DO NOT LET THE SKETCH LOCATION LEAD YOU ASTRAY! (And yes, it…read morehas to be in all caps... or is it "no cap"? Please don't come for my Millennial self ) The building is tucked behind the entrance of Hong Kong BBQ on Redwood Road, near where Southern Comfort is on Castro Valley Blvd. From the outside, it looks pretty run-down and sketchy. There's also no elevator, so you'll need to carry your little one up a flight of stairs. Keep this in mind if you're planning a party, especially if anyone in your group has ADA concerns. Entrance is $16 per child for a maximum of 2 hours, and honestly, two hours is more than enough. The space itself is small but perfect for little kids. It feels like they're exploring their own tiny town with all the pretend-play stations: an ice cream truck, spaceship, chef's kitchen, grocery store, laundromat, pet store/groomer, and pizza parlor. They do have a small reading area, but there are little to no books. The play area is padded, which is great for crawling children. I wasn't totally sure how often things are sanitized. There's a basket for toys that need extra cleaning, which made me wonder how frequently everything is actually wiped down if we're asked to set items aside ourselves. Party space is limited to the entrance/hardwood area. I was told the max is 20 adults and about 15 children, but I honestly can't imagine everyone fitting comfortably in that small space. Overall, it's a great spot for my kid to run around and get her wiggles out. She really enjoyed it and that's what matters most.

This is a nice and simple play space for toddlers. It's contained and provides different options…read morefor play - pretend play with ice cream truck, kitchen, grill, rocket ship, diner, workshop to train and road play, and then various soft play space. As the first group on site, the space was clean and tidy. Not sure how busy this place could get but throughout our time here, there was a total of 5 kids which provided plenty of space to play.

We had the most incredible pony party for my daughter, thanks to Debbie! She brought her sweet…read morehorse, Cherokee and he made even the most nervous little riders feel so comfortable. Everything felt super safe, too. Debbie was so kind, caring and put everyone at ease. She was super easy to communicate with, arrived on time and made the whole process a breeze. I cannot recommend her enough.

We had Debbie and the adorable animals for our son's 3rd birthday party and it was the absolute…read morebest experience! From kids to adults, all the guests loved it. Debbie is highly professional, she arrived early and setup everything beautifully and cleaned up after thoroughly. The animals are very well-behaved and gentle. I HIGHLY recommend Debbie and Little Reds Barnyard Friends!

The golf courses are beautifully maintained, and have the perfect amount of challenge for the…read moreaverage mini-golfer. My family and I visited on Sunday morning, and the cashiers were pleasant and seemed to actually enjoy their job. Arcade was clean, and games were all operational. I highly recommend bringing your family or friends here. We will be back soon!

