Yesterday morning, Sacramento Sidetracks was lucky enough to be featured on the KCRA Morning News!  I was interviewed by Deirdre Fitzpatrick about my Top 3 Picks for FREE things to do before the Summer comes to an end.  It was such a fun experience!  You can watch the interview by clicking here.

Here are the Top 3 Picks that I mentioned:

1.  Spraygrounds - local parks with great water features.

2.  Hagan Petting Barn - cute barn animals in a “real” barn.

3.  TrailMix.Net - Old Sac Scavenger Hunt and free art project.

[The winner of the Bounce Passes is Sheri J.!  Congratulations!  Thanks to all who entered.  More giveaways to come]

When you are looking for a place to wear your kids out indoors, Bounce Houses are ideal!

Bounce-O-Palace in Folsom has over 6,500 square feet of interactive inflatables perfect for toddlers to preteens…and parents can join in for free!  They now offer unlimited time so you can enjoy the facility until your child is ready to go home.  They also offer Pajama Night Mondays.  From 4:00 - 7:00pm, kids can show up in their pjs and get $1 off admission!  Click here to check out their website.

Bounce-O-Palace has generously offered to donate 2 FREE Bounce Passes to one lucky Sacramento Sidetracks reader!

It’s easy to enter!  Simply do the following:

• Click here to “Like” Sacramento Sidetracks on Facebook OR
• Click here to check out Bounce-O-Palace’s website
• Leave a comment on this post letting me know you did one of the first two things

You have until Sunday, August 8th at midnight to enter.  The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be announced on Monday morning.  Good luck!

Fri, July 30th - Sun, August 1st

1. Bounce, eat and play at a free FAMILY FUN DAY in Lone Tree Park.
2. Learn all about bees at Soil Born Farm’s WHAT’S ALL THE BUZZ ABOUT? class.
3.Watch THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA at the 24th Street Theatre.
4. Start a ROCK COLLECTION at the Discovery Museum.
5. Laugh along with the PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Enjoy Hawaiian music and dance with the OHANA DANCERS at Folsom Library.
7. Magic, storytelling and puppets at Central Library’s MAGIC READING BASH.
8. Learn JAPANESE COOKING at Whole Foods Market’s class for kids.
9. Play games, eat BBQ, get your face painted at free PARK GRAND OPENING.
10.Last weekend to play at the CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR.

I discovered that The Fountains at Roseville have some fun…and FREE ways to entertain your toddlers!  Right in the middle of this beautiful shopping center are a few amenties just for kids.  They can take a train ride, watching the dancing water fountain, get wet in the interactive fountain, and play on the playground.

The Train runs from 11am to 6pm daily, with a break from 2 to 3pm.  Tickets are $2.00 normally but on the last Wednesday of each month, Train Rides are FREE!

Here’s a place that you AND your kids can have fun!

Fri, July 23rd - Sun, July 25th

1. Enjoy an enchanting night of dancing and fireworks at THE STRAUSS FESTIVAL of Elk Grove.
2.Sit under the stars to see ALIENS IN THE ATTIC at Gibson Ranch.
3.Watch THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA at the 24th Street Theatre.
4. Examine a 14 foot CROCODILE skin at the Discovery Museum.
5. Laugh along with the PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Last chance to see MONKEY KING: Bollywood Superstar at Fairytale Town.
7. Play games, dance and win prizes at the Central Library’s BACK TO THE BEACH PARTY.
8. Giggle at THE FROG PRINCE by The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival.
9. Picnic at Carmichael’s CONCERT IN THE PARK.
10.Dig for dinosaur fossils and pet jungle creatures at the CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR.

5th Stop - LONE TREE PARK in Rocklin

Our 5th stop on our Sprayground Tour was Lone Tree Park in Rocklin.  This park has a sprayground equipped for all ages to enjoy and a huge playground.  As you can tell from the photos, this is a popular spot to cool off!  From May 15 through October 1, it’s open 10am to 7pm daily.

The sprayground has pony water guns, a fire hydrant fountain, a tall shower, and best of all a horseshoe tunnel that sprays water in all directions.  The kids got drenched and then had fun climbing, sliding, swinging and hanging on the really cool play structure!  This park is right down the street from the Fountains at Roseville so we headed over there for some frozen yogurt to top off the afternoon!

Extras:
Bathrooms
Drinking Fountain
Picnic areas

Stay tuned for several more stops on our Sprayground Tour!

Click here for a current list of Sacramento Spraygrounds which we are continuing to update.

