 My daughter and I had a fantastic trip to the main campus of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, which is part of the San Luis NWR Complex in the Central Valley. November is a great season to visit--the fall colors were gorgeous and we saw so many Sandhill cranes. I recommend that you check out the "Seasons of Wildlife" page before you go to get a sense for what kind of wildlife you might see on a given month.
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 Today, I took a lovely solo hike to Tilden Park, and I finally made the loop to Wildcat Peak that I have been wanting to do for about two years now. Click read more to see maps and trail descriptions for this beautifully varied 4.75-mile loop.
 The San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge is one of the refuges in the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Of all the refuges, this one has the longest trail, so my daughter and I decided to try this park out first yesterday on a maiden voyage to the complex. We had a blast, and I know that we will be coming back here in the winter to see the great migration of Aleutian cackling geese and Sandhill cranes. I was really excited that we saw several Riparian brush rabbits right near the parking lot.
 This post is another from our family trip to Louisiana over Christmas. We flew into New Orleans and stayed a few days to let our daughter explore some of the city. One of the biggest hits: the Audubon Zoo!
 Our family has recently had two more incredible trips to Ardenwood Historic Farm. Honestly, I cannot praise this place enough as a destination for families with young kids. It's been, hands-down, one of the best discoveries that we've made in the East Bay since moving here with our toddler. Winter, spring, summer, and fall, there is always something wonderful to do at this park. Fall seems to be the busiest of the seasons at Ardenwood, with Perry's Pumpkin Patch, the Harvest Festival, and the Haunted Railroad. But for our family this fall, the thing that made Ardenwood really special was the beginning of monarch season!
 The California Academy of Sciences consists of multiple science museums blended into one interesting building. Inside you will find a biosphere of a rain forest ecosystem, a fantastic aquarium, a planetarium, and a natural history museum. All of these different types of museums blend really beautifully into one whole, and the museum itself is topped off with a "living roof." The Academy is located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, which is one of my favorite things about the city of San Francisco. Click "read more" to see photos of our visit.
 The Don Edwards Environmental Education Center in Alviso, CA (a suburb of San Jose) is a beautiful, weird park. I love it there, and I always see tons and tons of birds when I go; however, there is something about that park that seems harsh. I have bad luck when I go there.
 A Louisiana alligator snapping turtle On our recent family vacation back to the Gulf Coast, we made a stop at the Zoological Park in Alexandria, LA. Now, Alexandria is not exactly a cosmopolitan city; however, its zoo is, indeed, world-class. It's really impressive and a lot of fun, especially if you go early in the morning to beat the heat and see the animals when they are most active.
 So this was not a hike, but--boy!--was it a great experience for this not-so-lonely hiker and her hiker-in-training. We went to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience (formerly the Lindsay Wildlife Museum), which abuts an amazing city park in Walnut Creek, Larkey Park. Between the museum, the playground, and the swim park, this is just a dream for any family of young children in the East Bay.
 It's been a minute since I've been to Tilden Park, and this weekend I went for the first time to the Tilden Nature Area. This part of the park is an awesome place to bring young children--not only for the charming Little Farm but also for a gentle 1.28-mile loop that is stroller accessible.
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