This past weekend, Terrence had to work, so Ayva and I had a fun little Mommy/Daughter mini-getaway. We headed about 35 miles south of Oakland to Santa Clara and California Great America where we had a seriously fun time! Now, I’m not big on amusement parks. I’m a scaredy cat, and rollercoasters don’t do it for me. Ayva isn’t that adventurous when it comes to rides, either, so I figured we’d stay at California Great America for a couple of of hours and head on home  once we exhausted all of the mild rides. I was so wrong, y’all! Oh my goodness, Ayva and I had so much fun! We stayed at the park for 6 hours, and totally could have stayed at least another 4 more.

California Great America is in its 38th year, and even though there are a ton of new attractions, there’s still a really sweet, quaint feel about the park. Everything is modern and clean, though, it’s just the aura of the park (and the kindness of all of the staff!) that put me in a different era. Ayva loved that the Peanuts gang are the official California Great America mascots, and couldn’t get enough of Charlie Brown and his friends. Usually tentative around characters, she ran right up to Linus like they were old friends. Here’s a mom confession: I don’t even think Ayva had seen any Charlie Brown show ever. Of course, I rectified that as soon as we got home so she could get to know all of the characters she fell in love with at the park. 

There are 2 different areas inside of California Great America that really cater to little kids. Planet Snoopy and Kidzville combined have over 15 attractions to keep families with young children busy. That’s not even counting rides like the Carousel Columbia and Berserker in the larger park area. Ayva and I didn’t want to get wet, so we didn’t get on any water rides, but if it were hotter, we certainly would have been all over them! There were quite a few to choose from, even without Boomerang Bay Water Park being open until May 24th. One really cool thing to know is that when you pay to enter California Great America, it includes Boomerang Bay, so you get 2 for 1.

Speaking of the price, y’all, it’s so affordable. Now, Ayva and I were invited as guests of the park to check it out, but even if we weren’t, the ticket prices are still really good. You can get a regular season pass for a little over $60, and a Gold Pass (with perks like early admission, etc.) for around $90. NINETY DOLLARS. For a season pass, y’all! Seriously, can you beat that?

Ayva talked about our day the entire ride home. She really did have the best day ever. We’re looking forward to heading back to California Great America a few more times throughout the summer. We definitely want to check out Boomerang Bay, the fireworks, and the Friday Family Flicks starting in June. This summer, if you’re looking for a family-friendly, affordable amusement park in the Bay Area where even your little ones can have fun, head down to Santa Clara and California Great America.

Disclosure: Many thanks to California Great America for inviting me to spend time at the park this weekend! I was not required to write this post, but the park is too great not to share. All opinions are my own.