Homeridge Park (Santa Clara)
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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2y ago
WOW!! The Playground Renovation of the Year award ? for sure goes to the planners who came up with the design for this formerly run-down park turned absolute gem! We were enthralled from the first moment — the kids had a blast, and if it weren’t for the blazing sun, we might have stayed another hour! Huge thanks to the reader (sadly, I can’t remember who it was!) who let me know about this renovation. You can find my video of the park on Instagram or Facebook.  Here are the details: ☀️Homeridge Park is tucked in a quiet neighborhood near the intersection of Homestead/Kiely, bordered by ..read more
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Lake Tahoe: Rafting the Truckee River
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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2y ago
Rafting the Truckee River was one of the mainstays of my childhood summers, and I’m so excited that my kids will have the same wonderful memories as they grow up! Here’s what you need to know to enjoy this adventure: ?You can hit the Truckee with one of the rafting companies, or head out on your own with tubes. With little kids, I recommend the former because they handle EVERYTHING — the gear, getting you into the raft, pulling you out at the end, and transporting you back to the start via bus. We use @truckeeriverrafting and love it! ?Truckee River Rafting has boats for 2-8 people; if your g ..read more
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Lake Tahoe: Eagle Lake Hike
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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2y ago
Eagle Lake hike ~ one of my top picks for family adventures at Tahoe! Eagle Lake is a pristine body of water located just above the southwest “corner” of Lake Tahoe, almost due west of Emerald Bay. The hike up to the lake is only about a mile, but the operative word is “up.” Nearly every inch of the trek features an elevation gain, generally moderate but sometimes steep (in places, steep enough that they have steps cut into the granite). There are some spots where you’re scrambling over rocks, and others where you’re walking on sandy granite — no real “climbing” required, but some agility and ..read more
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Height Requirements at Disneyland
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
Everything you need to know about Disney ride height requirements! Did anyone else’s kids hit 40” during the Disneyland shutdown? My little one is SO excited to finally be able to join us on the “big kid rides” and plans to start with Guardians. ? I was thinking something a bit tamer — Soarin’, perhaps — but she wants multi-story drops and rock ‘n roll?, so Guardians it is! As excited as she is to hit Disney’s “magic number” (40” gets you onto all but a few rides), we have LOVED the six Disney trips we took with her before she reached this height, as well as the ones we took with our son whe ..read more
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Hike: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve (Antioch)
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
Best hike so far this year (maybe ever?!) today at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch!!! We didn’t even get to explore a fraction of what this amazing park has to offer, but if you love hiking, don’t mind hills, are a bit fearless in terms of exploring unnamed/unmarked trails, can’t get enough of epic views, and have a pup who loves to romp (legally!) off-leash — well, have I got a hike for you!!! We entered Black Diamond Mines at the main entrance on Somersville Rd. and parked at the lot where the road dead ends. The map was SUPER confusing (there are a bunch of trails close tog ..read more
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Family Adventure: Foothills Park (Palo Alto)
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
Foothills Park. ❤️ For 55 years, this idyllic park, nestled in the hills above Palo Alto, was open only to PA residents. Three months ago, it opened to the public, and I’m happy to say that it was worth the wait! While I’ve heard reports of huge weekend crowds, we had the park practically to ourselves on Monday — we saw maybe 25 people in our 3 hour visit (zero on our hike!!). The park started to get busier around 3, so plan to come earlier on a weekday. We parked on the left just inside the entrance (no fee on weekdays right now) and explored from there. Here were some of the highlights for u ..read more
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Silicon Valley Toddler has grown up!
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
This little one is getting soooo big — and, just as toddlers must grow up (?), so must the SV Toddler blog! Today, I’m pleased to introduce to you...Silicon Valley Family! I’ve started the changeover on FB and Instagram, and the blog itself will follow as soon as I find that most elusive element of parenthood...free time.  When I started SV Toddler back in July 2013, my big guy was only 18 months old, so a toddler-based name made sense. Keep in mind that I thought this would be a fun little playground review project to share with friends and my mom’s group — I had NO idea how big it would ..read more
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Hike: Mine Trail/Hidden Springs Trail Loop at Santa Teresa County Park
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
What a perfect day to discover a beautiful new (to us!) trail at Santa Teresa County Park! ?⛅️? We started from the Pueblo Day Use Area as usual, but instead of heading southwest on the Mine Trail, we headed northeast instead, connecting to the Hidden Springs Trail. We took that across Bernal (easy crossing, with a stop sign and crosswalk), reconnected with the Mine Trail, then looped back up to connect with the Pueblo Trail, which brought us back to our car. While our usual Santa Teresa hike takes us deeper into the hills, this one actually brought us toward the outer perimeter of the park ..read more
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Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve (Los Gatos)
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
Need another kid-friendly hike, but want something more strenuous? Check out Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve in Los Gatos! (I say this with a few caveats - see below.) This gorgeous slice of the Santa Cruz mountains opened as a preserve a few years ago and offers beauty and serenity just a few miles from Downtown LG. Here are the details: ?Located on Bear Creek Rd., a short distance from Hwy 17. As you drive up Bear Creek, look for the yellow crosswalk sign — the parking lot is on your left. ?Parking is my first caveat to this recommendation: the lot is free, but it holds only 45 cars ..read more
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Family Adventure: Tidepooling at Natural Bridges
Silicon Valley Toddler (and beyond!)
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3y ago
Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz offers great tidepools in a convenient, easily-accessible location (unlike some tidepooling spots, which require scaling cliffs or being far from bathroom facilities). Our family had the BEST time exploring the tide pools during the king tide in November -- by far, the lowest I’ve ever seen the water at Natural Bridges, allowing us to actually stand under the famous arch! -- but even standard low tides produce pools with plenty to look at. Check any tide table for information about upcoming low tides (the lower, the better), then get ready to explore ..read more
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