Places to explore and things to do before summer ends!

It’s not too late to create summer memories for your kids. Here’s a round up of places to go and things to do before school starts.

Fresno-Grizzlies

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME!
Chukchansi Park hosts the Fresno Grizzlies baseball team and summer is the perfect time to catch a Triple A baseball game. Special promotions run throughout each week: tacos are $2 through the fifth inning on Tuesdays; wear Grizzlies gear on Wednesdays to win free tickets to the following Wednesday home game; kids can run the bases post-game on Sundays; and if the Grizzlies win, everybody in the ballpark will receive 6 FREE garlic parmesan breadsticks from Round Table Pizza! It’s fun for the whole family! Tickets run $8-$20/person.
 Chukchansi Park is located at 1800 Tulare Street in Fresno. 559-320-TIXS

The Visalia Rawhides are busy with home games also. On Family Fun Sundays the Kids Club Members run the bases post-game. Attend a Rawhides game on Wednesday and, if the Rawhides win, you’ll receive a voucher for the next Wednesday game. Tickets are $7-$18, kids 2 and under free.
 Recreation Park is located at 300 N. Giddings Street in Visalia. 559-732-HIDE

The-Discovery-Center

THE DISCOVERY CENTER IN FRESNO
Pack a picnic and head over to this interactive science arcade located at 1944 N. Winery Avenue in Fresno. This 5 1/2 acre park includes several shady picnic tables, restrooms and green areas for children to play. You’ll find the Deutsch Cactus Garden, Walden Pond, a Metal T-rex and Pteranodon, Miwok bark houses, a worm farm and plenty more! Hands-on experiences abound inside the science museum where kids will learn about botany, geology, anatomy, dinosaurs, electricity, magnets, music and sound. There are also live animals and an American Indian basket collection. The museum is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Admission is $6 adults, $8 children ages 3-17, kids under 2 are free. 559-251-5533

MetalMark

CLIMB TO NEW HEIGHTS
Try something new this summer! Your kids can test their skill and stamina on a rock climbing wall at MetalMark Climbing and Fitness located at 4042 N. Cedar Avenue in Fresno. Fun for kids ages 7-13.
Open Monday-Friday 5 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 229-7900

chaffee

GO WILD!
Nothing is more exciting to kids than visiting the zoo, and we have a wonderful place to see animals at the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno. During your visit plan for your kids to see the Winged Wonders Bird Show, an incredible free-flight bird show designed to promote awareness of the natural behavior of birds. Shows are scheduled daily at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in July.

Learn more about the animals from the people who take care of them at the Keeper Chats scheduled throughout the zoo during the day. Visit www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/plan-your-visit/demonstrations.html for specific times and locations throughout the zoo.

Don’t miss getting up close and personal with long-necked creatures at the Giraffe Feeding Station. Feedings are scheduled every day. Cost is $2/person per feeding.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo is located at 894 W. Belmont Avenue in Fresno and is open Sunday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is $5.50-$10. 559-498-5910

Blackbeards-Waterslide

SLIP AND SLIDE
When the temperature soars the water slides at Blackbeard’s Family Entertainment Center beckon. Open only on the weekends to conserve water, your kids can cool off sliding and splashing. For $8.25 you can purchase an all day pass that offers unlimited trips on the Waterslides or a 22 trip pass that can be shared amongst multiple sliders and used on multiple days. Open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Blackbeard’s is located at 4055 N. Chestnut Diagonal in Fresno. Visit www.blackbeardsfresno.com/attraction/waterslides for more information. 559-292-9000

If you live in the South Valley, beat the heat at Timeout Pizza & Fun Center. Open seven days a week from 12 noon-7 p.m., their slide passes are $16/hour, $19/two hours, and all day for $22. Timeout Pizza & Fun Center is located at 110 N. Mooney Blvd. in Tulare. 559-685-0322

Storyland-Castle-500

FAIRYTALES & FUN
Storybooks come alive when you visit Storyland in Fresno’s Roeding Park! You’ll find the Three Little Pigs, Alice in Wonderland, Humpty Dumpty, witches, Mother Goose, a castle, a pirate ship and more! Pick up a magic key upon entering to unlock the talking boxes at each exhibit. Your imagination will soar as you listen to fantastic stories and the tales of old. Hop on the Willis B. Kyle Express Train and enjoy a scenic tour of Playland and Storyland.

