Marin Kids

Easter is coming up this Sunday, April 1 and there are several celebrations in the works! From egg hunts to basket decorating, one thing is for sure: don’t be late, hunts start promptly at scheduled times and finish quickly. Here is Arrive Marin’s quick run-down on where to find the Easter Bunny:

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

SAN ANSELMO: Annual Flashlight Egg Hunt at Memorial Park at 8:30 pm sharp
Bring your basket and a good flashlight, ages 8 and up. Event Details.

LARKSPUR: Flashlight Egg Hunt at Piper Park at 8:30 pm sharp
Bring your flashlight and basket.  Event Details.

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

LARKSPUR: Easter Fun & Egg Hunt at Marin Country Mart Farmer’s Market from 9 am – 2 pm
Egg hunt starts at 10:30 am for ages 3 and under and 10:45 am for ages 4 and up.  Event Details.

LARKSPUR: Spring Egg Hunt at Piper Park at 10 am
Keep an eye out for the Golden Eggs which are filled with special prizes, petting zoo and photos with the Easter Bunny. Event Details.

FAIRFAX: Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Bolinas Park from 10 am – noon
Music by James K, face painting, bubbles, and more fun! For ages 8 and under. Event Details.

SAN RAFAEL: Egg Hunt at Marinwood Community Center at 10 am
Egg Hunt and the Johnny’s Doughnuts food truck will be on hand.  Event details.

SAUSALITO: Easter Parade and Egg Hunt in Downtown Sausalito from 10–11:30 am
Parade on Caledonia Street at 10 am, followed by an egg hunt at Dunphy Park at 10:15 am. Music by Tim Cain at 10:30 am and an Easter bonnet contest at 11 am. Event Details.

LARKSPUR: Easter Bunny & Egg Hunt at Marin Country Mart  at 10:30 am
Easter Basket decorating at Tutu School, Easter Egg Hunt (ages 2-4), visits with the Easter Bunny, egg decorating at the Farmers’ Market. Event details.

SAN RAFAEL: Easter Eggstravaganza at Trinity Lutheran Church from 10:30 am–noon
Games, candy and prizes, cookie decorating, crafts, and a special Easter Celebration presentation. Event Details.

SAN ANSELMO: Children’s Spring Egg Hunt and Camp Fair at Memorial Park at 10:30 am
Egg hunt set off at the sound of the fire truck’s siren! For children 7 and under. Event Details.

MILL VALLEY: Spring Faire and Candy Hunt at Strawberry Recreation District from 10:30 – noon
Photos with the bunny, carnival games,  basket decorating, bouncey houses. Event Details.

GREENBRAE: Easter Bunny Hop at Bon Air Center from 11 am–2 pm
Balloons and photos with the Easter Bunny, Bunny ambassadors handing out Easter Eggs filled with special offers from Bon Air merchants.  Woodland’s Pet Food & Treats will be hosting a pet adoption fair.  Event Details.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1

NOVATO: Easter Brunch & Egg Hunts at Ricky’s Restaurant from 10 am–2 pm
Easter Brunch, face painting and crafts. Eggs Hunts at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm & 2:30 pm. Reservations Recommended (415) 883-9477.

MILL VALLEY: Easter Egg Hunt at Tam United Methodist Church at 10:30 am
Egg hunt at 11:30 am, immediately following the 10:30 am service. Event Details.

SAN RAFAEL: Easter Brunch Buffet & Egg Hunt at the Peacock Gap Golf Club from 11 am–1 pm
Egg hunt starts promptly at 11 am. Easter brunch at the club’s Range Cafe from 10 am to 2 pm.  Event Details.

Although it’s still quite warm here in Marin, Fall is upon us and that means time for a trip with the kids to a pumpkin patch.  Here is Arrive Marin’s guide to the best local spots to find the perfect pumpkin until the end of October!

