Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
225
for mom and dad. Lastly ,
Kirkwood M ountain R esort
(
&
209/258-6000;
www .
kirkwood.com) usually has the most sno w and can be r eached (when the r oad is open)
via an alternative route (Hwy. 88) to ever-jammed Highway 80.
Most of the resorts offer ski school for childr en 4 and up, as well as day care for kids
3 and up, and many will give babysitting referrals for under 3s. Just note that every Friday
evening (even in the summer) H ighway 80 is clogged with v acationers heading to the
mountains. If at all possible, drive up mid-week.
If it's cross-country skiing or sno wshoeing you're interested in, visit the lo vely
Clair
Tappaan Lodge
(
&
800/679-6775
or 530/426-3632; www .ctl.sierraclub.org) in the
Donner Summit area west of Lake Tahoe. Other options in the Sierra Nevada are
Royal
Gorge
(
&
800/500-3871
or 530/426-3661; http://royalgorge.com) and
Granlibakken
(
&
877/552-6301;
www.granlibakken.com).
SOCCER
Drive by the M arina Green or thr ough Golden Gate Park on a w eekday afternoon or
Saturday morning: The number of kids r unning after soccer balls is dizzying. S occer is
hugely popular in S an F rancisco, with teams organiz ed b y the
Recreation and P ark
Department,
the
Jewish Community Center,
SF Youth Sports,
and the
San Francisco
Police Activities League
(see contact info listed under “Baseball,” earlier in this chapter).
Soccer classes for the pr eschool set are offered by
Soccer Kids Inc.
(
&
415/608-2608;
www.soccerkids.com), while older kids can contact the
Presidio YMCA
(
&
415/447-
9622;
www.ymcasf.org/presidio). The
San Francisco Viking Youth Soccer League
(
&
415/
504-8131;
www.sfvikings.com) is one of the countr y's oldest leagues for y outh soccer
and organizes many of the games y ou're likely to see on any giv en weekend. The
San
Francisco Seals
soccer teams offers S eals Junior Academy clinics and camps for kids up
to age 14 (send questions to
sfseals@gmail.com
; www.oursfseals.com).
SURFING
Fifteen minutes south of S an Francisco on H ighway 1 is the tiny burg of P acifica, a
popular spot for many Bay Area surfers.
Surf Camp Pacifica
(
&
650/245-2924;
www.
surfpacifica.com) at Linda Mar Beach runs 3-hour surf camps for kids 6 to 18 that r un
from 2 to 5 days, with rates from $140 to $270, including wetsuit rentals for $10 to $20.
Linda Mar Beach has clean r estrooms and sho wers, but the grayish-sand beach doesn 't
rank among N orthern California 's lo veliest. I t's best left to sur fers and dog-walkers.
Adventure Out
(
&
800/509-3954;
www.adventureout.com) also offers surfs clinics and
private lessons at Linda M ar in Pacifica, at Half Moon Bay, and in Santa Cruz for kids,
teens, and adults. The basic class includes 3 hours of lessons and all gear for $95.
On most days, y ou're likely to see sev eral surfers at O cean Beach as w ell. However,
with its strong current; steep, powerful waves; and icy-cold waters, Ocean Beach is suit-
able only for advanced surfers. I've seen kids surfing there only on summer days (the swell
is usually not as strong in summer) when the waves were very, very small—and even then
they were over 12 years old. Exercise caution: An inexperienced sur fer disappeared here
in 2006.
8
SWIMMING
The city's Recreation & P ark Department maintains swimming pools in a handful of
recreation centers. The cost to swim is modest—$4 for adults and $1 for children, or $5
for a family of four . Public swim times v ary from pool to pool and ar e limited; call or
drop by the centers to note times and days. Two of the best swimming pools ar e at the
