SunFlower Galería

Favorite Places

Fun Things To Do!   Page 2

Gold Rush Country - Columbia

Columbia, California is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Tuolumne County. Columbia is about two hours northeast of Fresno, off Highway 49, and three miles north of Sonora.

Columbia is a former Gold Rush boomtown that's now a living history museum and popular tourist destination. Prospectors discovered gold in 1850, and Columbia quickly became a bustling, diverse community. It was known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines" and was one of the largest cities in California by 1853.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada. It’s known for its beaches and ski resorts. On the southwest shore, Emerald Bay State Park contains the 1929 Nordic-style mansion Vikingsholm. Along the lake’s northeast side, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park includes Sand Harbor Beach and Spooner Lake, a gateway to the long-distance Tahoe Rim Trail.

Frontier Village

Located at 4885 Monterey Road and Branham Land in San Jose California. A Western-themed park for all ages. In October 1961, Frontier Village opened to the public — charging visitors only 25-90 cents for admission. Once inside, you’d find yourself in the middle of staged gunfights between marshals & outlaws or watching Can-Can dancers from the park’s Silver Dollar Saloon waltzing around.

If you were lucky, you might have had a celebrity encounter — stars like Bing Crosby, Lorne Greene, Nat King Cole, and former vice-presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey walked through the saloon doors.

Many visitors who saw the park in its heyday claim that its success was built off of the attention to detail and accessibility — parking was always free, ticket packages were offered for every budget, and Kodak even provided free loaner cameras for park-goers who forgot them.

The park closed in 1980 due to the emerging Great America, and the city of San Jose’s unwillingness to fund the property’s expansion.

Santa's Village

Once upon a time, children in the San Francisco Bay Area could visit the North Pole. The North Pole was of course located in Santa's Village. Santa's Village was nestled in the RedWoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains located in Scotts Valley.

The grand opening was May 30, 1957 and Santa's Village stayed open until 1979. It was open three hundred and sixty-four days of the year — closed, ironically, only on Christmas.

The main rides were a bobsled, a spinning Christmas tree and Santa's Express train. There was also a petting zoo, real reindeer, a huge Jack-in-the-Box and equally large Santa's boot, and an Alice in Wonderland hall of mirrors. There was also a frozen candy cane striped North Pole.

All the workers dressed like elves while a host of random characters wandered the Village, including Alice in Wonderland, the Easter Bunny, Little Bo Peep and the Good Witch, Jack Pumpkinhead and Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. Santa Claus of course lived here, exuberant and full of cheer, overseeing his workshop of bustling elves.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.

The boardwalk extends along the coast of the Monterey Bay, from just east of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. At the western edge of the park lies a large building originally known as The Plunge, now Neptune's Kingdom, a pirate-themed recreation center which contains a video arcade and an indoor miniature golf course. Next to this is the Casino Fun Center which includes a laser tag arena and next to that is the Cocoanut Grove banquet room and conference center. A Laffing Sal automated character, from San Francisco's Playland, is viewable near the miniature golf course.

There are old-fashioned carnival games and snack booths throughout the 24-acre (9.7-hectare) park. It is located at 400 Beach Street in Santa Cruz, 36°57′51″N 122°01′04″W south of the Ocean Street exit of California State Route 1, which is the southern terminus of California State Route 17.

Pacific Ocean Park

Pacific Ocean Park was a 28-acre (11-hectare) nautical-themed amusement park built on a pier at Pier Avenue in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica, California in 1958. Intended to compete with Disneyland, it replaced Ocean Park Pier (1926–1956). After it closed and fell into disrepair, the park and pier anchored the Dogtown area of Santa Monica.

Pacific Ocean Park was a joint venture between CBS and Santa Anita Park.[4] It opened on Saturday, July 28, 1958, with an attendance of 20,000. The next day, it drew 37,262, outperforming Disneyland's attendance that day.[5] Admission was 90 cents for adults, which included access to the park and certain exhibits. It was locally known by the acronym POP ("pee-oh-pee"). It was also marketed as "Pay One Price", though other rides and attractions were on a pay-per-use basis.

Like Disneyland, it found corporate sponsors to share the expense of some exhibits.[6] Six of the pier's original attractions were incorporated into the new park, including the Sea Serpent roller coaster, the antique Looff carousel, the Toonerville Fun House, the Glass House and the twin diving bells.

Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm is Southern California's original theme park; home to world-class rides, shows, attractions and Snoopy! 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park.

No matter the time of year you're visiting, there is always something unique and exciting happening at Knott's Berry Farm.

Disneyland   Opened on July 17, 1955

The Disneyland Resort in California is the Happiest Place on Earth. Enjoy 2 incredible theme parks, meet favorite characters and ride thrilling attractions.

Explore Disneyland Park, a world where fantastical dreams come true.