Highly recommend! I called Brian with extremely late notice and he was so nice and accommodating…read more He arrived to our event and was set up quickly. The crowd of adults and kids alike were captivated by his snakes and lizards. It was a great show and super informative. This was literally my son's dream come true. He said being the helper was the highlight of the night. If you have any events and need some entertainment, Brian is your guy. We learned a lot about reptiles and snakes and you'll def have a new appreciation for them once you get up close and personal. Would definitely do this again. Thanks, Brian!!

Brian and his amazing snakes and skink were the highlight of our 7 year olds party. The kids and…read moreadults were riveted and Brian was extremely knowledgeable. Everyone had so much fun and learned so much about these amazing reptiles. We highly recommend For Goodness Snakes for your gathering. Thank Brian!

I've been to Vasona many times and seen the sign for YSI, though I finally ventured in today!…read more This place is somewhat of a hidden gem; while it offers a chance to learn more about endemic species in our area, it is also very small. For that reason, I would say it's great to come here but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. COST: $6 for parking, but no cost to enter! PARKING: there is a spacious lot right next to the entrance. AMBIANCE: clean, uplifting, and cozy. There are many educational toys and books, which complement the somewhat small selection of animals to see. Would come back, but would be best to combine this with a walk in Vasona or a trip to the Oak Meadow merry-go-round or train.

Every child should be treated equally, my son was told he will not be given a shirt because he had…read moreparticipated in another class this summer, just because we are a returning customer my son had to experience this, when I asked Allyson(the director of the program) she said that's how things are done here and your son is not getting a shirt. Amazing

This is my new happy place! I celebrated my birthday this past weekend at Animal Art Farm and our…read morewhole group loved visiting with the animals, our art project, and Farmer Jen! Such an amazing experience. I highly recommend visiting! Thanks Farmer Jen for the best birthday I have had in my 42 trips around the sun!!

I happened to visit this magical place today for a child's birthday party. My visit today had a…read moreprofound impact on my life, and that's not an exaggeration. I have been in a bit of a funk for the past several days due to an upsetting issue that I have been dealing with. I have been struggling to get my own energetic vibration back up to a comfortable place and maintain it there. As such, I have been walking around feeling like a character from an antidepressant commercial with a dark, rainy cloud hanging over my head. Every now and then, the rain would stop for a while, but the cloud persisted. Until today. I experienced true bliss every moment that I spent at Farmer Jen's farm today. I pet the most docile llamas with the beautifully soulful eyes. I painted with an adorable, super chill bearded dragon named Sunshine relaxing on the table. I pet beautiful corn snakes, helped children tie knots for a craft, made my own craft (which involved painting chickens on rocks while surrounded by the unusually friendly chickens), and watched my kids joyfully paint and play. It was almost as though we stepped into a movie, complete with background music from a perfectly curated playlist. One of the partygoers was crying about their artwork not turning out the way they wanted, and Farmer Jen jumped in and beautifully helped them (and literally turned their frown upside down with her compassionate words and actions). My blues seem to have vanished after visiting this idyllic farm and spending time with these strangely mellow creatures. It struck me that Farmer Jen never once expressed concern over kids interacting with her animals. She is super mellow and happy, and her calm and content energy seems to permeate her entire property and all of the creatures there. I'm so grateful for today's experience, and can't wait to go back there again someday.

Teressa did a great job for my 4-year-old daughter's birthday party. We had to reschedule due to…read morerain, and she was able to make it work. The kids loved the snakes, the tortoises eating, and the lizards. Even the adults were entertained! Her pricing is very good as well. The birthday girl got to be a helper and have first touch/hold of all the reptiles. At the end, she was also given a small scroll and some snake skin shed as a souvenir. She does shows all over. We are located in Contra Costa County, but she had a show in Sacramento booked right after. Thank you, Teressa!

Teressa and her crew put on the most amazing show for our 7 year old's birthday party! He had the…read moretime of his life. It was so lovely to see him so relaxed and happy with the beautiful reptiles. All the kids had an absolute blast too, parents were telling me how much they enjoyed the show and appreciated the care Teressa took sharing her beautiful animals. The birthday boy got special attention, seated on stage, and then all the kids could gently pet the animals. Seeing the awe on their faces was so precious. We have had many birthday shows, and this one was hands down the absolute best! Younger and older kids alike had fun, can't recommend highly enough! Thank you, a thousand times! You made his birthday

We celebrated my kid's 4th birthday! Last minute thought and when I reached out to Tina she opened…read moreup some appointment for the date I needed.. and I truly appreciate it. The couple puts in a personal touch so the kids can enjoy and the group too. The tour was fantastic and well paced. The animals were happy, healthy, calm and friendly with the kids. Kudos to the couple for managing this beautiful tour while they have a little one We took the 12-1 tour but because I have kids, Tina was kind to let me use the picnic area and stay on for a little bit longer so I can feed the kids and also let them play around a bit.. Thank you, Tina

It's a small business started by Tina and Julian during the pandemic. They love the animal and…read morestarted the farm way before they started the business. If you like a small family exclusive farm educational experience, this is for you. Julian and Tina are such a sweet sweet couple! Julian knows all about his animals and takes great care of them. Our 7 and 2yo boys absolutely loved the animals and the very natural experience. There're dozens of hens, a few goats, ducks and even peacocks. We were especially impressed by how much attention Julian pays to safety. He separates the animals while our toddler was petting ducks.

