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!

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much as I've been to Great America back when it was THRIVING like…read moreParamount's Great America. When we had Top Gun, Vortex, and a working IMAX theater. Well we had family coming and they were interested in coming and luckily they took advantage of the Black Friday sale. So for about $20 a ticket plus $20 parking it was a bargain. So make sure you buy tickets when it's Black Friday! Parking is organized. Just be wary that if you come right at opening, it's a long line to get in but there's plenty of parking. There are areas for folks who just want to be dropped off. After getting scanned for your tickets, you're basically on your way. There's a gigantic ice rink in the front, of course you have to pay extra, but all the rides are free. We just kind of went to the first ride right away and I guess everyone does this. I forgot how rickety wooden rollercoasters are. Yeah I was not doing so well after that one. But I rallied. It was a little long wait but it wasn't atrocious (there's another ride which was). Demon is as great as it was how I remembered. There's just so much variety in that ride. It has great ride to thrill payoff. Now we went to Flying Eagles which...took forever like...the niece really really wanted to ride it so we waited. Unluckily for us, someone had an accident as we approached the front of the line and that delayed us even more. I think we ended up waiting like 1.5 hours? Yeah. Not worth it. So go here first if you want to ride it without the wait. It did get a bit cold, so make sure you bring jackets. There are a lot of non-rides to enjoy like pretty lights and singers/dancers on different stages as well as themed food for Winterfest. It was quite expensive for food. The funnel cake I believe almost cost $20. But hey...gotta get delicious funnel cake and it fed 5 people so not too shabby. The lines are a little crazy, food prices are a little extravagant, but as long as you know what you're getting into, it's actually much more fun than I thought it would be especially for the Black Friday price which was well worth it. I would totally go again but I hear they're shutting down Great America soon. So I got lucky to at least experience this once. But if it is open still this year, I'd totally go again.

We took our 11 and 14 year old nephews here. The little one was def kind of scared, but we all had…read moreso much fun. There are 2 haunted houses and the second was scary as hell! Totally worth it. The actors were really good and make a solid effort to make it worth your while. It is kind of short so skip paying for the VIP ticket - it'll feel like a slight rip off. We paid for regular tickets - 20 bucks for both haunted houses. There were no lines on a Sunday night - glad we skipped paying for "VIP."

Lines were long but they managed the crowds well. Sets were really cool and the actors did amazing…read morespooky work. Was a bit hard to find, but the logo and spooky faces on the wall, line outside and lights out front made it obvious. Glad they are back after not being around in 2024! If you struggle to find it, just drive the eastridge loop and you will find them!

Great ride at Great America to go on hot days, you get a real good breeze on this ride!!…read more This is not a thrill ride, so the line here is usually pretty short and goes pretty quickly. If you want to cool off, or dry off from one of the water rides, this is for you. And it really doesn't get that high, this is what I call a no fear ride, just all enjoyment!!

My wife & myself both got a good dose of motion sickness! I felt nauseous for about 45 minutes, and…read moremost of the day for her. Overall, we wouldn't do this again, as it kinda ruined our experience at Great America.

On top of Mount Hamilton lies the lake observatory. This was my third time visiting the…read moreobservatory, I came here with my four year-old daughter, and it was her first coming here. She was surprised and excited to see the telescope. Inside the observatory it's packed up but fascinating information regarding the meteors stars lots of scientific discoveries. This place also tells you about James Lick's achievements the way he brought the astronomy into reality and his life struggle. There are plenty of parking near Observatory just that while driving, you must be bit careful those were the newcomers because the road is very narrow once you get on the hill. There is a small gift shop inside the Observatory you can grab souvenirs like sweatshirt, T-shirt, magnets, some jewelries which was mentioned was made out of meteors which I found it fascinating and some kids related item, etc.

Took my "Goon Sqaud" Neo and laiza to come check out the Famous Lick Observatory. They've never…read morebeen here before. Make sure to go on a weekend because during the week you won't be able to see the telescopes! It's about an hour drive once you start from 130 or from quimby rd. Make sure to ask someone from the area to give you the history behind Lick Observatory. I'm sure you'll find it interesting!

