We live in Menlo-Park but never thought to check out our local creek. I just wanted to credit "Playborhood" (whith which I am not affiliated at all) http://playborhood.com/ for suggesting to check it out. We went there this weekend - 1 minute from our house there is an easy way down to the creek. The creek is dry most of the year but has water now. The kids had so much fun wading and throwing pebbles into the water - it's their new favorite place! It would be a perfect spot for a picnic as well. A word of caution - I heard that east of Middlefield, and sometimes under the El-Camino bridge it may not be as safe - so always go with your kids and check it out before you head down.

It's a nice activity for young kids, the rides are fun and there are quite a few options for little ones (around 2-3) which is nice. However, it does get *really* hot there so you really need to make sure everyone is well hydrated and after one time there we were pretty much done.

Cute farm. You can see how life looked like a hundred years ago in the Bay Area. They also have activities for kids and adults like animal feedings and tours. We went last weekend to see the Monarch butterflies (MB). It was a nice tour for our 6 y/o because they talked about the MB and showed them high up in the trees. But they were very difficult to see (they look like dead leaves from below) so it was not very exciting for our 2.5 y/o. I hear they have rides in the spring summer and a pumpkin patch in the fall. We will check them out again.

We love this place - our oldest can bike while we walk or run with the stroller. The kids love to watch the birds and the water. There is a nice playground not a lot of structures - just sand and a boat structure but no swings or slides, still fun. You can rent peddle boats too. The shoreline cafe is surprisingly pretty good.

Love this museum and zoo. Our kids always have a great time playing with the exhibits (i.e - games and activities) and seeing the animals is lots of fun too. It is free although donation helps keep this gem open. Great way to spend lazy or rainy afternoon. The attached playground is fun too.