Bay Area Field Trips

[eeyore_grrl]

i want to take my boys on more field trips. i need free things or places that might comp us in -- we have no budget and can't ask parents for money.

we've gone to the zoo and monterey aquarium in the past.

any ideas?

edit: i have written letters to various places (including the aquarium and the exploratorium). looking for ideas for places! thanks.

Comments

[dafydd.livejournal.com]

Writing polite letters to any place that would normally charge can't hurt.

[(Anonymous)]

TechShop, the Exploratorium, the refinery, the salt ponds on the east end of the San Mateo bridge, the mountains over by Pacifica (to look at the plants and rocks), Google, the Fairchild Superfund site (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/live/casestudy_fairchild.html), the Port of Oakland, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Asian Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, various things in Golden Gate Park? Some of these places charge admission but might be willing to comp if you ask them.

-Kragen

[banacheq.livejournal.com]

The Explodatorium in SF?

[banacheq.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, free. :\ Wonder if there are grants for that?

[sweet-pickles.livejournal.com]

What about Scharffen-Berger Chocolate? They have free tours. You get to see the whole process - from bean to bar. Everyone must wear closed shoes and don hair nets. They hand out some samples during the tour too. They are in Berkeley.

[kethryvis.livejournal.com]

It might be a bit far, but there's also the Jelly Belly factory over in Fairfield. IIRC that tour is free as well, and they give out samples of whatever new flavour they're currently concocting (the day I was there we had JUST missed the last tour of the day but they gave us their free sample: Dr. Pepper flavour. SCARILY accurate).

Do *not* let them talk you into doing a tour of the Budweiser plant next door ;p

On that same line, you might poke around a bit and see what other food-type factories would be interested/willing to do tours of their facilities. It could always be interesting for the boys to see exactly where their food comes from, at least in a factory sense. Maybe some local farms/etc. too?

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

Are the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park still free?

You could always take them on a walk across the Golden Gate, though you'd need someone to meet you with a car on the other end, I think.

Um. Other than that, it's been years since I was up that way.

[tsgeisel.livejournal.com]

The Tech might be good, as well as perhaps the San Jose Art Museum, if you think they might be up for some culture.

In the "worth asking about" category might be the Hakone Gardens in Saratoga (http://www.hakone.com).

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

http://museum.stanford.edu/visit/public_tours.html

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Any number of East Bay Regional Parks (http://www.ebparks.org/). A few good ones that come to mind:

--Coyote Hills Park in Fremont and the Don Edwards Preserve also in Fremont. (parking fees only)

--Ardenwood Farm in Fremont ($2-$5 admission depending on which day you go, I bet you could get it comped).

--Tilden in Berkeley (possible parking fee)

Science stuff:

--Chabot Space and Science Center

--Lawrence Hall of Science: http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/

Other ideas:

--Maybe a tour of a working farm?

--Factory tours

--Behind the scenes tour of a theater or dance company

That's all I can think of right now.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Oh, duh, how about the big San Jose library?

[oldtdevil.livejournal.com]

The first tuesday and wednesday of every month is free museum day in SF.
In Oakland and the East Bay, there's free factory tours:
Charles Chocolates ($10 tasting, so worth it!)
Anchor Brewing
Hangar One Vodka
Takara Sake
Jelly Belly (Vallejo)
Budweiser (Vallejo)

In San Jose, the art museum is free. And my favorite free tour is the hidden arts treasure hunt at the MLK Library on SJSU campus.
http://www.sjlibrary.org/mlkart/browser.htm?mode=0&id=1&order=1&start=1

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

It's permissible to walk both ways on the GG bridge. ;)

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

Oh, I did know that...just thinking about the possibilities of the boys (or eeyore_grrl) being tired after walking one way - as I recall, it's kind of a long bridge! ;)

[(Anonymous)]

I guess I should also suggest the Flaming Lotus Girls' workshop (although maybe it's too dangerous for the kids?) and the Crucible.

-Kragen