Roll up your sleeves, loosen your hips, steady your stance and get ready for some putt-putt at…read moreGolden Tee Golfland! Castro Valley hosts this mini golf spot that's an affiliate of the Golfland family and features its two 18-hole ranges perfect for beginners and experts alike. After a few rounds on the green, consider venturing into their arcades to play some good old fashioned video games (Time Crisis and other dual player shooters, Mario Kart and other racing games, and fighting games) and skill games (like skee ball, table air hockey, and claw machines). Be wary, however, for those who have game cards from other Golflands, they're location specific so they won't work here unless you have one from this spot. Starting from the giant parking lot which is just off of a busy street, you'll make your way through the gates and stroll up the long walkway to the front desk where you'll register to get your clubs and balls (you'll get your choice from among a few colors). From there, you'll have your pick of the two courses, one for novices and one for the more adventurous. Make your way through the obstacles and mark your scorecard to determine the winner of bragging rights! We came for a birthday party and logistically, they have the main room amongst the beginner course which is well lit from all the open windows but I believe they have another space near the arcade for those looking for a more enclosed, private gathering. Once the guests arrived, they hosted an orientation and got the members all equipped and ready to go. The youngsters had a lot of fun and can't wait to return! The staff were all very friendly and helpful. You'll interact with them more at the arcades especially if you'll be redeeming prizes with your hard-earned digital tickets. The ticket values on the top tier prizes were pretty large but for frequent visitors or lucky winners, you can get some pretty neat stuff here. The mini prizes definitely reminded me of my times at the arcades when I was a kid, very nostalgic! Overall, Golden Tee Golfland is a well-maintained, family friendly environment conducive to an awesome time outdoors as well as an exhilarating experience soaking up the old school arcade vibe. We accumulated a ton of steps during our visit here and the kids could not stop hitting the greens to get their fluorescently colored balls into the holes. The obstacles are fun - there are water effects and moving doors and bridges. While most of them functioned as expected, there were a few hiccups with some like balls getting stuck or certain doors just not functioning as expected. For wetter seasons, the holes for the balls do end up pooling which makes picking the balls out a bit of an unpleasant endeavor. For being exposed to the outdoors, the place was in pretty good shape, however. It's a bummer that the Golflands don't have a unified system for the game cards as it just incentivizes families to just pick one and stick with it instead of venturing out and exploring the other amazing locations like this one. If you're a local, this is a great place to take a date or the family - it'll tee you up for a good time!

Before I started this review, my son said "How many stars should we give art camp?" and when I…read moreasked how many he wanted to give, he emphatically said "5 Stars!" LOL the child has spoken! 5 stars it is! There are so many camps to chose from in the East Bay but what we have been loving about Aran's Art Camp is the intimate group size: there's no more than 10 kids per art camp and we've lucked out with an even smaller group during our time here. The camp is taught by a mix of Aran herself and her staff and they've been nothing but wonderful. My kiddo comes home from art camp every day bursting at the seams about everything he's worked on and learned (giving me safety tips about glass fusing and teaching me what a pinch pot is!) and he looks forward to going back each day. Each week is a different theme so if you wanted to sign up for multiple sessions, your child will definitely be working on something different each time. While the hours are 10-2, they offer before and after care for an additional fee which basically turns this into an all day camp if you were to maximize on the 9-3 aspect of it. There's a lot of half day camps out there so if you use their before and after camp, you get a good chunk of the day covered! Lastly, they go to the park every day after lunch to let them move around and get some sunshine and Fridays is pizza day! My kid said he would love to come back to art camp again next summer.

Such a cute art studio with a variety of artsy activities! They have a variety of colors of paint…read morealong with a lot of different things to paint. It's pretty quiet in here compared to other places which I love! Parking is super easy since it's in a plaza, the people that work at this studio are super friendly and nice, and they offer so many other activities - I saw a kids painting night happening before, they have glass fusing, etc. They also have an area in the back where it looks like they do most of the classes so the pottery painting is almost always available!!

Birthday party. Excellent experience. Toddlers and TK. Will go again. Good to have in the community.read more

Space to Grow Therapy now has an on-site facility, filled with lots of fun for your kids providing…read morecolorful sensory gyms and playrooms! There are slides, swings, rock climbing walls, and plenty of toys to keep your kids busy. The site has plenty of parking out front. In addition to free play, they offer occupational and speech therapy services, on-site and in home. The therapists have extensive experience, and are passionate in what they do and ensuring they are providing a quality experience. I would highly recommend this business if your child needs any services, or a fun place to play!

