed a meal here, before she resumed her obsessive building, anyway.

Family friendly museums, historic sights, and reasonably priced tasty California-Mexican treats: San Jose is a great spot to experience them all.

The 'Tis the Season for Science exhibit connects science to traditional holiday symbols (courtesy of California Academy of Sciences)

Ever wonder about all those birds in the Twelve Days of Christmas song? What about snow and how it’s made? Or reindeer and their important place in our environment’s ecosystem? Or the wonderful holiday smells from all those spices used in baking, cooking and alluring home fragrances?

Children will be delighted by real snow flurries inside the Piazza (courtesy of California Academy of Sciences)

Now you can have these and other intriguing questions answered as you feast your senses with the sights, sounds and smells of this magical time of year at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco where their special exhibit “’Tis the Season for Science” makes a much anticipated return for the second year.

Meander through a created life-size tree “Spice Forest” that fragrantly entices with sweet holiday spices. Scented displays of the plant varieties from which vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and other holiday flavors are included. Just press on the large buttons and you can smell the delicious scents through the displays.

Daily live reindeer encounters provide great learning opportunites about these creatures (courtesy of California Academy of Sciences)

There are live reindeer with daily presentations that offer an up close and personal encounter with these popular animals, and delightful snow flurries inside the Piazza twice an hour where children can catch the snowflakes and dance about to the music as they fall.

Beautiful taxidermy displays of the birds in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” bring this traditional Christmas carol to life and includes a partridge in a pear tree, hens, doves, geese, swans and colly birds.

A giant snowman shaped digital dome theater engages guests with fascinating shows on the science of snow.

There are also wonderful festive music and art performances including  dancers, musicians,  carolers, theater troupes, comedians and more.

This exciting exhibit explains the connection between the science behind the holiday plants, animals and food, and the many traditions and symbols representative of this special season.

’Tis the Season for Science activities are included with general admission tickets, unless otherwise noted and can be purchased at the door or online at www.calacademy.org  California Academy of Sciences is located at 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco (415) 379-8000.

Even if you’re not familiar with central California’s Silicon Valley city, San Jose is worth a stop for a variety of fun attractions and reasonably priced hotels.

About the Zoo

The zoo itself just spent seventy two million dollars to woo new visitors and obtain The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certificate, the first such certificate to be granted anywhere in the United States to a zoo by the non-profit Green Building Council. In fact, visitors interested in learning about the green conditions at the zoo can follow a self- guided tour that highlights the design features and over all improvements. This is a great activity for parents to pursue while the kids enjoy the exhibits.

San Jose's environmentally friendly Happy Hollow zoo offers a great time for children.

The green building designs and spacious animal habitats will please people who don’t usually enjoy or approve of zoo environments. And of course children of all ages will flock with pleasure to Happy Hollow where lemurs and pygmy goats join Capuchin monkeys in playful abandon. The city run zoo is located on sixteen acres, and along with the animal habitats also offers a carousel, tree house, and a puppet theater, always big hits with the pre-school crowd.

Older children and adults will enjoy the conservation lectures offered in the intimate Learning Lodge, a small but comfortable building that uses hay bales as insulation and radiant floor water heating to save on energy costs.

Equally ecological and great fun for the kids to see is the grass growing from seven zoo buildings’ roofs. The kids thought the grass was there for grazing by very tall animals, but actually, it’s planted on roof tops to keep buildings summer time cool and winter time warm. The kids loved the look of this environmentally excellent design. They also loved the eye catching and colorful entry to the zoo whose design includes glass that was recycled from old bottles as paving material. We learned that beneath this zany exterior, there’s more green-design at work, as rainwater flows via channels into a catch basin located underground. Once there, the water can be used for – watering. When it’s not raining.

While the kids just enjoyed the fun ride of Danny the Dragon, a car-drive attraction that carries visitors down a smooth concrete path, parents will enjoy that the ride’s motor has been retro-fitted, replacing a polluting gas engine with a clean electric one.

Most of the green-certified features are hidden, like the catch basins and the new Danny-ride engine. Some are contained inside spiffy new attractions such as the spiral lawn, a grassy area near the Carousel ride that appears on the outside to be just a fun play area. But the swirls of grass here actually form a channel that sends rain water and any run off from lawn sprinklers back into an underground basin for recycling and reuse.

In other words, it’s an esoterically enjoyable drainage ditch. And the kids will love running through the patterned grass. They’ll also enjoy the springy playground surface provided from a padded base made of recycled tires. Bouncy under foot, the resilient surface makes playground spills far less likely to require a BandAid.

The recycled rubber in the playground surface prevents play time injuries.