Staff is very knowledgeable, museum is kid friendly and interactive. Train layout is spectacular…read morewell detailed.

This is a tiny museum in the Niles Town Plaza, with extremely limited days/hours of operation…read more(select Sundays 10-4pm), so we had to take advantage on Sunday afternoon while I was in the area for Charlie Chaplin Days and the steam engine train ride nearby. This place offers the opportunity to learn about the history of the Niles Depot and several displays to explore related to the trains and railway, including the top section of a Southern Pacific semaphore signal, pot-belly stove, departure signs from 1909, old photos of passenger trains in Niles, model trains, dvd's, Niles dispatcher, old phones and typewriters, and a train that visitors can control (for a fee). There was also a model railroad which was cute, and it had a drive-in theatre which I've never seen before in similar exhibits, so that was cool. The museum pretty much consists of just two rooms, so it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to check it out, though if you have a kid who's going to play with the train, it may take longer. Also, free admission.

Outstanding museum at Moffett Field…read more Get a ticket to individual events or , better yet, become a member. This is a special non-profit with loads of historical artifacts from WWI to WWII. The history of the use of zeppelins at Moffett Field is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the indoor museum and walking around some historical vehicles and planes at the outside section of the museum. Note: Be prepared to show your ID at the guard shack when coming onto the base.

The Moffett Field Museum is located right next to the famous blimp hangar at Moffett Field. The…read moremuseum has a lot of interactive things to enjoy including a cabin of a Harrier airplane, a WW1 walkthrough immersion exhibit, tanks, planes and helicopters. The docent's at the museum are very knowledgeable and absolutely love talking about the history of Moffett Field. Wifey and I spoke with one for nearly 2 hours as he guided us around the museum. The museum stays open with donations and most everything inside has been donated by people who was at Moffett field or their loved ones. If you want to learn some great history about our area and the war effort of years gone by then this is your place. And you get to see the newly revitalized Google hanger a too. :-D

Santa Clara Pal BMX is such a great place and program designed to bring friends and families…read moretogether. Three days a week, racing takes place here in a safe and fun environment. The race track is top notch... it is rated as one of the nicest tracks in the nation. What is even better than having this local gem of a race track so close is all of the great people involved. The track operators have such a love for their people , the families , the track and the sport in general. What they provide for the kids who come out here every week is huge! This sport, track , program and all of the families are all so welcoming and positive. The sense of accomplishment, fun, discipline and camaraderie you get from BMX racing and Santa Clara Pal is very tough to replicate. Even if you are not into competing on two wheels, you should go out to this track and check it out...Tuesday, Friday and Sundays. It's always free to spectate and enjoy all of the fun and excitement.

I have to give Nick and crew 5 stars for the excellent job running and Managing the track. For the…read morepast several race seasons they have gone above and beyond to make all the events go smoothly and treat everyone as family. This track is a 5 star plus facility and no one will be disappointed. I highly recommend!

We were visiting the free-admission Museum of American Heritage to check out the current exhibit…read more"Trains, Games, and Wheels". And while there, we paid the extra 4 bucks per person to attend the BayLUG LEGO Holiday Show on site. They have a few displays and LEGO sets for sale outside near the garden, but the actual exhibit in the building was far more impressive with lots of little details not to be missed. The 2025-2026 theme "Great American Road Trip" included a scavenger hunt for kids to spot a list of items and characters within the diverse and colorful LEGO displays. Delightful scenes set up in a single room, including a whole collection of flowers, an adorable rabbit, rainbows, pirate ships, vehicles of all kinds, Disneyland's Radiator Springs, railroad tracks with moving trains, aliens and flying saucers, skyscrapers, a forest of trees, a clown motel, and even a street parade happening in the city. Enough to fascinate both kids and adults, and well worth the small entry fee, especially if you're a LEGO fan. The theme changes each year, so it's a joy to experience time after time.

This was the first time I visited the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto and was amazed by…read morethe Lego show by BayLUG. It runs through January 10, 11am - 3pm. Go see this and bring your kids! It is something you will never forget about this amazing experience!