Posts Tagged ‘roaring camp’

Just in case you’re not out frantically gift-buying.

Roaring Camp’s Holiday Lights Train

A bit of a hike from the Bay Area is worth it for this festive train ride that ferries riders through lighted-up Santa Cruz Victorians and back, with a visit from Santa, sing-along Christmas carols, and cocoa.

When: Fri.-Sun., 12/18-21, 8pm; Mon.-Tue, 12/22 & 12/23, 5pm; All Ages; $17-22.

Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach Street (at Riverside Avenue), Santa Cruz; roaringcamp.com.

SFMOMA Family Studio and Tour: Winter Whites

This artsy event is a refreshing alternative to all-Christmas, all-the-time, with a special family tour at 1pm of mono-color works, followed by an art project in which participants create all-white works.

When: Sun., 12/20; 11:00am-3:00pm (tour starts at 1, art starts at 2); Age 4-11; Free activities and admission for families with kids age 4-11.

Where: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard), San Francisco, 415-357-4000, sfmoma.org.

Dickens Christmas Fair

A chance to don your finest velvets and silk and walk around doffing your hat at this annual extravaganza of music, food, spectacle, and shopping.

When: Sat. & Sun., 12/19 & 12/20; 11am-7pm; Age 4+; $10-22 (Parking $10).

Where: Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue (at Castillo Street), San Francisco; 800-510-1558; dickensfair.com.

The kids are back at school, hurray! Celebrate the absence that’s made you grow fonder with a weekend full of fun.

Saturday Morning Rock Out’s Fall Session

Little kids learn to bang on an instrument, write songs, appreciate music, and jam at this multi-week course that ends in a performance and a CD release party.

When: Saturdays, 9/5-10/10; Early class 9:30am-11am, Late class 11:30am-1pm; Age 4-7; $225.

Where: Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street (at Potrero Avenue), San Francisco; 415-861-9199; owies.org.

Great Train Robberies

Hail back to the days of train bandits and lawmen at this annual ride-on spectacle.

When: Sat. & Sun., 9/5-6; See website for times; Age 4+; $20.

Where: Roaring Camp Railroad, Graham Hill Road (at Mt. Hermon Road), Felton; 866-468-3399; roaringcamprr.com.

Sunday Streets

The last Sunday Streets of the year! Streets from Golden Gate Park to the zoo are closed to traffic, and fitness activities from skating to cycling to yoga are offered free along the route.

When: Sun., 9/6, 10am-2pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Great Highway between Golden Gate Park and the San Francisco Zoo, JFK between Great Highway and Stanyan Street, San Francisco; sundaystreetssf.com.

Every year, Roaring Camp Railroad holds its Day Out With Thomas event, a party by the tracks with live music, storytelling, costumed celebrities from the Thomas the Train Engine PBS show, and most of all, a 25-minute train ride on a real train decked out with a friendly Thomas face.

The event tends to be hot, crowded, and expensive for a parent who shells out for tickets and must face the gauntlet of the giant vendors tent with Thomas toys galore. But all of the bother, work and expense of getting your family to Felton is worth it when your kid sees Thomas the Train Engine chugging down the tracks. A rapturous cry goes up from three- and four-year-old throats all over the Roaring Camp depot grounds: “Thooooooomas!” Climb aboard and see your train-loving kid positively wriggle with joy as the train climbs up into the redwoods.

Trains take off every hour this weekend, from mid-morning to late afternoon; the train ride and the party eats up about 3-4 hours. There’s food on site, should you choose to make a day of it. Do.

Day Out With Thomas runs Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August 2 at Roaring Camp, Graham Hill Road (at Mt. Hermon Road), Felton; 1-866-468-3399; roaringcamprr.com. Tickets are $18.

If you have a little train nut in your house, riding the public transportation light rail will only go so far. Roaring Camp Railroads, with terminals in Felton and nearby Santa Cruz, California, are worth the road trip. They have two routes: one which winds through towering redwoods over a narrow-gauge track in the Santa Cruz mountains, another which wends through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and over the San Lorenzo River Gorge before delivering riders at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Either route is delicious; you just have to decide if you want a quick ride or a long day. If the former, take the steam train around the mountain, at just over an hour it’s an easy day out for small kids. If you’re up for more, take the morning train to the beach, get off, ride the Big Dipper, have a soft serve, put your toes in the water and then take the afternoon train back to your car in the redwoods. Or wait for one of Roaring Camp’s special event days: three- and four-year-olds go absolutely nuts during the summertime Thomas days, when they can go for a ride on a real, live (well, not alive) Thomas the Train Engine, or try the popular Halloween ghost train or Christmas ride, complete with a singing Santa.

Roaring Camp is located at Graham Hill Road (at Mount Hermon Road), Felton. Trains leave every Saturday, Sunday and some Mondays and Thursdays through April 7 (daily in the summertime); Fares are $13.50-19.50, parking is $7. Call 831-335-4484 or visit roaringcamp.com.

It’s festival season again. See you at the tall ships.

Festival of Sail

An exceptional chance to view and tour 32 magnificent historic tall ships hailing from many ports of the world. When looking at the ships pales, cruise down the waterfront for live music, food, and maritime educational activities. Families can also reserve cruises around the bay on certain vessels.

When: Thu.-Sun., 7/27-30, events are at various times but waterfront activities run 11am-5pm Thu.-Sat. and 11am-2pm Sun; All ages; Free-$85 (touring ships is free).
Where: Events take place all over San Francisco’s northeast waterfront, Embarcadero (from Hyde to King Streets), San Francisco; 877-724-5577, festivalofsail.org.

Day Out with Thomas

A longish (about 1.5 hours) drive to the Santa Cruz Mountains is made worth it by the sight of several thousand preschoolers going into Beatlemania-style paroxysms of joy when they see their favorite friendly train pulling in. Take a ride through the trees with Thomas and participate in train-type activities.

When: July 25-27 and Aug 1-3, various times through the day, Age 2+; $18.
Where: Roaring Camp, Graham Hill Road (at Mt. Hermon Road), Felton, 1-866-468-3399 roaringcamprr.com.

The Breakfast Club in Dolores Park

Lie back on a blanket and show your kids what teenage angst was like back in the day as this classic ’80s film unspools for free. The film is mostly clean, but given the pot-smoking scene and some pretty frank talk about Ally Sheedy’s therapist “nailing” her and Judd Nelson’s dad abusing him, you may want to limit this activity to older teens.

When: Sat., 7/26, 8pm, Age 14+; Free.
Where: Dolores Park, 18th St. (at Dolores St.), San Francisco, 415.465.FILM, sfneighborhoodtheater.org.

Berkeley Kite Festival

It’s fun on a string with Japanese kite battles, Taiko drummers, kite ballet, and more high-flying fun. Fledgling flyers can take lessons and learn how to make their own kites.

When: Sat.-Sun., 7/26-27, 11am-5pm; All ages; Free (Parking $10).510.235.5483
Where: Cesar Chavez Park, 11 Spinnaker Way (at Virginia Street), Berkeley; 510-235-5483; highlinekites.com.