Area is a great place for families

By News-Sentinel staff

Visiting Lodi with children?

From a zoo to caves to museums, there are plenty of fun places to go and things to do for the family visiting the Lodi area.

Let’s start close to Lodi and work our way out.

In spring and summer, Lodi Lake on Turner Road is a beautiful place to visit, with a hiking trails, picnic tables and splendid views of open water.

The so-called nature area includes a hiking and jogging loop through tall oaks and cottonwoods. Keep your eyes peeled for squirrels scampering up the trees and for turtles sunning in the Mokelumne River and Pig’s Lake.

In summer, the swimming beach is open and it includes a wading pool where the littlest ones may cool off.

Phone: (209) 333-6742 or, in summer, (209) 368-5624.

South of Lodi — no more than 10 miles is Micke Grove Regional Park — which includes the Micke Grove Zoo. It’s not a sprawling zoo, but it is clean and enjoyable and includes a variety of animals and birds worth seeing, including snow leopards, Chinese alligators, Waldrapp ibis and several species of lemur. Micke Grove also features a museum with a large collection of agricultural items. The park includes Funderwoods, an amusement area with a Tilt-a-Whirl, train ride, small roller coaster and other attractions.

Phone: (209) 331-7270.

On Eight Mile Road south of Lodi is Oak Grove Regional Park and Nature Center. During April this is the scene of the popular Asparagus Festival. Other times of the year, visitors are drawn to its fishing lake, hiking trails and picnic areas. Paddlewheel boat rides are available in the summer. The nature center, open only on weekends, has displays on the area’s plants and animals and artifacts from the Yokuts and Miwok Indians who once inhabited the area.

Phone: (209) 953-8800

In Morada, southeast of Lodi, is a funky roadside attraction known as the Pollardville Ghost Town. The Old West village includes an old brick jail, a gold mine tour and a steam train ride. Some of the old buildings were used as backdrops in Hollywood Westerns. It’s an enjoyable place to stroll and step back to an era of 49ers and cowboys.

Phone: (209) 931-5247

In Stockton’s Louis Park is a jewel of a children’s paradise known as Pixie Woods. It’s an oak-shaded wonderland with lots of storybook characters, a Pixie Treehouse and puppet shows. Rides are offered on a miniature train and on the Pixie Queen Paddlewheeler. There’s decent food available at reasonable prices, too. It’s a low-key and noncommercialized park but loads of fun and first-rate.

Phone: (209) 937-8220

Also in Stockton is the Children’s Musuem where kids can explore a miniature hospital, fire truck, police car, a helicopter and more. Workshops in art, dance and music are held regularly.

Phone: (209) 465-4386.

The Mother Lode boasts numerous caverns, some open to the public. A favorite family destination is Mercer Caverns, just outside Murphys in Calaveras County. The cavern does include several sets of stairs. The cavern tour embraces both history and geology.

Phone: (209) 728-2101.

Also in the Mother Lode area is Columbia State Park, an historic village preserved much as it was in the days of the gold rush. There’s a gold mine tour that takes visitors to a real mine in the nearby canyon of the Stanislaus River. There are numerous shops and places to eat (Nelson’s Candy Shop is mandatory for anyone with a sweet tooth) plus a gold rush museum. One unexpected attraction for kids is the rock formations circling the town. Created by hydraulic mining, the formations offer fun places for kids to climb and explore, though parents should keep a close eye to guard against bruises and bumps.

Columbia is off Highway 49, a ribbon of asphalt that runs from the Grass Valley area in the north to Oakhurst in the south. It’s a beautiful stretch of road and offers visitors glorious scenery along with glimpses of California history.

Phone: (209) 532-4301.