Great summer food option at Great America! We were very lucky that we got to come here when our day…read moreunder the sun with rollercoasters and the water park coincided with Taste of Orleans. Since everything here looked way more delicious than the regular food park (and we confirmed they're much better!), here's my review of each offering. We paid to get a badge with little tabs that you rip off for each dish that you take. They're small bites, and the nice thing is that between the 3 of us, we got to share and sample each dish. These were what they offered at each lettered station: A) Chicken & Sausage Gumbo over rice A) Cajun Brownie B) Crawfish Fritters with Creole dipping sauce B) Muffuletta Slider C) Fried Oyster Po' Boy C) Boudin Sausage with Peppers D) Creole Shrimp and Crab Cheesecake D) Crawfish Boil E) Blackened Chicken Pizza E) Peach Cobbler F) Beignets F) Praline Bread Pudding These were some standouts: 1) Boudin Sausage with peppers--this was the first one I ate, soooooo good! It consisted of sausage stuffed with rice and peppers. Wish there was more sausage. 2) Cajun brownie--it looked like an ordinary though tasty brownie. Once you bite into it, you realize there's a spicy kick! 3) Crawfish Fritters with Creole dipping sauce--fritters were small, and they give you waaayyyy too much sauce, more than you need. 4) Muffuletta sliders--I took a bite, sliders aren't my thing 5) Fried Oyster Po'Boy--not a whole lot of oysters, to be honest. I would have liked more of them. 6) Gumbo--nice and hearty 7) Creole shrimp and crab cheesecake--one of my faves! It's a savory cheesecake, very unique! Save the creole sauce from the crawfish fritters (if you get them), because the dipping sauce goes so well with this cheesecake! 8) Blackened chicken pizza--mmm, good pizza! It was funny to receive this and marvel over how much better than looked compared to the basic pizzas that were being served to those getting standard food 9) Peach Cobbler--it was fantastic to see my boyfriend enjoying this. So nice and sweet! 10) Beignets--sweet, with an explosion of powdered sugar everywhere. I looked like a cocaine addict Great America should definitely do more of these food events!

The Taste Of Orleans Festival premiered at California's Great America for the first time this year…read moreand I must say that I was very impressed. This seems to be the new thing with various amusement parks having food and wine festivals and I think it's a great idea because it allows the guests to try different foods and beverages outside of the normal amusement park fare. The festival took place in the Orleans Square section of the park and this are was really brought to life with various New Orleans style decorations, the huge Taste Of Orleans billboard/postcard and of course the zydeco music blasting throughout the area. This festival was held for two week on weekends only from 12-10. They had various creole/cajun food items that were available during this festival such as shrimp po'boys, Muffulettas, beignets, Crawfish Étouffée and so on. You could purchase the items seperately or purchase the tasting card. The tasting card listed 6 items to sample for $25 they included the beignets, creole meatballs, bourbon grilled chicken wings, Crawfish Étouffée, chicken and andouille gumbo and red beans & rice. I tried everything on the tasting card except the red beans & rice and I must say that I was really impressed with the food. The portion size was very generous and 2 people could probably split the tasting card and get full. The bourbon grilled chicken wings were really good they had a sweet and spicy flavor and were cooked to perfection. The creole meatballs came with three huge meatballs that were tender and not overcooked and topped with this unique sweet sauce (probably my favorite item). The crawfish etouffee was very good, it was my first time trying it and I was not disappointed. It was very spicy and full of flavor and served over rice. The gumbo I was skeptical to try because I don't eat gumbo, actually haven't had it in over 10 years but it was pretty good it had nice chunks of chicken and spicy andouille sausage but I wish it was served with rice or at least a piece of french bread. And lastly the beignets, these I was not too impressed with because I felt they were too heavy and tasted too much like a donut. I've had real beignets and while these were a step in the right direction they didn't really make the mark for me. I wanted to try the special bananas foster funnel cake but was too full. They also had a beer & wine tasting room and you could purchase a tasting card for that as well and from what I was told the pourings were very generous as well. Aside from the food there was lots to see and lots of entertainment throughout the area. There were two stages where a couple different bands played the traditional Zydeco music and they were good bands might I add. It really added to the festival and it was nice to see everyone dancing and enjoying themselves. There were about 6-7 artists making chalk art and it was amazing, they endured that heat and messed up concrete to draw this lovely artwork. Then every hour or so there was another band and singer that had the little second line thing going on, they would come from the middle of the park playing music all the way to Orleans Place. All of the staff working the festival had their nice Mardi Gras colors and outfits on, the girls on stilts were a hit with everybody. They would be dancing and throwing beads to the crowds of people while the band played. Then to end the night after the festival they had Cajun themed fireworks, these were by far the best fireworks I've ever seen at Great America although they were a bit on the short side. I see they have taken a page out of Disneyland's book because this was just amazing, when it starts all of the lights go out and the Zydeco music starts playing but the fireworks are timed to the music. They had fireworks and fire shooting from the buildings and everything. They really outdid themselves and I was very impressed. I absolutely loved the festival and was told that it will be back next year but bigger and better and I think it's definitely work checking out!

