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Best Toddler-Friendly Activities In The North Bay

(credit: VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images)

While it's fairly easy to plan activities with children who have outgrown the "terrible two's," the toddler stage can be a bit more challenging, especially around nap schedules. Check out these ideas for North Bay mothers including suggestions from Amber Guetebier, family editor at Red Tricycle, to find some great ways to have fun with your tot.

Bay Area Discovery Museum
557 McReynolds Road
Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 339-3900
www.baykidsmuseum.org

This place is the ultimate toddler paradise, with indoor and outdoor activities to keep kids occupied and engaged. Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m., except Mondays, the activities calendar is sprinkled with morning toddler circle times for singing songs, dancing and wiggling about and socializing. If an older sibling is coming along, story times follow. Tot Spot is a great space for those still getting their sea legs (under 42 inches in height) and Imagination Playground fosters a creativity for the older toddler set. A decent café  for the parents to pass time and killer views of the Golden Gate Bridge round out your day.

Tennessee Valley
Shoreline Highway and Tennessee Valley Road
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 331-1540
www.nps.gov

This is the most popular trailhead in the Marin Headlands of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, mostly flat, going toward the beach for 1.7 miles. An easy hike that's stroller friendly combines with a great spot for a toddler ramble. The walk begins at the parking area and ends at a nice, wide beach where at low tide you might spot the remains of the S.S. Tennessee, wrecked here in 1853. (No dogs are permitted, even on-leash).

Paradise Beach Park
3450 Paradise Drive
Tiburon, CA 94920
(415) 453-9212
www.marincounty.org

No pets are allowed, but how about seeing deer, sea lions and seals when you get there? This 19-acre park has grassy lawns, a fishing pier and a even a narrow little beach just big enough for some serious scooping among the shells and tiny crabs. Because it's on the bay side, it stays mostly sunny and the waves are usually gentle enough for a bit of splashing. There's also a swimming pool, picnic tables and restrooms.

Marin Country Mart
2257 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 461-5700
www.marincountrymart.com

The grownups can cover the shopping list while little ones have fun at the best Bay Area Saturday farmer's market for kids. Face painting, crafts, live music, pony rides, a petting zoo and even a complimentary cereal bar take the bore out of going with mom and dad on their weekend chores. Bay views add to the fun, which begins at 9 a.m. and generally lasts until 2 p.m., rain or shine.

Tutu School Larkspur
2201 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 734-8840
www.tutuschoollarkspur.com

Also in Larkspur, a sweet little dance studio that even the littles can attend offers classes for kids ages 18 months to 8 years. Boys are encouraged to take classes here, too, if they don't mind the pink walls with yellow accents. The location is right at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur, so it's ideal for getting a few more chores done or relaxing while the toddlers' dance class is in session.

Laurie Jo Miller Farr loves walkable cities. A tourism industry professional and transplanted New Yorker by way of half-a-lifetime in London, she's writing about the best of the bay and beyond for Yahoo, USA Today, eHow, and on Examiner.com.


 

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