Thanks a million to reader (and blogger) Eunice Choi for this guest post. If you’d like to share a week’s worth of activities in your 510 neighborhood, please send your submission to us at info@510families.com.
Fremont, the southern tip of the 510, has always been a city of diversity. It was formed in 1956 as the consolidation of five smaller communities, and is now part of the Tri-City area of Fremont, Union City and Newark (The F.U.N. Moms Club, the largest moms’ group in the area, comprises members from those cities). Because the drive from the northern to the southern border of Fremont can take 25 minutes, a week of outings in Fremont may take more than a tank of gas!
Monday
Central Park @ 40000 Paseo Padre Parkway
Lake Elizabeth is a huge lake in the middle of Fremont’s Central Park that is flanked by four different playgrounds. All are fun and have their own selling points. Three are within a few feet of the lake but our favorite is the one on the northern border of Central Park: Always Dream Play Park. Kristy Yamaguchi, a Fremont native, opened the park early in 2010. The play area is designed for children of all abilities and allows for physical as well as mental development through a diversity of play experiences. My boys LOVE the rope structure merry-go-round and the [clean] sand box. It is really crowded on the weekends so we usually go during the week when the older kids are in school.
The boys are also huge fans of the new water park, Aqua Adventure. The water park is open during the summer and has play areas for toddlers and young children as well as a lazy river and pool that everyone can enjoy. Older kids can go down the super fast water slide. It’s geared for younger children, which I really appreciate because other water parks can be intimidating for them. We’ll be looking forward to it reopening next summer!
Tuesday
Fremont’s diversity is displayed through the abundance of authentic ethnic restaurants. If you like Indian food, there are so many options, you could try a different one every week and not run out of new places for a couple of years. There are buffets, vegetarian restaurants, cafeterias, snack “sandwich” shops and bakeries. Our favorite buffet is Taste of India located on Mowry right off the 880, the best kid-friendly value we’ve found. If you want Indian and your kids want pizza, you can try Pizza and Curry located on Blacow Road between Fremont Blvd & Roberts Ave. Indian style pizza for you and Italian style pizza for the kids–win-win. And if you sometimes just need a naan fix, drop by Shalimar, the cafeteria-style restaurant in Central Fremont.
Wednesday
Niles and the Niles Canyon Railway
The Niles area of Fremont is a town within a town. Its main street has several antique shops, a tea room, and other stores you might imagine when you think of small town America. It’s a great place to spend an afternoon walking around, browsing, and eating. I’m looking forward to taking my friend for high tea on her birthday at Tyme For Tea! From Thanksgiving to New Years, Niles is also the starting point for the Train of Lights on the Niles Canyon Railway that runs nightly between Niles and Sunol. The train is covered with lights, making the journey on the historic train all the more memorable. The rest of the year the train makes the one hour run on Sundays only. This year discounted tickets will be sold for Wednesday, December 14.
Thursday
Mission Peak @ East end of Stanford Avenue, off Mission Blvd
If you want a place to work off the Indian food from the previous day, a great place to go hiking is Mission Peak. I’ve seen people hiking here wearing all kinds of clothing (even heels) and kids and adults of all ages. The trails climb about 2000 feet from the trailhead, in less than 3 miles. Fit hikers should have no problem with this 6 mile hike, and beginners in reasonable shape may find the ascent tough, but manageable, with proper pacing and plenty of water. Of course, if you are here for a casual hike, you will probably only make it part way and turn around, but the views are still worth the hike! On clear days you can see clear across the bay! I tried to induce labor by walking up the trail for half an hour at 38 weeks, but all I got was a good workout. There is a small parking lot at the base of the trail but ample street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods if that parking lot is full.
Friday
A great place to shop and then unwind is Auto Mall Parkway. I would hazard a guess that most Fremont moms are there once a week to shop at Costco, Nordstrom Rack, Toys R Us/Babies R Us, Scholastic Book Fair Warehouse and other stores. After the great deals, I usually treat myself and my boys to some decadent Chocolate on Chocolate cake or other scrumptious dessert at the Prolific Oven. Their main dishes are delicious (pastas are especially good) but their desserts are divine. My sister introduced this me to this place when she lived in Palo Alto and I’ve been a huge fan ever since! Fremont has the only location in the 510, so it’s definitely worth an outing.
Saturday
Children’s Natural History Museum @ 4074 Eggers Drive
The Children’s Natural History Museum in North Fremont is only open on Saturdays from 10-4 PM. Many exhibits are interactive and children are encouraged to touch and explore the exhibits that are marked for “activity.” The best days to visit the museum are the event days. December 10th is Saturday Family Science where there will be four activities exploring the Physics of Toys. Children will be able to make and take toys home with them—that’s our kind of museum!
Sunday
Ardenwood Historic Farm @ 34600 Ardenwood Blvd.
If your kids want to visit an actual working farm, Ardenwood Historic Farm located near the northern border of Fremont off Route 84 is the perfect place to visit. They have special events throughout the year including the pumpkin patch during Halloween and Christmas events in December. During certain weekends in December you can take a train ride through the Monarch Butterfly grove, take a tour of the Patterson House all dressed up for the holidays, visit with Father Christmas, make holiday crafts, and visit with the farm animals. My sons love the train ride and the crafts during these special event days. During the rest of the year, we usually go on Tuesdays when they have Toddler Time featuring different animals each week.
Thanks, Eunice! Read more from Eunice at her blog, A Random Walk Down Mommy Street.
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