Okay, I'll be honest--I have lived in Hayward and driven past this place so many times, but I never…read moreeven noticed Sector 19. I'm so happy my kid's team chose to celebrate here after our championship-winning game! This location is so clean and has so many fun things for the kids to do. As soon as we got there, the gentleman at the register was ON IT. He was helping everyone and making sure the entire team was well taken care of. The league covered the kids' meals, while the parents purchased their own food and drinks. It did take a while to get our food, but it was completely understandable. About 15 families walked in all at once, and they still had regular customers there enjoying the World Cup game on their many TVs. They have an arcade and laser tag. The arcade prices weren't bad at all. The kids each got a $25 game card and had enough credits to play for about an hour. Once we got our pizza, it was definitely worth the wait! Even though it was a personal-sized pizza, my husband and I were both able to eat from it, and it was enough to satisfy us. To be fair, we had also sampled some of the other parents' food while we waited, but I still thought it was a pretty good portion. Overall, I would love to come back whenever we're in the area or after one of our games. A special thank you to the gentleman at the register. He was truly a team player. Not only was he helping customers at the front, but he was also bringing out pizzas, checking to make sure everyone was doing well, and just had awesome energy the entire time.

Great addition to downtown Hayward. Perfect for kids - it a smaller version of chuck e cheese…read more I love this place and want it to succeed. Hayward is an underdog city - and this is such a unique space. If I was the mayor of Hayward I would shine a light on this place as I think its an important piece of the city. I live just 2 blocks away and have never gotten any note on my front door or advertisement or coupon. I think that is a shame. If I was head of marketing for this business I would place a flyer under every door mat in a 5 or 10 block radius. This is a missed opportunity for core customers. There are new high rise buildings also popping up - a huge senior building - why not a special flyer offering seniors discounts if they show up for an early bird dinner? Often times you can also tell if kids live in any given home in the neighborhood. There are kiddie pools, tiny shoes left out front, bikes thrown around in the front yard - these homes should be targeted even more aggressively with fliers and some sort of incentive to come in. Another huge problem with this place is the lack of emphasis on ease of 'searchability' of the place. I had lived so close since 2016 and had not known about the place until maybe 2020 during the pandemic. How is that possible? It's all about not knowing this is an arcade. Sector 19 doesn't mean anything to me. It should be called 'Sector 19 Arcade' so that people can find it with a Google or Waze search. The arcade is clean and bright and fun for little kids. Its a safe place too - where parents can hang outside more in the restaurant part and not worry they wandered off - there is only one way out. The arcade needs to be front and center - this is why people come. Pizza House or Susie Qs have no competition in this arena.... so lean in on this. I will say that a Susie Qs has an edge with food quality - so again, more reason to make the family friendly atmosphere the center of attention.

Definitely an amazing family day at the Oakland Zoo! My family had such a great time! There's so…read moremuch to see and do, and the gondolas were SOOOO cool!!! We got to ride up and back down for part of the zoo. Honestly, that was one of the highlights for us--the views were beautiful and it made getting around the zoo feel like part of the experience. Our absolute favorite was the mountain lions. One of them was literally stalking my son like he was on the menu, and we were dying laughing (while also telling him to maybe back up a little!) Definitely one of those zoo moments we'll remember forever. The animals seemed well cared for, and there were plenty of areas to stop, explore, and take breaks. It's a great place to spend the day with the family, especially if you have kids who love animals. We also grabbed some food while we were there and thought it was pretty good! Definitely on the pricier side, but that's expected at a zoo. Overall, though, we felt like we had a really fun experience and would absolutely come back. I even am considering buying a yearly pass.

Spacious and nice outside, however sooooo many animal habitats are "closed"…read more The gondola has a huge line and you'll need to wait a long time. The bathroom stalls feel like they have zero privacy. Hugeeee gaps let people walk by and see you, and they're so short that if you stand up in the stall you're seen from the chest up. One of them had no space to sit for my legs and I'm petite too. It's very odd and uncomfortable and embarassing to use the bathrooms here.