And what about the animals themselves, how are they benefitting from green-planning? The kids swore the animals looked happier than at other zoos, and maybe they are. Not only are many of their enclaves spacious, the fruits and veggies they consume are local and organic. In fact, their food crops are grown right on site, making their food consumption both ecologically sound and healthier. Zoo residents thrive on park-grown crops like tomatoes and squash, and the zoo’s visitors benefit too. In San Jose, the caramel apples my kids consumed came from trees located in the zoo’s own orchard.

The zoo can easily fill a full day for small children; we spent three pleasant hours at the park.

The Tech Museum San Jose

Kids ages five and up will love moving on to the exhibits at The Tech Museum also located in San Jose. Here you’ll find scores of interactive and hands-on exhibits ranging from a simulated space walk to a Life Tech Gallery where kids are offered gloves and goggles and invited to work on projects in a lab setting. And what are they working on? Making medicine. Seriously, they get to create samples made from jelly fish protein and bacteria, and then follow the progress of their experiment on line, after they leave. A full day can easily be spent here, but at a minimum, you’ll need half a day to let the kids work on projects.  There’s a domed IMAX theater too offering up science and documentary titles, and a snack bar where kids can create their own popcorn flavors for consumption while viewing.

If you don’t know the way to San Jose, now’s the time to map a route for these two great attractions.

A beautiful Yosemite winter view.

Our Experience in Winter

So it was with a little bit of trepidation that I decided to take the kids to Yosemite again – but this time in a comparatively tourist-less season. This time instead of heat I’d be worrying about the cold, and I was relatively sure crowds would not be an issue. Yosemite is a picturesque place to visit over the holidays, but it’s not well traveled due to road closures and, well, the reason those roads can close – cold and snow.

But my worries were unwarranted. We had no crowds, no problem with parking, and although the temperature never crested a balmy 35 degrees, thanks to thermal underwear, gloves, hat, and a down jacket that was fashionable in the 80′s, I was comfortable. The kids, newly outfitted from discount clothing stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, were too. So when you’re budgeting for this trip, if you don’t have snow-weather gear, get some. Something else you’ll need to get: snow tires or chains. I was comfortable with the AWD in my Rav4, but I was also lucky. There were no ice patches, roads were cleared, and the soft snow that fell during our stay didn’t stick. So provision up. And then enjoy – and there’s plenty to enjoy indeed.

Picture perfect snow covered vistas. Artistically frozen streams and water falls. Pink sunsets glinting off the white snow and El Capitan. The kids can make snow angels. The rental cabin outside the park has a fireplace and I have Duraflame logs. You may not hike far – at least we didn’t. It was enough for us to just pop out of the car, flop down in some snow, throw a few snow balls, and then get back inside and get that heater going. No one is going to clear the snow drifts, and the people we saw walking very far off the road were wearing snowshoes – but the views are amazing, and the peacefulness of the park in the winter makes this a trip well worth taking.

And of course, there’s the simple wonder of snowfall itself. Living in Southern California, you don’t see that too often. Even if you do, will you see it with stunning iconic mountains and cliffs as a backdrop? With a fox, or was it a coytote, darting across an empty meadow? With a doe pausing to graze on some out-of-sight greenery and Yosemite Chapel behind her?

Picture taking aside, there’s something wonderful about tucking the kids into bed in a one-room cabin, watching the firelight flicker, and taking a last, moon-lit view out the window at soft white snow.

The Wawona Hotel has a lovely, rustic dining room with Sequoia cones hanging from the lights.

Our cabin was in Wawona, which is also home to Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park, a nineteenth century historic hostelry with a wonderful dining room. I made lunch and breakfast at the cabin, but confess to breaking my rule of using whatever kitchen I am fortunate enough to rent, and driving us the short distance to the hotel for dinner. The Victorian look of the dining room with its hand painted lights decked with sequoia cones was charming, and the service was friendly and relaxed. Best of all, the chef was happy to adopt meat dishes for vegetarian and vegan consumption, and the hot chocolate was a big hit with the kids, too. The hotel serves a delicious sounding Christmas dinner too, if you’re inclined to be in the park for the holiday.

In the park, the elegant Ahwahnee Hotel also has holiday dinners – in both cases you’ll want to reserve much in advance. The Ahwahnee may require a year’s planning. The hotel itself is a great respite from the cold, with a huge roaring fireplace in the lobby, a gift shop to explore, and a lobby bar that offers hot toddies for adults and hot apple cider for the kids.

Favorite moments: feeding chilly looking squirrels from the front porch of our cabin. Watching a sunset. Pelting my own car with snowballs. And the views, yes, those views. And no need to dodge around the heads of other tourists to get the best shots of Half Dome.

We entered the park via Highway 140, which is open year round. The road primarily follows the Merced River Canyon, and with two new bridges constructed after a recent rock slide, it’s easy to drive and relatively un-congested, even if you’re not traveling in the winter months.