Lone Tree Park
6101 West Oaks Blvd.
Rocklin, CA

Fri, July 16th - Sun, July 18th

1. Gather around the CAMPFIRE at the Maidu Indian Museum.
2. Bounce and eat pizza at The Bounce Spot’s FAMILY BOUNCE NIGHT.
3. Get your face painted at The California Museum’s TARGET ARTS & WONDER FREE FAMILY EVENT.
4. Enjoy THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA at the 24th Street Theatre.
5. See PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Learn pioneer games at Sutter’s Fort’s MINING THE MINERS.
7. Start a ROCK COLLECTION at The Discovery Science and Space Museum.
8. Giggle at THE FROG PRINCE by The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival.
9. Create a SPLASH AND SPLATTER PAINTING at the Central Library.
10.Dig for dinosaur fossils and touch jungle creatures at the CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR.

[Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway by "Like"ing Sacramento Sidetracks and Raging Waters on Facebook!  We appreciate all the new friends!  THE LUCKY WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS SHANNON H.!  Congratulations!  Please contact me with your email address.]

Enter to Win 4 Free Tickets!

If you are looking for an extra special way to cool off this summer,  Raging Waters at Cal Expo is the way to go!  The water park features more than 25 exhilarating water attractions, breath-taking slides, crystal clear pools and fun-filled activities for children and adults of all ages.  Their thrill slides include favorites such as, Cannonball Falls, Hurricane, Cliffhanger Speed Slides, Breaker Beach Wave Pool and the Shark Attack Waterslide complex.  When you are in the mood to chill out you can float out in the tranquil waters of the Calypso Cooler Lazy River or play in Hooks Lagoon (our favorite spot - pictured here), a 5-story water kingdom with water slides, secret tubes and hundreds of water activities.

Our family loves that going to Raging Waters feels like we are on vacation!  We can spend the entire day there because there is so much to do.  The little ones stick to the Lazy River, the Wave Pool, and Hooks Lagoon for the most part.  Then my husband and I get to have our thrills with our oldest by taking turns going on the crazy slides with her.  It is so much fun!

You might be surprised at what a good deal it is to get your family in because of the fact that they have a BUY A DAY AND GET THE SUMMER FREE promotion!  When you buy a single day ticket, you automatically receive a summer Splash Pass.  General admission is $29.99 and Kids are $20.99.  Remember that parking at Cal Expo is $10.00 but once you have your season pass then that is the only fee you have each time you go back.

Raging Waters has generously offered to give one lucky Sacramento Sidetracks reader a FREE 4-pack of Tickets!

To enter, all you need to is the following 3 things that will take you less than 5 minutes!:

• Click here and “Like” Raging Waters Sacramento on Facebook
• Click here and “Like” Sacramento Sidetracks on Facebook
• Leave a comment on this post letting me know that you did the first two things.  (If you have already “Liked” Sacramento Sidetracks on Facebook in the past just “Like” Raging Waters and let me know.)

The Giveaway will close Sunday, July 18th at midnight and the winner will be announced next Monday, July 19th.  The winner will be selected at random using Random.org.  Good luck!

4th Stop - MORSE PARK in Elk Grove

Our 4th stop on our Sprayground Tour was Morse Park in Elk Grove.  We have been to this park many times since it opened and continue to love it!  Besides the sprayground, there is a large playground for big kids, a smaller playground for the little ones, and a fitness area (that counts as a third playground according to my kids).  To top it off, the playgrounds are shaded.  You can really spend hours in this park!

This sprayground has water features for kids of all ages, from toddlers to 12-year-olds.  There is a palm tree that dumps water from its coconuts, fish water guns, and lots of less-intimidating fountains that are great for toddlers.  It is open 7 days a week, from 10am to sunset.  You cannot go wrong with this Elk Grove favorite!

Extras:
Bathrooms
Shaded benches
Skateboarding park
Dog Park

Stay tuned for several more stops on our Sprayground Tour!

Click here for a current list of Sacramento Spraygrounds which we are continuing to update.

Morse Park
5540 Bellaterra Drive
Elk Grove,CA

*Click on the location for directions

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3rd Stop - BRIDGEWAY LAKES PARK in West Sacramento

Our 3rd stop on our Sprayground tour was Bridgeway Lakes Park in West Sacramento.  This park has such a relaxing ambience since it sits next to a man-made lake in a great neighborhood.  We sat facing the lake for our picnic and I felt like we were on vacation!

The kids loved the water guns, the dumping cones, and the red spraying log they could turn around by themselves.  There are water features for kids of all ages, from toddlers to 12-year-olds.  This sprayground is open from 10am - 8pm through, 7 days a week.  There is also a very unique playground with a climbing structure like I’ve never seen before.  What more could you ask for?  This park is the perfect place to spend hours on a hot summer day!

Extras:
Bathrooms
Picnic Benches
BBQ’s

Stay tuned for several more stops on our Sprayground Tour!

Click here for a current list of Sacramento Spraygrounds which we are continuing to update.

Bridgeway Lakes Park
3650 Southport Pkwy
West Sacramento, CA

*Click on the location for directions

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