Just a heads up--Yelp's location information for this park is not accurate. If you're driving up to…read morethis park, it's located past the clubhouse and fire station, across from the baseball field. There are 3 main components to this park: the playground, the field, and the walkway that surrounds the perimeter of the park. The playground: there are 2 play structures sitting on tanbark (with slides, monkey bars, climbing structures, etc.) which is great for kids, and there's also a swing set with 2 swings. There's even a swing set for babies! There's also a ton of picnic benches, and bathrooms. This makes the playground a great place for kids' birthday parties, which I see happening all the time. The field: there's a ton of grass. Sometimes you'll see kids' soccer teams practicing on this field. The trail: it's pretty great because it wraps around the park, and it's under some really tall eucalyptus trees (lots of shade). One downside is that the asphalt is cracking *very* badly, thanks to the tree roots. Be careful where you step! All in all, it's a great local park if you're in the area.

Play ground. Picnic tables. Ball field. No smoking…read more Clean and green. Safe neighborhood if not a bit isolating up in the hills. No views whatsoever even though you are way up the hill. Fenced good for keeing kids and dogs from wandering off. Hot in the summer. The hayward hills are like that. Also they have a bunch of old non native type trees that fall down in heavy rain. Wet soil loosens the roots and they are known to kill people. More younger shade trees. Much needed. Hot, bad choice of non native trees. No view. 3 out of 5 tail wags.

What a cool glowy wonderland!…read more Went for the first time with my hubs and 2 year old for the 5:30p slot and we had a great time. Each winter season the Oakland Zoo transforms into a colorful vibrant experience and my toddler was enthralled with all of the lit up animals and flowers. Tips -Get tickets as early as you can - they sell out fast. Tickets become available 1 month prior to arrival date. - Arrive early for your time slot, parking lots fill up. -Dress warmly, it got cold especially after taking the gondola on the higher level. I put a puff coat and thick blanket on my baby. -Peruse the ground level first, then go to gondola. Line wasn't so bad at 7p. -Food was pretty good and they have a nice selection and variety in the top level. Tickets are pretty pricy but hey it's an annual thing and they do such a great job with all the displays. The future Oakland display was awesome! Highly recommend for everyone, especially if you have kids. Also saw groups of friends and date nights.

Glow Up This will be…read morethe sixth year for this now annual lantern and light show event here at the Oakland Zoo. It's held daily btwn the months of Nov - Jan, so plenty of time to get down here. As with other years, the lights and lanterns skew towards the animal kingdom and conservation. The Good: *They change it up every year. Carissa had come the previous year with her "family," and she assumed it would be the same thing but she was pleasantly surprised how different it was. *The ride up up the gondola at night is truly epic. And if you happen to get there for the sunset then it's even more so! *One of this year's features is called "The Future of Oakland, " and it's spectacular. You should definitely come just for this. *Even my grumpy, sulky teenager liked this place, so that's gotta count for something, n'est-ce pas? *Food stands (and their outrageous prices) are still operational even at night. *10% discount for members The Meh: *Tickets must be purchased ahead of time and with slotted time slots (you can get there AFTER your time, but not before) and they only go on sale 28 days ahead of time. *Ticket prices fluctuate by certain dates/days ($36-45/adult GA) *Probably won't see any actual animals, but we did see some napping tortoises, flamingos, and the shadow outline of a buffalo. *It's 100% outside, so dress accordingly. The Ugly: *Better put on your patience pants with some of these GD baybay kids and their gentle parenting nimrods following closely behind. Just breathe, ignore them, and watch where you're walking. *These parents with these giant-ass semi-truck sized strollers in very packed areas. Seriously, Meredith? You really need that Airstream to schlep around Chad and Rex? *Getting into the park was kind of a shit-show of SUV drivers trying to demonstrate the enormity of their male genetalia. Must be might impressive from what I gathered. *Tariffs** cost the event $100k more than anticipated, but you know that's OK because they'll just pass the savings onto you. But, don't worry, you start making that money back any day now--I promise! Conclusion: This place would be great if it wasn't for all the fucking people. https://www-ktvu-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.ktvu.com/news/tariffs-making-oakland-zoos-glowfari-tickets-more-expensive-year.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17640286431571&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ktvu.com%2Fnews%2Ftariffs-making-oakland-zoos-glowfari-tickets-more-expensive-year