• Activities at Tilden Park
• Lake Anza
• Picnic Sites
• See also: Where to See Farm Animals

Activities at Tilden Park

Tilden Park caveats -- pony rides don't start until 11 a.m. and the field by the merry-go-round (formerly a nice place to sit with kids) is under construction. Bruce

Lake Anza

Subject: Tilden Park (a jewel close to home)

Nice to see that someone mentioned Tilden Park in places to go with toddlers. For the last two Saturdays I've been taking my 2.5 year old to Lake Anza. It's quite wonderful. There is a nice "beach" for plenty of sand play and the water is roped off to mark where the lake gets deeper. The first six or eight feet from the beach to the first rope is a gradual decline to about two feet deep making it ideal for my fearless toddler to walk out into (his) neck deep water. There are LOTS of other young kids to play with and always seem to be plenty of unclaimed buckets and shovels in case you forget yours. On the edge of the "beach" is a large grassy area if you prefer and there are at least two lifeguards on duty. There is a reasonably priced snack bar with the usual hotdogs, corndogs, sodas, frozen treats, etc... and they even sell a decent peanut butter and jelly sandwich for $1.50, but you are allowed to bring in your own food as long as there are no glass containers and of course no alcohol. The admission is also reasonable, I believe it is $2.50 for adults and $1.25 for children 1 and up (I think this is correct, but I'm blanking on it for some reason). Get there by around 11am for premium parking, after that you might have to walk from another lot. I prefer it to the ocean because the little kids can enjoy the water and "beach" without the worry of waves and undertow. dorothy

Tilden is great for adults and children of all ages. If you're early risers, it's nice to get to the Little Farm around breakfast time (we always bring a thermos of hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls and sit at the lone picnic table there). Usually it's misty and the deer are munching the grass near the parking area. Then we take a long hike, which ends around the time the sun has burned through the clouds. It's really peaceful, and you can see and hear more wildlife first thing in the morning. Once I took a playgroup of third-graders to the farm around dinnertime. We were the only ones there except for Farmer Dave, who asked the kids to help him feed the cows and milk the goats. What an unexpected treat!

If your children are between the ages of 9 and 12, the Environmental Education Center near the Little Farm offers a Science Days program on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer. There is a different topic each week. The program runs from 10am-4pm (kids bring their own lunch), and it costs $12.50 per day for residents of Contra Costa and Alameda counties, $15 for nonresidents. Upcoming topics are astronomy (July 25 and 26), dinosaurs (August 1 and 2), reptiles and amphibians (August 15 and 16), and rainforests (August 22 and 23). You have to reserve a spot in the class by calling 636-1684.

The only note of caution re Tilden has to do with bees. No one in our family has ever been stung there, but we have hiked along paths where we discovered hundreds of bumblebees on thistle plants and tiptoed quietly past them. And we have come upon beehives and wasp nests of all kinds--some built right into the high banks of dirt, others hanging like paper lanterns in the trees. It's good to warn kids to be aware and not to touch or disturb them. Lisa

Picnic Sites

When my son turned three, we had a party for him at the Tilden Park Carousel. The Carousel has a party package that costs $10/person, including 4 rides (I think), but we decided against it because all of the kids would also have a parent along and it would get expensive. There are lots of tables under the trees next to the Carousel so we bet on enough being available for the party time, and we lucked out, although there was another party in the area at the same time. I think it would have cost $50 to reserve a site at Tilden. I gave each parent 8 tickets and those who brought along other children were welcome to split up the tickets any way they wished.

If you plan a party for such young children that requires admission to something, keep in mind that you may also have to pay for a parent, and decide in advance what to tell a parent who asks if their other young children can come along.