[Links updated for 2014]
This morning on my Fox40 News Segment at 9:40am, I’ll be sharing 4 FREE Activities to Celebrate Memorial Day and Kick off Summer with the Family!
1. FREEDOM PARK – Perfect place to have a Memorial Day Picnic! This park has most amazing space shuttle playground structure! Saturday and Sunday the Aerospace Museum will be open for a visit before or after your picnic.
When: Open dawn – dusk daily
Where: 3200 Freedom Park Drive, Mc Clellan; next to Aerospace Museum of California
Cost: FREE
Info: Click here
2. SPRAYGROUNDS – Cool off at one of the many free water features opening memorial day weekend! These are “hidden treasures” in my book. Some city parks have spraygrounds/splash pads with fountains or really cool themed water features for the kids to play in. It is the best FREE way to cool off around!
When: open daily at varying times
Where: Greater Sacramento area from Elk Grove to El Dorado Hills
Cost: FREE
Info: Click here
3. CALIFORNIA MILITARY MUSEUM – A fantastic way to teach kids what Memorial Day is all about! This will be a great outing after explaining to your kids what Memorial Day means. The humble Museum has event exhibits in chronological order from the Civil War, through the World Wars, and on. This museum gives a great basic history of the Wars this country has fought in and the Veterans who have fought in them. Old weapons like muskets are interesting for kids to look at and the highlight for the day is the “Wall of Honor” that includes soldiers born in California that have passed since September 11th. (The Sacramento Music Festival will be going on in Old Sac during this time also, which is fun.)
When: Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
Where: 1119 Second Street, Sacramento; in Old Sacramento
Cost: typically general admission; FREE for all ages on Memorial Day!
Info: Click here or call (916) 854-1900
4. MEMORIAL DAY PARADE – A fun way for the whole family to celebrate the holiday and honor our country’s heroes! Kids love parades and it is fun for them to get into the spirit by wearing red, white, and blue and waving little flags! This year’s theme is “Saluting Women of the Armed Forces”. There will be floats, animals, participants passing out candy and souvenirs.
When: Monday, May 28; 10:00am
Where:Watt Avenue in North Highlands
Cost: FREE
Info: Click here
Written by Keilah Woodard
My love for exploring and creating experiences with my three kids led to the founding of SacramentoSidetracks.com in 2009. I realized that Sacramento has so much to offer and I was excited to share my findings with other parents. Besides simply having fun, these are the other positive side effects of taking my kids on outings that I’ve discovered: we have quality time together away from the distractions at home, we cultivate our curiosity, learn new things, conversations are triggered by what we see and do, we connect and bond as a family, and we create new memories. Ready to get sidetracked, too? Let me be your guide!
