As the temperatures soars this week most families will be hitting
the pools, but I thought I would share some suggestions on cool parks in Marin
to take the kids to, where they can play in the shade without fear of burning.
Miwok Park, 2200 Novato Blvd, Novato
Miwok Park in Novato is surrounded by huge trees so it feels like
a little cool haven where the kids can cool down while playing on the climbing
structures and in the sand box.
There are plenty of great trees to climb and lots
of picnic tables making it an ideal place for a large play group or birthday
party. If you feel like an adventure, walk down to the Creek and go for a walk
in the water and hunt for fish, rocks and other treasures.
Marinwood Park, 775 Miller
Creek Road, San Rafael
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| Creek walking - The Marin Scoop |
Marinwood Park is an ideal place for a cool play date. There is
a great playground with a sand box shaded from the hot sun by large trees,
and surrounded by an open grass area, picnic tables and a BBQ
area (available for group bookings).
For fire truck fans there is the Marinwood Fire Station next
door (also available to hire for birthday parties).Their friendly
staff usually comes out to greet the little ones and offer them a sticker, even
a chance to sit in the driver’s seat and pretend to ride the fire engine!
The Marinwood Community Center has a preschool with a
great reputation that offers kid’s classes and workshops all year round like
children's music classes and toddler mini sports. Check out details about these
and their regular family-friendly Music
in the Park on their website on http://www.marinwood.org/.
The swimming pool also has a small warm tot's pool
that has a gated grass area with loungers and large parasols, perfect
for a little group get together!
Also running behind the park is Miller Creek which
is a wonderful stream that is great for little ones to take a walk in the Creek’s
running water searching for rocks and fish in their crocs or rain boots hand in
hand with Mom or Dad!
Terra Linda, San Rafael
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| Weezy's Grass fed Shed - The Marin Scoop |
The Terra
Linda Community Center not only has a great
outdoor Tots Pool, but it is next to the hidden Terra Linda Park. The
park has an open grass area to run around in and a large shady
tree to enjoy picnics under.
You can find the Terra Linda Fire Station next
door, where the kids love to see the shiny Fire Engines sat outside.
There is also a perfect view of the fire station from a great
local mom owned business across the street called 'Weezy's Grass Fed Shed', 621 Del
Ganado. It is a great place for a lunch where
you can try their mini organic sliders and sweet potato fries (cooked in
rice bran oil).
For a sweet treat, head to 'Three Twin Ice Cream', ice-cream parlor at 641 Del Ganado for an organic
scoop of Madagascar Vanilla, Strawberry Fields, or my favorite flavor,
Bittersweet Chocolate!
Freitas Park, Montecillo Road,
San Rafael
A fun alternative is to take the kids to Freitas Park, Montecillo Road (next to the Kaiser Hospital in San
Rafael) which has a water sprinkle structure. The
structure looks like a giant red coil that is controlled by a hand
print sensor that varies the strength of the water. Toddlers enjoy running
through the sprays of water showering them from every direction.
Once dried off and in need of lunch or a snack, the Northgate
Mall is a just few minutes’ drive away. 'Panera Bread' is
a great place for a delicious variety of sandwiches, soups and salads with
patio seating. 'Berry Twist' opposite Panera Bread and
offers a variety of frozen yogurt such as pomegranate & green tea with
lots of fun toppings, in a cool modern parlor, that also has outdoor
seating.
Millennium Playground at San
Anselmo Memorial Park
San
Francisco Blvd (off Sir Francis Drake Blvd), San Anselmo
If
you are looking for a park that the children can spend hours having adventures
while discovering new areas and hidden corners of the playground then check out
the Millennium Playground in San Anselmo Memorial Park.
The
playground was built by a team of volunteers in May 2000 and was designed by
the local children to reflect various San Anselmo themes. It has a variety of
complex designed castle fortresses that represent the Seminary
Tower and Town Hall Tower which are a lot of fun to get lost in. There is also
a train depot with a wonderful wooden train, a giant
dinosaur, sand box, swings and various slides that pop out of the wooden
structures.
San
Anselmo Memorial Park also has grassy areas, a picnic area, several sports
fields, tennis courts and clean bathroom facilities.
Are you a fan of these
parks or have any other suggestions on cool places for the kids to play in
Marin, share your feedback by leaving a comment!
