My mom told me there was a nice children's section, so we headed south. I was suspicious since my son's admission was free- usually a heads-up that it's not really appropriate for his age. We stepped into the Children's Garden and it was Eden for kids!

Right at the entrance is a fountain at ground level, inviting kids to play in the water (swim diapers are required for young children and available for purchase in the gift shop). Beyond that was a grassy area, an amphitheatre for presentations, and (my son's favorite) a little "Cracker House" cottage, complete with Dutch door, windows, brooms, and Adirondack chairs on the porch. There were little fences around the cottage's garden which could be opened an closed. Wandering around I saw a display of raised beds with signs saying "Water any plants except these - these have plenty of water", which clued me in that free-range watering was welcomed. I saw a shed full of chameleon-shaped watering cans - and at the drinking fountain was a spigot where they could be filled. Someone put a lot of thought into that! There is also a gigantic enclosed screenhouse with plants and filled to the brim with butterflies! Also a "hidden garden" with a scavenger hunt to find the household items that had been repurposed into planters, etc.

Off to the other side of the fountain, there is a shaded"treehouse" where kids (and adults) can easily climb up into the house for an aerial view. The path meanders down where there is a waterfall you can walk under, shaded areas with sidewalk chalk, a sandbox, another tower to climb, and more paths to explore.

Just outside the children's garden we ate at the "cafe" (a trailer with a window). They had some nice sandwiches and salads. Not too many soft drink options (other than beer and wine, which was extensive). There were tables shaded with umbrellas or you could just sack out on the lawn. There were diaper changing stations inside the nearby rest rooms and paths leading to other gardens.

This was a truly excellent place for kids (and we didn't even see the other parts of the garden). My son still wants to back to "his little house" near the "butterfly garden".

This is a pretty nice zoo. My son (almost 3) enjoyed seeing the monkeys climbing around on the island in the lake, and especially the (very calm) boat ride. They also have camel rides there seasonally and he loved to watch them (but didn't want to have a ride). The lemonade, while expensive (like all in-zoo food) was excellent and is mixed when you order, so you can order low-sugar or whatever. The sandwich I had was also very good. They do have some healthy options as well as the usual junk food, and expensive but not extremely exorbitant prices.

They had just opened the new giraffe exhibit.

The paths are paved but to go up to the fence to see the animals the closest, you have to walk on broken shell gravel, so closed toe shoes are recommended if your kid is bothered by stuff in his shoes.

There are numerous places to buy fish food and throw it in the lake - the fish are huge and splash dramatically and the kids really love that.

Overall, the enclosures seem a little old - modern zoos I think try harder to make the enclosures seem more "natural" and spacious. It was a good outing for my (almost) 3 year old and his admission was free since they don't charge until age 3.

This is a nice upscale mall, including Nordstrom, Tiffany's, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and other high end chain stores. The fountains are fun to watch - several areas shoot water up in varying heights - you have to watch for a few minutes to see the entire cycle. The walking paths are mostly shaded, although the best views of the fountains are in full sun. There is a nice variety of restaurants and cafes. The Nordstrom Cafe (upstairs inside Nordstrom's) in particular is nice to eat at, with a good selection of sandwiches and salads and a kids menu with good choices. My son had the cheese and fruit plate (2 kinds of cheese, grapes, and strawberries, and crackers). All kids meals come with crayons, juice or milk, and raisins.

There are two parts to Tognazzini's. The Dockside Restaurant is a sit-down, table service restaurant. The seafood is impeccable. The burgers are heavenly (and huge). We love eating there and have eaten there since there were only two of us. My son is almost an icon at this restaurant - all of the staff know him and greet him, although they are generally friendly to everyone. The owners, Mark and Bonnie, browse the restaurant when they are not at Dockside Too. While they don't have a "kids menu" per se, they have a section called "Lite or Little Appetites" which has a baby burger w/ fries, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, and other things. My 2 (almost 3) year-old loves the burger w/ fries, although a lot of the time we give him a portion of our fish from our plate along with some rice pilaf (he loves that) and steamed veggies. They do have coloring pages and crayons for the kids, and high chairs. The view through the windows is of the working dock - when fish are being unloaded (which could happen anytime that is during the day, really, weekends included) it's really thrilling to watch the cranes unload buckets of fish, the sorting table, and the forklift moving large containers of fish and seawater or ice around. When they're not there, my son loves to sit on the forklift and pretend he is loading fish.

Dockside Too is cafe-style. They have burgers, fries, hot dogs, etc. They call your name when your order is ready and you pick it up. The seating is all outdoors. They frequently have life music - mellow 1-3 person bands, not heavy rock or club music - and they have good beer and wine on tap. This is a great place for kids too, although with really little ones I would stay away from the tables right at the edge of the water. Frequently they have a sheepfish or other interesting fish on display in a large aquarium (it is only visiting; they return it to the sea). This is also a fish market where you can purchase fresh off the boat fish and take it home to cook. Dockside Too also has high chairs, and the staff quickly tidy and clear tables as they are vacated.

Adding also: Tog's is very dog-friendly. Outside the restaurant (on the back side, toward the water) there is a hitching post and a water dish (raised above the ground) and a hose to fill/refill it. At the fish market / cafe, dogs are welcome on the patio. The owners' dogs are frequent visitors there!

Mariposa Grove is at the south entrance to the park. Often the parking lot is full and you can park in the lot just inside the gate (if it's not full also) and take the bus up to the grove. This is the same shuttle bus that goes through the entire park. It is free.

There are amazing trees here, really big ones, that you can walk through (they get to be hollow). You can pick up a map (might have to pay a small amount for it) and walk. They also have a pricey tram ride. My mom wasn't into much walking so she paid for the tram ride and it was nice- narration which told you what you were seeing, and stopped occasionally so you could get out and walk up to the trees. The narration is available in multiple languages. We had my 1 year old with us and we seated him on the seat between us in the middle so he wouldn't fall out. In fact he fell asleep!

If you are a more active family, I highly recommend hiking it yourself. There is a shop at the top and rest rooms. You can also take the tram ride up and walk down, but there is no discount for not riding the second half. Had we been there without my mom, we would've put my son in the backpack carrier and hiked up and down.

This is pretty far from Yosemite Valley, but if you're at Yosemite, you must see the big trees.