The Iron Horse Trail is located in inland central Alameda and Contra Costa counties, for the most part, following the right-of-way of the former tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It passes through Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and Concord. The trail is primarily flat and largely protected from vehicle traffic. If this bike trail isn't conveniently located, there are a number of other safe riding trails in the Bay Area, including the Peninsula bike path that hugs the Bay and passes through Redwood City, Redwood Shores, San Mateo and Burlingame. There are also paths to be found in Marin and the western shores of Alameda county.

Almost nothing feels better than putting on your in-line skates or mounting your skate board for a smooth ride through the outdoor halls of Stanford University. The hallways are usually empty weekends and your wheels rule.

On a hot day, Raging Waters can't be beat. There are nine wild slides, a huge wave pool, and the relaxing lazy river. My favorite slides are the Dragon's Den and Shotgun Falls. Raging Waters has height and swimming requirements for a number of the faster slides, but there are play areas, including the Pirate's Cove and the Activity Poo, for younger kids. Raging Waters is located at 2333 S. White Rd, San Jose, near Tully Road. If you plan to go more than once during a season, Season Passes are your best value. Season Passes are on sale now for 2008 and will cover entrance fees for remaining visits in 2007. Prices are currently $39.99 each for 2 or more Season Passes and $49.99 each for an individual Season Pass. General Admission prices are $27.99, Junior Admission (under 48") $21.99, Senior Admission (age 55+) $17.99, and Age 2 and under is Free .

I've traveled to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk nearly every year since I was a small kid and I've always had a great time. The Boardwalk is an old-fashioned open theme park, with no admittance fee. Besides the waves, the star attraction is the world-famous "Big Dipper" wooden roller coaster and they have just about every thrill ride you can imagine. At the north end of the Boardwalk is a HUGE arcade with 25 cent games, laser tag and miniature golf. You can get all types of food: burgers, pizza, tacos, garlic fries, dip'n dots ice cream, cotton candy, ice cream, and caramel covered apple wedges. When you want a change of pace, you can step off the Boardwalk into the sand, stroll 100 yards and cool off in the calm ocean waves. My kids love to dig for tiny sand crabs on the beach. Prices: an All-Day Unlimited Rides Wristband is $28.95 or you can buy individual ride tickets. If you go for more than once or twice a year, Season Passes are a good value at $64.95.

If your children are 56 inches or taller, there are a number of places to take your kids Go Kart driving. Kids love the thrill of controlling their own ride. I take my kids to Malibu Grand Prix in Redwood City, and my son, who just became a teenager, to GoKart Racer in Burlingame. The height and age requrement at GoKart is 58 inches and 12 years of age. Go Kart racing is expensive when you pay per lap, so it's best to go during the better deal time periods, e.g. at Redwood City Malibu the Summer Super Pass is $19.95 per day for unlimited Go-Karts, Bumper Boats, Mini Golf, & video games on Mondays through Thursdays. Go Kart driving can be found at other locations in the Bay Area, including Boomers in Livermore and Lemans Karting in Fremont. Here are the links for each of these locations:

http://www.malibugrandprix.com/park/redwood/turbo.html
http://www.gokartracer.com/index.php
http://www.boomersparks.com/park/livermore/contact.html
http://www.lemanskarting.com/index.php

Coyote Point Museum has something to offer kids of every age - including grown-up kids. It's located in San Mateo, not far from the San Francisco Airport. The Coyote Point Museum is a learning center that provides native wildlife (like coyotes, skunks, snakes and banana slugs), gardens, exhibitions and programs to observe and explore the Bay Area nature. Everything at the Coyote Point Museum is geared to learning about our native environment and how to protect it. My children have been going since they were around 2 years old. As they mature, they move more from observing the animals to focusing on understanding the exhibits and programs. If you can afford it, an annual membership is a great way to support the museum and to allow your family the chance to visit over and over during the year.

Planet Granite in Belmont is a 15,000 sq.ft. climbing facility that provides a great learning environment for first-time climbers and plenty of varied courses for all levels and ages. And it's a terrific place for a kid's birthday party. Rock climbing is a wonderful way for kids to develop self-confidence and besides it's fun! There are various different pricing packages, which can be found at: http://www.planetgranite.com/bl/bl_kids.html

Other rock climbing facilities in the Bay Area include Planet Granite in Santa Clara http://www.planetgranite.com/ and Touchstone Climbing and Fitness centers with six locations http://www.touchstoneclimbing.com/gyms.html

During the winter months, when the grey whales are migrating south, a great day trip is to pack up a picnic lunch and head for the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin. From there you can watch gray whales migrating south in January to mate and feed, and migrate north with calves in tow mid-March.

Due to the high volume of visitors, it's best to check with the park for space availability and parking restrictions.

My kids and all their friends love spending 2 or 3 days at San Mateo Memorial Park. It's located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 15 minutes inland from Pescadero on Highway 1, and about 45 minutes from the intersection of Highways 92 and 280. This camping facility is nestled in a beautiful redwood grove. Kids can ride bikes, hike, travel down to the little park store for ice cream, and swim in a real old fashioned swimming hole. Campsites are first come first serve - and it's best to secure your camp site on a Thursday for a busy 3 day weekend. The campground is more peaceful and quiet on Sundays after most of the crowd has cleared out.

If you would like to observe oceanic life up close, take a day trip to the tidepools at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach, just a few miles north of Half Moon Bay on Highway 1. At Moss Beach, take California Street to get to the Reserve. Look for hermit crabs, purple shore crabs and starfish. And check out the feather boa kelp - it can grow up to thirty feet long. While you're there, you might see harbor seals spying on you, or gray whales migrating offshore. In the summer and fall, brown pelicans fly over head and skim the waves searching for fish. Because this area is protected, take only pictures. You may not collect sea life, even sea shells, from this marine reserve.