Ride Tilden's Trains, Enjoy Tilden's Carousel, Then Visit The Little Farm
There is something magical about a visit to Tilden Park, little pockets of wonderful experiences. You’ll always find something fun to do.
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying with my kids once social distancing and shelter in place isn’t the norm any longer.
By Wesman83 at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41021812
Social Isolation — Day 14
I ended up going to three supermarkets this morning. Safeway was still out of paper products, but most everything else seemed to be fine. I just missed the last of the paper towels at Trader Joe’s, but ended up stocking up on a bunch of fresh veggies and some assorted other things. I brought in a handbasket, but quickly filled it up, and while waiting in line, left to grab several other things. I must have been quite a sight at the register. Whole Foods did have some paper products. I managed to pick up paper towels and some toilet paper along with some travel-sized hand sanitizer. I also got some seeds, as doing some gardening seems like a good idea right now.
Safeway was letting everyone in, but it wasn’t crowded. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods was regulating the number of people in the store, letting in a few people at a time as other people departed. This is sensible.
At Trader Joe’s, we all kept a good 6 feet between everyone while waiting outside. But once we were in, I had a couple of people reaching over me to get stuff without even saying a word — social distance dude.
San Mateo County also closed its parks today. Basically, they are closing the parking lots, but you can still walk in. There are just too many people not social distancing on the trails. The beaches closed a couple of days ago. I wonder if we will soon have to fill out paperwork to go outside.
Destination: Tilden Park
Redwood Valley Railway (Tilden Train)
Tilden Merry Go Round
The Little Farm
Today I imagined a weekend trip to Tilden Park in the East Bay. Every year growing up, we used to head to Lake Anza, the trains, and the carousel for my sister's birthday in August. I have pleasant memories of warm summer days here. Tilden Park is filled with delightful spots to spend some time.
Lake Anza
Regional Park Botanical Garden
Redwood Valley Railway
The Brazilian Room banquet hall
Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round
The Little Farm
Tilden Park Golf Course
Not to mention miles of hiking trails throughout the park. Here are a few of my favorites.
Redwood Valley Railway (Tilden Train)
There are actually several gages of trains that live here. The Redwood Valley Railway is the primary setup, then down the hill are the Golden Gate Live Steamers that run on narrower gages.
Tickets for the Redwood Railway run $3, or you can buy a five ride pack for $12. Closer to the engine are open-air cars, and to the back are caboose style cars with roofs.
Once you finish riding the Redwood railway, head down the hill to see the hobbyist steamer trains. If they are running, you can ride for a donation.
Tilden Merry Go Round
Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10429210
The Merry-go-round arrived in Tilden Park in 1948 after a time running in Southern California. This antique carousel was built in 1911 and features some great animals to ride. Not all the animals go up and down, some are stationary, so pay attention when you sit down.
My favorite time to visit is during the holiday season. The entire place is decorated in lights and they have trees with consignment ornaments you can buy. Visiting on a warm summer day is fun too.
Tilden’s Little Farm
By Harmonywriter — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29716241
Bring some lettuce or celery to feed the animals. Hike around this miniature farm and take some time to enjoy the visitor center nearby.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 27 March 2020