This was a really nice event, much better than I expected. What more can I say?…read more Kim said it all.

***************************** 1369 ***************************…read more Bite Silicon Valley, Day 1, How Can We Shape The Future of Food, Health, and Technology to help our Growing Population, End Food Waste, Create Affordable Food for All, and GMOs Debate Conference, at Levi's® Stadium. The Bite Silicon Valley, the nation's first-ever FESTIVAL exploring the intersection of food + tech, at Levi's® Stadium June 5-7, 2015 has come to a close, marking the very first year of the best and the brightest in the worlds of culinary, chefs, innovators, pioneers, winemakers, and tech all got together in the heart of Silicon Valley. With over 60 chefs, 30 wineries, 20 speakers, and all for great cause, Bite SV Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties and the 49ers Foundation. Unlike other Food & Wine Festivals in Las Vegas, South Beach or Aspen, where celebrity sightings, fancy dinners, after-parties, and happy hours sponsored by many luxurious high end brands; Bite has been a successful food + wine + tech + innovation festival, like no other, where ideas, issues, awareness, and solutions were raised and together we will make this world a better place. I was humbled and truly honored to attend Bite SV and joined favorite chefs and Bite Silicon Valley to make a difference in our community. Day 1 with chefs: Jose Andres, Michael Chiarello, Roy Choy, Kerry Diamond, Editor in Chief, Yahoo Food., Dorothy Cann Hamilton CEO of International Culinary Institute, Hampton Creek, Josh Tetrick, CEO/Founder, Dr. Robert Fraley, EVP and CTO of Monsato, food waste activist Jordan Figueiredo, and more. It was an amazing day 1 of the festival. Bite Silicon Valley, Day 2 & 3, Grand Tasting, Cooking Demonstrations, Seminars, Plant Based Food, Clean Energy, and Wine Industry, at Levi's® Stadium. There was different chefs on each day, but you can always check the website, so you can meet your favorite celeb chefs and chat with them - Chefs: Roy Choi (LA), Jose Andres (ThinkFoodGroup, Bazaar Meat, e, Jaleo), Michael Voltaggio (Top CHef alum, Ink LA), Michael Mina, Peter Armellino (Pumed Horse), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Dmitry Elperin (Village Pub), Richie Farina (chicago), Yu Min Lin (The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse), Louis Maldonaldo (Top Chef Alum, and Spoonbar), Charles Phan (Slanted door), Parke Ulrich (waterBar) just to name a few. There was so much food and wines flowing all weekend long. There was NEVER a line to anything. This is probably 1 of my favorite food and wine festival of all, because of the imitative and goal to end food waste, how to feed the 9 billions people on this earth by the year 2050, fight GMO, and better way to end world hunger. No food went wasted this inauguration Bite Silicon Valley because company Feed Forward took the food and passed on the less fortunate each day. They were able to feed more than 500 homeless and low income families on each day of the festival. This is not only a festival but it's for a greater cause. BITE Silicon Valley is pleased to support two outstanding organizations: Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (SHFB) is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger in Silicon Valley. Since its inception in 1974, SHFB has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, and could literally fill Levi's Stadium three times over with the number of people that it serves every month. Second Harvest provides the equivalent of one million meals every week of the year. Through a network of more than 330 non-profit agencies, SHFB distributes healthy food to one out of every ten local residents. More than 90% of the food distributed is highly nutritious, and over half is fresh produce. The 49ers Foundation mission is to 'Keep Kids Safe, on Track and in School.' The Denise DeBartolo York Education Center, located inside The 49ers Museum at Levi's Stadium, provides learning platforms that connect, inspire, and engage students in grades K-8. The curriculum will feature content-rich lessons in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), ingrain invaluable life skills and encourage physical activity. Your $150 for the grand tasting is money well spent. Because you make a different in your community! P.S. Parking is FREE, the volunteers and staffs were amazing the whole 3 days of the festival.

