Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
222
GYMNASTICS
There are three gymnastics studios in town, all with classes for young kids and a rigorous
training program. Out in the S unset,
American Gymnastics
(2520 Judah St.;
&
415/
731-1400;
www.americangymnasticsclub.com) offers an open gym night, Kids N ight
Out, on the last Saturday of the month from 6 to 9pm. The cost for nonmembers is $20;
kids age 5 and up ar e welcome.
The staff at
AcroSports
(639 Frederick St.;
&
415/665-2276;
www.acrosports.org),
which is near the southeast corner of G olden Gate Park, teaches classes in cir cus arts,
dance, physical per formance skills, and gymnastics, with pr ograms for kids as y oung as
18 months. Former and current visiting gymnasts with an urge to swing on the unev en
parallel bars can attend classes as dr op-ins. You must call in adv ance to attend a class
within the appr opriate age gr oup and skill lev el. Fees are $15 for a 1-hour class. A dult
classes are also available; in any event, parents must accompany kids in order to sign the
waiver form.
If you know locals who ar e members at
San Francisco Gymnastics
(920 M ason St.;
&
415/561-6260;
www.sanfranciscogymnastics.com), you can be guests at their monthly
Parents Night Out program. Parents drop off their kids aged 4 to 12 at 5:30pm and return
by 9:30pm. SF Gymnastics provides a pizza dinner, coloring, an obstacle course, gymnastics
events, and an animated mo vie. Parent's Night Out is scheduled at least one S aturday a
month, and registration is required by the Wednesday prior to the event. The fee is $25 for
the first child and $20 for each additional sibling.
HIKING
You'll find plenty of hikes per fect for little legs in the P residio, Golden Gate Park, and,
our personal favorite, at Land's End (just make sure your kids stay close, as the trail hugs
a cliff). For more ambitious hikes, head to Marin, where you'll find excellent, scenic trails
on M ount Tamalpais, the M arin H eadlands, and in M uir Woods. H iking on
Angel
Island
(p. 156) is also a tr eat—although a fire in late 2008 burned much of the island 's
vegetation. San Francisco Bay Area Hiker offers a good w ebsite (www.bahiker.com) for
planning hikes in the city.
8
HORSEBACK RIDING
With the closure of the stables in Golden Gate Park, horseback riding in the city became
a memory. Determined riders must now leave the city. One option is to cross the bridge
to
Miwok Livery Stables
(
&
415/383-8048;
www.miwokstables.com) in M ill Valley.
Trail ride lessons for kids 12 and up ar e available Monday through Saturday, starting at
1:30pm with a half-hour safety lesson, follo wed by an hour ride thr ough the beautiful
Tennessee Valley hills, all for $75 per person. R eservations are required. Scheduled les-
sons for children starting at age 3 are also available.
Another option is to head 1 mile south from San Francisco Zoo. The
Mar Vista Stable
(2152 S kyline B lvd., D aly City;
&
650/991-4224;
http://mar vistastable.tripod.com)
offers guided rides on Ocean Beach. It is open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and from
9am to 6pm on w eekends, and no r eservations are required. One-hour rides ar e $40,
1
1
/
2
-hour rides are $50, and 2-hour rides for $60 are available only until noon. A 10-min-
ute pony ride on a car ousel is $10.
ICE SKATING
Year-round ice skating is av ailable at the 32,000-squar e-foot
Yerba Buena Ice Skating
Rink
at Yerba Buena Gardens (
&
415/820-3532;
www.skatebowl.com). Admission is