Nicasio Valley Farms Pumpkin Patch
5300 Nicasio Valley Road, Nicasio
Open Daily 10 am – 6 pm

Definitely one of our favorites! Offering certified organic pumpkins, hay rides, farm animals, pony rides and bounce houses you can make a full day of this excurion. There is also a farm stand, Big Jim’s award-winning BBQ and ice cream to be had. Tim Cain will be at the farm every Sunday from 11 am – noon performing every kid’s favorite songs.

McClelland’s Dairy Farm Pumpkin Patch
6475 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma
Open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 am-9:30 pm and Sundays, 10 am-6 pm

This is a really special family-run farm where nature is priority and cows and chickens thrive. In addition to finding a great pumpkin on their three-acre farm, we highly recommend picking up some of their incredible European-style organic artisan butter. The farm invites guests to pet their farm animals and to watch cows being milked in the parlor. As if this all weren’t enough, there is also a hay maze, a haunted house, hay rides, bounce houses and a pumpkin blaster (we’re not making this up!).

Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch
5157 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa
Open Monday-Thursday, 9 am-7 pm, Friday & Saturday, 9 am-10 pm and Sunday, 9 am-8:30 pm

All you really need to know about this Bay Area treasure is that there is an incredible 8-acre corn maze (with both a long and a short route). The pumpkin patch offers 10 acres of pumpkins with 45 different varieties to choose from.  There is also a petting zoo, face painting, hay rides and pony rides (on weekends only).

Great Peter Pumpkin Patch at Spring Hill Jersey Farm
4235 Spring Hill Rd, Petaluma
Open every day, 9 am–dusk

We’re just going to get straight to the point on this one: don’t miss their pumpkin ice cream! This really special family-run farm takes their pumpkin patch seriously and they pull out all the stops. Kids can dig their own potatoes, milk a cow, enjoy for a hay ride, pet baby animals and pick out the perfect pumpkin while parents listen to live music and enjoy free cheese tasting!

Tolay Fall Festival
Tolay Lake Regional Park, Petaluma
Two weekends: October 14-15 and 21-22, 11 am-5 pm

This annual festival is super fun and a great family excursion.  In addition to pumpkin selecting and hay rides, you can explore the “Nighttime Creatures Barn” and the “Creepy Crawly Room”. Activities include wool-carding, candle-dipping, gunnysack races and a straw maze. But to be honest, we just can’t wait to enter the World Record Pumpkin Seed Spitting Contest! Festival admission is $5 ($3 for ages 12 and under) and parking is $7 per car.

Slide Ranch is really a very special one-of-a-kind place here in Marin. It seems like everyone’s kids attend their fabulous summer camp at some point. Situated high on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Muir Beach, Slide Ranch’s mission is to connect children to the great outdoors. Hoping to inspire future stewards of nature, Slide Ranch is a gorgeous farm that offers hands-on events throughout the year.

We love Slide Ranch and wanted to share a wonderful new addition to their stunning campus. They’ve just completed an incredible Children’s Farm to Table Teaching Center complete with a commercial kitchen donated by Williams-Sonoma. The living roof was designed by renowned landscape architect Paul Kephart who is also responsible for the Cal Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The Teaching Center will offer classes for both kids and adults and is also available for private events.

Grand Opening Party!
To celebrate the Teaching Center, Slide Ranch is having a super fun party. Grammy-nominated jazz pianist David Benoit will be preforming. Delicious food will be on hand from A16, Black Bark BBQ, State Bird Provisions, Three Twins Ice Cream and  (of course) salads straight from the Slide Ranch garden. Master Sommelier Laura Maniec has curated a list of some of the best Napa wines to taste. There will also be sangria from Bass Note Sangria and beer from Fort Point Brewery.

Details:
Sunday, September 24, 2017
12:30 – 4:00 pm
Tickets are $175 per person, $350 VIP or $50 per child (age 2-12). Children under 2 are free.
You can see more information and buy your tickets here.