Took my niece and nephew here and my nephew kept screaming "best day ever" while running around, so…read moreI'd say this place is a resounding success! We went at around 9 pm on July 4th and there was still a lot of people but not enough to dampen the experience thankfully. Tickets are easy to grab online and there is ample parking available because it's in the great mall. When we first walked in we were greeted with lots and lots of foam. Foam in the air like its snowing, and foam on the ground. My nephew was so excited and kept running through it excitedly which was cute. We were also told the last show of the day was about to start so we luckily caught it. Loved watching all 3 performers - aerial, juggling, and hoops. From there we just walked around and saw as much as we could. The little rooms they have with different decorations and aesthetics are great for pictures and selfies. There are so many good photo ops that I basically spent an hour being the munchkins personal photographer :) was a great time

Saw this event on my feed on Facebook and brought my daughters over. They both absolutely love it!…read more There is so much magic on this exhibit! It was just beautiful! It is so fun to see them laughing and skipping and jumping around. It really melts my heart. Yeah. Lots of photo ops for all of us. The exhibit also had a small acrobatic performance and a show that a transformer changed into the robot from the car. This was not communicated. We figured out when it was too late. Wish these timeline were either on their website for informed when people checked in. The flowers are beautiful to look at but it had the plastic smell. Also there are some rooms that we just can't breathe with so much chemicals..: hence one star off

I've been coming to the Willow Glen Holiday lights for almost 10 years now, and it is pure…read moremagic...minus the crowds. It's amazing to see how all-out so many of the houses go, just about every single one has some sort of Christmas or Hanukkah display, light, or decoration. It's also amazing how much more crowded it gets every year. I used to drive it, but now I don't dare try. I'll typically park near one of the main streets and get out and walk. This is usually much more enjoyable since you aren't having to fight nonstop car and foot traffic. This year I went a little late in the season and even walking it wasn't all that enjoyable because of the groups of 15+ people together and the people running around doing a scavenger hunt, so lesson learned. This past year we parked a bit further and got to see some displays that I either haven't seen in the past or are newer, but it was nice to stroll the less crowded streets and still enjoy the holiday magic. Unlike in years past, there were even street dog vendors out this time around. Felt like I was leaving a concert or a sporting event!

We visited the Willow Glen Christmas lights after dinner to walk off our meal, and it quickly…read morebecame more than just a walk. What we thought would be a short stroll turned into a full holiday experience, one of those nights where Christmas feels alive. We have seen many decorated streets and cul de sacs before, but Willow Glen surprised us. Multiple neighborhoods followed shared themes, with streets labeled things like Candy Cane Lane and Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer. It felt like walking through a storybook, where each street had its own chapter. The decorations were beautiful and thoughtful. Some areas felt like a small festival, with trains, horse carriages, brews on bicycles, and families everywhere enjoying the moment. Vendors selling churros, hot chocolate, hot dogs, and light up toys added to the fun. These streets truly embody Christmas, warm, joyful, and full of wonder. The highlight of the night was meeting Mrs. Santa Claus of Willow Glen. She was kind, welcoming, and full of heart. She hosted the churro truck and clearly gives so much back to the community. She felt like the soul of the neighborhood, a reminder that Christmas magic often comes from people, not just lights. Bring your family and friends and take your time walking around, or enjoy it from your car. There is so much to see and feel here. This is the kind of place that turns a simple evening into a memory, and it will definitely be an annual Christmas tradition for us.

