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Best Regional Swimming Holes

It’s hot out and time to splash in the pool. Here are some favorite swimming holes for your family to enjoy.

SunSplash (Roseville) – in our opinion, the cleaner of the water slides in the Northern California region. SunSplash has two kiddy pool areas for children 5 and under and fantastic and lengthy longer slides for the older kids. They also have a fun wave pool where you can either brave the waves or just sit in the shore area to cool off. We like SunSplash in Roseville and rate it for cleanliness and nice, well-behaved clientele. Also, when it’s really hot, it becomes crowded. Arrive early and expect to leave early to avoid the crowds.

Orangevale Aquatic Center – the lesser-known aquatic center isn’t quite as large as Folsom or Roseville, but its low-key status means fewer crowds. They have a large wadding area and a fun waterslide for the older children to enjoy. They also have a large swimming area and diving boards. Folsom and Roseville, although larger with more slides and bigger pools, become very crowded in prime summer season.

Family Fitness Centers – not known for their swimming activities, the Family Fitness Center on Greenback in Fair Oaks has two large pools (a lap pool) and fun play fountains. They also have a large Jacuzzi to warm up or soothe tired muscles. Their wadding pool is large-sized for the little kids to frolic. They offer swimming lessons, and you can sign up at the front desk.

 

A Room with a View

Rainy or snowy days make most people want to stay indoors, but this will not necessarily quell your desire for a weekend getaway – especially if you have been cooped up inside. Stormy weather of any kind actually invites a weekend escape to a resort with indoor amenities to entertain the kids or allow you to curl up with a great book and an amazing view. Here are two romantic and fun weekend escapes to resorts with incredible views so you don’t have to leave the premises and endure the wet, cold or miserable weather.

Resort at Squaw Creek – We’ve mentioned this resort before, but during snow season it has really got incredible views of Squaw Valley. You can eat at the pub right on the premises or the grill upstairs. Your older kids who tend to be more “weather resistant” can literally jump on a ski lift right out the resort room door. You can rent a suite with a “Valley View” and pull your chair right up to the floor-to-ceiling window, light the fire, and watch skiers on the mountain while you read. Just realize in high season, it will cost between $250-$300 for a Valley View or better. So this is not a recession-buster getaway by any means.

Stevenswood Resort in Mendocino County – Another resort worth the drive. Now the rooms line an indoor hallway, so if it’s raining you don’t have to step outside. You can pull open the drapes, light your fire, and read right there. A very nice feature at this resort is the on-site restaurant that faces an outdoor garden. You can enjoy your breakfast or lunch while gazing at the rain-drenched garden. Once the rain subsides, trek down the road to Van Damme State Park and enjoy some after-storm beach-combing.

Tenaya Lodge, Yosemite – Also previously mentioned, Tenaya offers families indoor swimming and recreation. Pull up a big leather chair to the coffee table and play board games in the front reception area. Shop in the small guest shops or if you prefer, go out ice-skating or roasting marshmallows in the cold-weather fire pit in the back. You can also snow tube down the backside. Or rent a suite with a fireplace, put your feet up, and read the snowy day away. Or go downstairs and purchase some to-go food and munch and read. Either way, you’ll feel relaxed. They also have an on-site spa to enjoy.

If you would like me to book your weekend getaway, send an email to etaylor@worldlesstraveled.com. 

 

Karisma – Elevating the Family-Friendly Vacation

A colorful plastic step stool stands in front of the bathroom sink in Azul Sensatori Hotel’s Family Jacuzzi Suites.  The resort is divided into three areas, a family section, an adult’s only section, and a premium section open to all.  The Family Jacuzzi Suites sleep two adults and up to three children. Strollers, baby robes, monitors, bottle warmers, and baby tubs are complementary, reducing the amount of stuff parents have to pack and carry on their vacation. Families can also loan Fisher-Price toys from a special menu and have them delivered to the suite. Other family features include the Azulitos Kid’s Club, which offers daily activities and a pool directly across from the family suites wing. The Breeze Teen Club for children ages 13-17 has dedicated pool tables, soft drink bar, and its own music area. The only down side is the extra charge to play in the arcade.  The resort’s spa also offers appropriate treatments for children ages 5-16.

The resort also offers a free service for reunion planning when five or more rooms are booked for a family trip. They also receive complementary activity coordination and a private dinner.

 

 

Wet, Wild, Water Parks

As the weather heats up, families everywhere will go in search of places to cool off. So, we thought it would be fun to give you a quick overview of three regional water parks for your wet-and-wild pleasure.

Raging Waters is located at Cal Expo. What should you know about this park? It combines land-based slides with tower slides. This means that you will be doing more than walk up a few slopes to slide down, but also climb some stairs. On a cool day, it’s a bummer to stand wet under the awnings; however, on a hot day it’s a nice relief. Also, you have to lug your tube up those stairs so it’s not for the faint of heart. Now kids won’t care about any of this, so it’s a lot of fun for a day at the park.

Sun Splash and Golfland combines miniature golf, mini race cars, video arcade, laser tag and water park fun at one location off of I-80 at Taylor Road. It’s one of those water parks that completely exposes the towering slides to full view of onlookers. Many tall and steep slides guarantee to satisfy thrill seekers. They also have a wave pool and a less-scary kiddie pool area. Older kids can conquer the big slides while little ones can go off the pint-sized slides.

Raging Waters San Jose claims to be California’s largest water park. For the sake of honesty in advertising, we’ll assume they’re being truthful. With dozens of towering and sloping slides, they offer some extreme water fun. They also have the requisite kiddie and wave pool areas. So, if you want to make a day of it, drive about two and one-half hours south. We recommend you plan to stay over and maybe spend a weekend at the park.

Train Time

 For families with small children nothing beats a train ride. Not a kid exists under the age of 5 that isn’t enthralled by trains. So, if mom and dad need a way to entertain the younger set, but also enjoy some scenic sights, check out the train rides that start at Roaring Camp in Felton, California. You can opt to take the redwood train into the forest or select the Santa Cruz Beach and Board Walk ride that takes passengers right up to the sidewalk that sits parallel to the boardwalk. It returns every hour on the hour so you can make a day of it and play on the boardwalk or head straight for the beach for some sand-and-surf fun. The boardwalk, recently renovated, offers numerous attractions and old-fashion midway rides. You can purchase a full-day pass and spend the afternoon enjoying the old rickety Giant Dipper roller coaster (this author’s very first roller-coaster ride), enjoy the carousel and don’t forget to grab the brass ring, or toss some rings and win a giant stuffed toy. It promises to be a great family afternoon. And then jump back on the train and head back to Roaring Camp through the magnificent giant redwood forest. The scenic ride will be a great way to relax a bit before you jump back in the car and drive to either a local hotel or campground. Use the Santa Cruz Camping Guide  to find the campground right for you. If you would like to have someone else set up your trip and manage the details, send an email to Elisa Taylor at etaylor@worldlesstraveled.com.