I had not been to this museum in about 20 years but I returned this past weekend and I was so glad…read moreI did. The entire place has been remodeled. It is a small museum but an absolutely beautiful one worth visiting. As a birder, I loved the cases of taxidermied birds, one of the largest collections of this type on the West Coast with over 400 specimens. I was even more enchanted by the jade room full of jade pieces and artwork derived from right here on the Central Coast, the giant Grizzly Bear, the gorgeous nature field guide mural/artwork upstairs, and the imaginative Room of Wonder full of items that had long been stored in the Museum basement and now brought back to viewing public in artistic settings. This room is mesmerizing and hard to describe but you should definitely see it for yourself. Native Americans are included as well as Asian Americans in the different displays, which I appreciate and feel contributes to the holistic and unified way in which the natural history of our state is explained here. One of the highlights, though, was meeting Bill, a volunteer guide at the museum. He gave so many interesting facts, helped with cool photo ops, and conveyed his genuine love for nature and the community. He is the heart of this fine place. We hope to see him again! If you haven't been to the Natural History Museum, I highly recommend a visit. Locals can get in free.

Made an effort to stop by during open hours, really cool location. Very kid friendly, and the staff…read morewere very helpful. We had a great conversation about the albatross we had seen whale watching the day before. I really liked the model Chinese fishing village.

I love Garland ranch. There are several different walking trails. They have a visitor center and…read morebathrooms. Make sure you have on good hiking shoes and bring sunblock and water on warm days. Bring your dog or come solo, the beauty of nature is always so peaceful here. Our kiddos definitely enjoyed getting out to enjoy the area, we will return!

Wonderful park to explore and hike if you are ever in the Carmel Valley area. Plenty of parking…read moreboth on the street as well as in a designated parking lot. Much of the area in the lower section is flat and easy to walk around, however, there are also some trails with steeper elevation climbs for those who want to get more of a scenic view of the area. Cool historic barn is easy to get to and on hotter days you will definitely want to take some water as some of the trails are exposed to the sun. There is a public bathroom area by the visitor center.

The good: This place is just all-so American and I love it…read more My aunt comes here for the berry pie and buys several of them to bring to me in SoCal. She's a frequent customer and she seldom eats pies. She sometimes freezes them. It's packed with so many berries and has a pure berry taste. It's sweet but still maintains the tartness/acidity of the berries so it helps your ability to eat more of it. My husband finished almost an entire pie in one day. The bad: My aunt said the apple pie is too sweet and therefore prefers the more tart/sour berry pie. I wish I tried the pie with ice cream because that would have been a nice compliment. The interesting: They're family owned and have been around for decades. You can pick fruits here too.

Doing U-pick is fun: rounded up for the fun factor. The fruit is not organic. In case you want to…read moreeat the U-pick fruit on the spot: Bring a basket with holes in the bottom, and bottled water, so that you can rinse the fruit before eating. The lineup: 5/5: U-pick boysenberries: June 4: Blenheim apricots, June: $3.70/pound. About 70% were ripe. 3: Dutch apple pie. Kind of meh. 3: Strawberry shortcake. Bring your own maple syrup and pour some on top; it needs some sweetness. 2: Cherry pie. Kinda meh. For boysenberries, consider wearing latex gloves to keep your hands from getting stained red.

We've had Fiona for our son's 1st bday party for balloon twisting and it was such a hit show. she…read morewas fantastic with kids. came on time with her setup. all the kids literally surrounded her and enjoyed the twisters so much. some kids even went in for seconds. Look no further. am so glad we hired Fionna as our party entertainer and I was very happy to see all the kids having fun time. the kids will be occupied for an hour while the parents can take some breather, have lunch, enjoy the party etc :)

Fiona did a great job for a balloon backdrop for my son's first birthday! She was responsive, open…read moreto feedback, and had great suggestions! Her prices are also fair. She came and set up and took down super efficiently, everything turned out great! Will definitely work with her again for future parties :)

Today was the day!!! I have been a HUGE fan of the book Cannery Row and John Steinbeck for decades…read more As a lifelong local I always wondered what the inside of this place looked like! They offer free tours the first Saturday of the month. Tour lasts about an hour. I was very lucky and had the entire tour to myself! The docent was very knowledgeable about Monterey history as well as Ed Ricketts, John Steinbeck and all things Cannery Row. It was fascinating to look at the posters on the wall from the Mens club who owned the lab between the early 50's until the late 80's. The downstairs areas where the holding tanks are (visible from the outside) and the inside where the garage was. Along with things that you would know if you had read some of the books. Notably for me was the desk they built to take with them on the trip to the Sea of Cortez, that didn't fit inside the boat- so it was lashed to the outside and virtually never used. There it was! I touched it! If you're a lover of history and Steinbeck I highly recommend it!

I hesitate in writing even this…read more I wrote a lengthy review and deleted it. I don't want to give it away. I don't want it to cheapen it with more [censored] trotting around and trying to steal off of it or from it. But this, this is a holy place of sorts. You can go to the missions for religion. Or you can come here. But please don't.