This was my first time attending, and I attended with my son. We will not be back. First the…read moreConvention Center staff told us to get in the wrong line for the wrong event, and only by pure luck were we alerted that check-in was already happening inside. Checking in was fine, except I was asked to fill out a paper version of something I already filled out online. I had pre-ordered shirts for us, and they had my son's no problem. My shirt couldn't be found, and after having me wait for 30 minutes while they organized the shirt pile I had to demand one of the "same day sale" shirts because they were about to sell out and no one else thought of that solution. We finally get into the event and its dark. Its hot. We aren't allowed any outside drinks, not even water. Every game that wasn't broken (a lot were) seemed to have a line, and no one was in a hurry to let others play. There was no communication that there was a 2nd room with driving/flying games, we stumbled on that ourselves. We gave it 4 hours, and at the end we just left. I was told by staff that they weren't expecting this many people so they were completely in chaos. It really showed.

They work hard to bring it all together, but this year may very well be my last…read more I consider there to be three major Pinball Tournaments in Northern California. They are held at California Extreme in Santa Clara, Golden Gate Pinball Festival in Lodi and Pin-a-Go-Go in Dixon. California Extreme is not exclusive with Pinball Machines. There are also tons of arcade games for those who enjoy them. We have enjoyed attending these events whenever we're able to. In the past, our work schedules often got in the way. Now that we're retired, our vacation schedules often cause conflicts. The people who run this event have always done a tremendous job of getting others to bring their beloved machines, set on free play, for the masses to play. In return, they get free admission. A substantial number of volunteers are also needed to load-in, load-out, wipe down, perform minor repairs, scorekeepers, registration, check-in, etc., etc. We attend to see Pinball Machines that we've never seen before, to play with machines that are hard to find, to play new machines, but mostly to play in the tournament. Yes, there are cash purses and trophies or plaques to be one. Bragging rights galore! But for players at my level, it's mostly about WPPR Points that affect your International Flipper Pinball Association Ranking. As I write this review, I am 8640 out of 103,576 players in the world. Does it mean anything? Only to my ego. At one time, I was sub-3000. I simply don't play in enough tournaments to keep my ranking. This year's tournament entry fee was $2 per game. That is not particularly expensive BUT there was no limit to the number of entries that one could purchase. This changes that tournament of skill and luck to one of skill, luck and DEEP POCKETS. In my opinion, there should be a single buy-in. Everyone plays the same number of games on the games that are available. Yes, this will reduce the prize money but so what? Whatever happens, happens. If you have a great day, congratulations. If you have a lousy day, better luck next year. But under the unlimited buy-in, you just keep putting out money until you have a few good games to tie together for your final score. What? The tournaments almost over but you're in 11th place and only the first 10 places are in the money. Well, play some more and hope to improve your score and win! Anyway, without the tournament to play in, I will either only attend California Extreme one day only or skip it all together moving forward. Additionally, this year, for the first time, the Hyatt is now charging $40 to park overnight. This was either not disclosed at the time of booking or I somehow missed it. When I complained, it was discounted $20 because I was staying there for California Extreme and another $10 because I'm a Hyatt member. I was told that, "all the other area hotels are charging more for parking and the Hyatt is just trying to catch up." There was a 49ers exhibition game on Saturday, August 19th, and parking was expected to be at a premium and traffic would be a zoo. To counter that, we arrived way early to get a space. We arrived at 8:30 for a 10:00 opening. Because we left the house so early, we didn't have time to eat breakfast, but we had plenty of down time in the hotel (check-in was at 3:00pm), so we opted for breakfast in the hotel (see our review for Evolution). Breakfast Buffet at $28 per person vs Continental Breakfast at $22 per person. So, while California Extreme is still lots of fun, between the costs and the crowds and a Deep Pocket Tournament, it may be time for us to move on.

