Enterprise Park and Kids’ Kingdom

June 19, 2010 By

Kids' Kingdom's Fastasy Fountain area.

4000 Victor Ave
Redding CA

We drive through Redding, CA often, and I’m ever on the hunt for a great park. On our most recent pass down I-5, we found one worthy of being declared a pit stop! Kids’ Kingdom is a section of the larger Enterprise Park that spans several city blocks. Whereas the park at large seems to cater to the sports and leisure crowd (lots of soccer fields and picnic areas), Kids’ Kingdom is tucked away under shade trees and could be easily overlooked.

At this smaller section of the park, you’ll find a fun splash/water feature (Fantasy Fountain) with a concrete rocky mountain, sprinkler archways, and a padded floor surface, an expansive wooden fort play structure, and lots of mature trees to climb. We arrived just after the water feature had been turned off for the night, but the kids still had fun climbing the ‘mountain’ and playing in the fort. Combined with a picnic dinner brought from the nearby Subway restaurant, Kids Kingdom made for a great pit stop!

Note: Enterprise Park is not in what appears to be the best part of town. We felt quite safe during daylight hours, but use your own judgment when visiting.

Wooden fortress at Kids Kingdom.

Distance off the interstate: Five minutes.

Hours: Sunrise until sunset. The water feature is on daily, but only until 6 pm on weekends in summer (in other words, not late enough!)

Bathrooms: Standard park bathrooms are located on the far side of the water feature. Warning: the day we visited, the bathrooms were in terrible condition. (This was in the later evening, after a full day’s use, but was still not acceptable.) Hopefully it was the exception, not the rule.

Calvin at the top of the Fantasy Fountain mountain.

Directions: From I-5, take the Cypress exit. Head east on Cypress for one mile, then 1.5 miles south on Victor. Park is on the right. Take the main entrance, then follow the Kids’ Kingdom sign past the open grassy spaces down a short hill. Parking on the right.

I apologize for the poor quality photos; I took them right at sunset, and the lighting was not conducive to photo taking!


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Things To Do
Redding

McArthur Burney Falls State Park

August 3, 2009 By
The inviting pool at the base of the falls.

The inviting pool at the base of the falls.

24898 Hwy 89
Burney, CA

McArthur Burney Falls State Park is one of the nicest state parks I’ve run across in a long time. In northern California’s volcanic country near Lassen National Park, it sits directly on Highway 89 near Burney. After you enter the park, you’ll find a large, shaded picnic area to your right, with parking to the left. Follow the signs to the Burney Falls overlook for an amazing view. 129-feet high, Burney Falls is stunning (and dumps 100 million gallons of water a day!). The 0.3 mile walk to the base of the falls is well worth it; at the bottom, enjoy the soft spray or dip your toes in the freezing water. The basin is a beautiful blue. There’s a loop trail to try if time is permitting (1.3 miles), or just retrace your steps back to the top (0.6 round trip). We picnicked at a nearby table, but wished we’d had enough time for a swim in nearby Lake Britton.

Date last visited: July 2009

Distance off the interstate: Located directly on Highway 89, or six miles north of Highway 299.

Admission Prices: $6 per car for day use.

Bathrooms: Located across the street from the day use parking. They looked brand new.

Food Services: A nice general store with all the necessities, plus soft serve ice cream!

Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=455

Directions: Take Highway 89 near Burney. (From Redding, go north on Hwy 299 past Burney and follow signs.)

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Jelly Belly Factory Tour

April 11, 2009 By
Fairfield factory main floor, photo courtesy of www.jellybelly.com

Fairfield factory main floor, photo courtesy of www.jellybelly.com

1 Jelly Belly Lane
Fairfield, CA

What I seem to remember most about Jelly Belly’s California factory is the absolutely horrendous tantrum my then-three-year-old (now seven-year-old) decided to throw somewhere between the sorting floor and the tasting room. And yet, despite the fact that mortal embarrassment is my first connotation with this attraction, it still makes my list of reviews. It’s that great.

And it’s free! Tours of the factory go from 9 am to 4 pm every day (every 15 minutes) and are 45 minutes long (about 10 minutes TOO long for my three-year-old…but maybe not yours). Guides take you past viewing areas of all aspects of the factory (beware primary color overload!). You end up in a gift shop (surprise!) but do get free samples.

Tip: look for the section with the ‘Belly Flops’ (misshapen but perfectly edible discount beans).

Try to avoid on holidays. It will be crowded, causing wait times for the tours, and some of the machinery won’t be running.

…read more»

Fairytale Town

April 6, 2009 By

fairytale_town_entry
3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento CA

I’d like to start this, my first review on this site, with a short story. In the summer of 2008, my mom and I found ourselves six hours into a 10 hour drive with my three kids when we became desperate for somewhere fun to stop. The eight-year-old was squirmy, the six-year-old was getting carsick, and the three-year-old was…being a three-year-old. It was about 2 pm, but despite the 95 degree heat as we rolled through Sacramento, CA, we were ready and willing to break free of the confines of the air-conditioned car for a break. Any break.

I remembered that I’d once heard from a friend of a friend that somewhere in the vicinity was a park to die for: splash pool, huge climbing structure, the works. The problem was, we didn’t know what it was called, so our map and navigation system could only tell us so much. We could see that there were three parks within a ten-mile radius, but without knowing anything about the area, we could only guess which one might be the one we were looking for, or failing that, at least shaded and in a safe neighborhood. We ended up wasting precious time and energy traversing suburbs seeking out a place to stop…and by the time we gave up, the kids were about ready to revolt.*

We ended up at a tried and true favorite for more than one generation of our family: Fairytale Town. …read more»