Schools out for the summer! Are you ready to have your kids home all day? Luckily, if you live in the Sacramento area or surrounding suburbs, such as Folsom, El Dorado Hills, and Granite Bay, you have a ton of entertainment options at your fingertips.
Plus, thanks to slower growth in this area than our neighbors in the Bay Area, you'll also enjoy less impacted places, too.
So, if you've been looking for a great list written by locals who live, work, and play here, you found it!
Let's take a look at some must-do summer activities for kids in the Sacramento area.
1. Visit Folsom Lake:
Take advantage of living in or near a waterfront community and rent some boats for the day! Or, relax on a beach and let the kids play in the water and sand while you relax.
Whether you're a Folsom resident and your home has beautiful lake views or you're visiting from Sacramento, you'll love spending weekends paddle boarding, lounging on the sand, or renting a kayak for some family fun.
Hey, you can even bring your furry friend. They love the water, too.
If you're never been to Folsom Lake and want to explore, consider renting a boat or kayak and parking at Willow Creek. Find more places to go near the lake at visitfolsom.com.
2. Play in Fairytale Town:
Watch your kids' faces light up when they see their favorite fairytales brought to life in Sacramento's Fairytale Town! Their imaginations will run free in the 3.5 acre park with over 25 bright and colorful sets and play areas designed just for kids.
To learn more about attractions, parties, educational programs and more so you can plan your visit, head to the website here.
If you're visiting from out of the area and nervous about parking in Sacramento, good news: there is usually plenty of parking right near the park, too!
3. Explore Quarry Park:
Need to get some of your kids energy out? Don't miss this awesome adventure park just a short drive from Granite Bay. You can zip, soar, climb, and explore (with a reservation, of course!), while getting some much needed Vitamin D and exercise.
Join in the fun with the kids or just chaperone while they have a blast. Either way, it's sure to be a hit for all.
To check out their full list of activities and prices before you go, look here on their website, so you can book your adventure.
4. Take a Trip to Black Chasm Cavern:
This one is the furthest out, so plan for the drive, but it might be exactly what everyone needs once summer boredom kicks in. Just a short one-hour drive from Granite Bay is this incredible destination. Black Chasm Cavern has natural crystal formations and large chambers that were found during the gold rush and then abandoned. Declared a National Natural Landmark in 1976, it's a spectacular piece of America's natural history.
Visit the gift shop before you go, too, to see more gemstones and enjoy some fun activities, too.
5. Bounce The Day Away:
If you really need to tire out the kids, while having a blast, visit Rockin' Jump Trampoline Park in Roseville! With huge wall-to-wall trampolines, rock climbing walls, and even laser tag, there's plenty of fun for everyone.
You can make a reservation online or just drop in - but if you plan in advance, you can sneak a peek at how busy the session is going to be. This helps if you have kids who might be a little less enthusiastic if the place is packed.
Either way, the first time you go, you'll need to get their special sticky socks for safe jumping and then you can save them for future trips. Go here to learn more about ticket prices and open jump times.
For similar places in Sacramento, don't miss Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park, Rebounerz Indoor Trampoline Park, and Defy Sacramento.
6. Head to Golfland Sunsplash:
Part water slide park, part mini-golf, part huge arcade, this place has it all! There is plenty to do to entertain everyone here all day. In fact, you might need to break it up into multiple visits to enjoy everything.
The arcade is really well designed for younger kids, too, with tons of game options that are age appropriate and easy to play. Plus, two different mini golf course options will keep everyone busy.
If you haven't seen this place, it's a sight to behold and simply driving by will result in all the kids in your car yelling, "Can we go there?!"
Set aside a day where you can be the parent that says, "Yes, we can!" Go here to learn more.
7. Go Skating at Skatetown Ice Arena :
Escape the heat by going... ice skating! Skatetown has a large ice rink with skate rentals and a snack shack. Check their website for available skate sessions before you go.
This will be great practice for when the holiday ice arenas open up, such as District Ice in El Dorado Hills and the ice rink in downtown Folsom. If you want to stay closer to Sacramento, visit Iceland Ice Skating Rink when it's open.
8. Visit a Splash Pad:
Free fun anyone? Why not visit one of the many splash pad parks in the area that are completely free! Show up early if you want to grab a spot close to the action and set up an area for kids to rest and hydrate. Don't forget the sunscreen and towels, because they're going to get wet! If you bring some cool water toys to share, your kids will be the favorites of the day and will make plenty of new friends.
Here are a few of the splash pad parks you don't want to miss:
Crabb Park - Roseville
Promontory Community Park - Folsom
White Rock Splash Park - Rancho Cordova - HUGE!
Stonecreek Park - Sacramento
Sunridge Park - Sacramento
Swanston Park - Sacramento
9. Get Creative at Sacramento Children's Museum:
This tiny, but mighty, children's discovery museum offers all sorts of learning and exploratory experiences, including painting, water play, dress-up, and much more.
During the summer, they have even more special activities, including summer camps, field trips and even guided yoga classes for kids. You can buy tickets for the day or even become members for lots more fun.
To check their hours, as well as see what special events they have on the calendar, go here.
10. Play at a Park:
There is a wealth of parks in the entire area, so why not make a master list of them and start checking them off your list one at a time? Set a goal to visit one new park every week, pack a picnic lunch, put on the sunscreen and go have some fun.
If you combine parks in several areas, you'll easily have plenty of cool parks to visit to last the entire summer without repeating the same park.
Here are some of our favorites to get you started:
Whitney Community Park in Rocklin - HUGE play structure, large grass area and more.
Olympus Park in Roseville/Granite Bay - Cool dinosaur themed play structure and large grassy area.
Lake Forest Park in El Dorado Hills - A great park that not very many people know about, but has a huge play structure, a bocce ball court, a nature trail you can walk, covered picnic tables, and tennis courts.
Folsom Kids Play Park - aka Castle Park, has multiple play areas for different age groups all designed to look like a wooden castle.
El Dorado Hills Community Park - Two separate play areas, both enclosed, one for younger kids with softer padding on the floor and a larger one for older kids. An enclosed skatepark is right next to it, as well as clean bathrooms and a large grassy area where soccer teams play.
Promontory Community Park in Folsom - You'll love this spacious park with a turf soccer field, tennis courts, two separate play areas, easily accessible bathrooms and a large (free) splash pad in the summer!
William McKinley Park in Sacramento - Large, fun play structure with accessible feature, as well as all types of sports fields, large picnic areas, and much more.
McClatchy Park in Sacramento - Great play structures with whimsical features kids love, like a fake melting ice cream cone they can climb on and a fake popcorn bucket spilled over.
11. Pick Strawberries at Granny Mays:
Do you love fresh fruit? Go pick some juicy and delicious strawberries at Granite Bay's own strawberry farm, Granny Mays.
Not only a fun spot for kids, but fun for adults, too, especially since they have more than strawberries, so be prepared to load up on delicious, fresh treats and fruit.
Just make sure to check online to see if you need to buy tickets before you go. During Covid, they were limiting the number of people and the amount of time you can stay. They may still have some restrictions in place.
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Looking for even more fun ideas in Sacramento? Check out this post with 21 ideas. For more ideas of things to do in Sacramento that are not just for kids, don't miss this post.
We love this area, which is why we also specialize in real estate in the Sacramento and surrounding areas. If you're looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate, give us a call at 916.524.9733.
Russell Enyart and the Enyart Real Estate Group are top real estate agents serving serving West Sacramento, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Loomis, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento County, Placer County, and El Dorado County.
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