Literally, my only complaint is how busy it gets (especially for parking) and hard to walk on the…read moresidewalks it is. But just being able to walk down with family or friends and admire all the beautiful lighting and decorated homes is such a vibe!

Crowded and it's really only one block that's decorated. The surrounding blocks are normal. Highly…read morerecommend coming earlier in the evening to avoid the super crowds and park a couple blocks over to walk. I can't believe they let people sell the lighted balloons here, like Christmas in the Park. It's $20 / balloon, fyi you can buy 10 of those balloons on Amazon for the same price. But tis the season? Almost every house on the ONE block is super decorated and babies/kids love it. It's a good little stop by.

The trip was awesome and I'm looking forward to a attend the Winterfest this year with my new…read moregrandson is so amazing thank you

I visited Winterfest last weekend and had a great time with my family. Many other families and kids…read morevisited as well, it was traffic entering the parking lot. As a Gold Pass member, I was really happy to get free parking + park entry for Winterfest. Winterfest ran from 4pm-10pm and we stayed nearly the entire time. We mostly visited just to take pictures with the decorations, tree, and the lights, and we were not disappointed. Seeing as there aren't many Christmas activities in the South Bay (outside of Christmas in the Park in DTSJ and Santana Row), I recommend visiting for the holidays! Since I didn't have to pay for park entry, I splurged a little on the holiday foods. The beignets were my favorites of the holiday foods, but pretty pricey at $6 each. The hot chocolate was hit or miss, depending on where you bought it. The funnel cake was good, but too sweet after a while. (Highly recommend splitting that with as many ppl as possible bc of how sweet it is haha) Dress warmly and have fun!

Super fun!! Great experience!…read moreThe selection they had it's great. Super entertaining and at affordable prices.

Super fun!!!!!! Our…read morefirst event!!! Will definitely be back!!! My son's first time at an event like this!!

Lots of really good food and drinks. Worth the price of admission. Huge variety of food. Something…read morefor everyone.

I was pleasantly surprised how good the food was!! I mean it was delicious! We loved the live band…read moreand the DJ! Riding the roller coaster with no line was epic! And if you are not tailgating but want to get full and enjoy some live music this is must before the game!! We will definitely be back. Worth every penny we spent on it!!

Perfect location. Good vibes everywhere. They do a very good job around here in downtown Sunnyvale…read more I love the live performances on stage and O.M.G. Entertainment hosting the spot. Food selections are wide and it's great to see Asian communities and businesses coming together to provide annual mid-Autumn festival activities here. Sunnyvale weather is always warm/sunny/gorgeous outside. The Martin and other Cityline high rise buildings really add colors to life here. Best of all, Sunnyvale train is walkable distance. Plenty of free public parking garages to choose from. This year, Labubu dolls and doll clothes were everywhere. Food costs are still high and I still wish that more vendors would come out for a good spot each year. This year, there were delicious durian treats, roasted milk teas, candied fruits on a stick, grilled meats on sticks, roasted chestnuts, and coconut jello/sweet desserts. Handmade crochet bags are everywhere, but wow, they're not cheap for sure. Overall, this is worth visiting around the mid-Autumn moon festival days. I enjoyed watching the stage programs and children showing up in their best performance costumes.

So much food, drinks and fun! The booths are delicious Asian snacks you don't normally see at the…read moreyearly art and wine festivals. Daikon cake, sugarcane juice, aqua frescas, Indonesian street food, soy milk, coconut pudding, skewers and much much more. Don't forget boba and desserts. A great violinist playing contemporary songs brightened the atmosphere by another notch for the family fun. Everyone's loving it!! In front of AMC theater and Whole Foods downtown Sunnyvale and the streets are closed for safety.