Storyland’s summer hours are Wednesday-Friday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $3.50 for children 11 and under and seniors, $5 for adults. Storyland is located at 890 W. Belmont Avenue in Fresno. 559-486-2124

fossil

THE FOSSIL DISCOVERY CENTER IN CHOWCHILLA
Plan a fun-filled field trip with your kids to The Fossil Discovery Center located at 19450 Avenue 21 ½ in Chowchilla. It offers many different exhibits documenting prehistoric life in the San Joaquin Valley during the last Ice Age.

Enjoy a brief introductory film, then explore the many exhibits of fossils, bones and full-size replicas of skeletons of animals common to the area many years ago. There’s also a collection of rocks and minerals, and a display of local Native American artifacts. Your kids will love the “Mock Dig” where they can excavate 22 replicas of fossils found in the area.

The Fossil Discovery Center is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $8 adults, $6 seniors and military, $4 students, kids ages 3 and under are free. 559-665-7107

MB2 Raceway

GO FOR A SPIN
Have fun indoor go-kart racing at the local state-of-the-art center, MB2 Raceway. Its high speed race simulation with a challenging indoor road course is fun for all skill levels and ages. Open Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight and Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. MB2 Raceway is located at 1200 Shaw Avenue in Clovis.
www.mb2raceway.com

Aerosports Trampoline

JUMP IT UP!
Keep your kids bouncing and jumping this summer at these cool indoor trampoline parks and play places. Don’t forget the socks!

2xtreme Trampoline
Kids of all ages fly through the air at this indoor trampoline park seven days a week, Monday through Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-midnight, and Sunday 12 noon-9 p.m. Cost is $10/hour, $15/two-hours and $18/three hours. 2xtreme is located at 5940 E. Shields Avenue #104 in Fresno. 559-765-0208

Aerosports Trampoline Park
Jump into the main arena with a 116 foot tumble track and foam pit, while small kids, 4 feet and under, have their own foam pit, arena and inflatables. Open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-midnight, and Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Cost for kids 6 years and older is $12/per hour, additional hours are $6; 3-5 year olds are $6/hour, additional hours are $3; 2 years and younger are free with paying adult. Located at 4155 Ashlan Avenue in Fresno.
 559-225-2955

Boingo’s Bounce House
This facility has two large inflatable bounce houses, a 28 foot large crawl through play structure, and a toddler arena with a baby ball crawl for the little ones. Open Tuesday-Friday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Week day price is $7.50 for school-age children; $5.50 for 4 and under. Friday price is $7.50 for all ages. Visit http://boingos.com/stop.php for availability on Saturday and Sunday. Boingo’s is located at 7131 W. Pershing Court in Visalia. 559-553-0391

Pump It Up Fresno/Madera
Play on giant, soft, fun-filled interactive inflatables weekdays from 10 -11:30 a.m. Cost is $8 per child ages 6 and under, parent admission is free with paid child.
 Pump It Up is located at 40405 Brickyard Drive, Suite 101 in Madera. 559-431-7867

Skywalk Trampoline Arena
SkyWalk time just for kids is Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; 10 a.m.-12 noon kids 6 and under only; and Friday night Club Skywalk is 9 p.m.-midnight for 15+ only. Kids ages 6 and under are only $6 and one accompanying adult jumps for free! Skywalk is located at 10432 CA-41 in Madera. 559-326-2022

imagine-u

THE IMAGINEU INTERACTIVE MUSEUM IN VISALIA
Your kids will love the hands-on learning exhibits at ImagineU Interactive Museum housed in its new colorful 15,000-square-foot building filled with child-friendly interactive, age-appropriate exhibits that encourage teamwork and thinking skills. Kids ages 1-14 can enjoy a paint station, the Magestic Oak treehouse, a U-Fix-It Garage, the toddler area, a music focused Harmony Playground, the Grove Pick and Pack area, and more! Kids play in educational exhibits that support grade level standards learned in school.

ImagineU Interactive Museum is located at 210 N. Tipton Street in Visalia and is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $8/person. 559-733-5975

gatewayicecenter

COOL OFF AT THE RINK
Don your cold weather clothes and venture over to the Gateway Ice Center where the temperature is 50 degrees every day! This ice rink is a first class ice skating facility and a great place to cool off and have some fun. It offers public skating sessions every weekday all summer long. Learn to skate lessons are available for first-time skaters ages 4 and up on Wednesday at 6:10 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 p.m. If you choose to be an observer, there’s a glass enclosed warm room available to watch the kids skate. Visit www.gatewayicecenter.com for public session times.

General admission for kids age 13 and over is $7.50, children 12 and under $6.50, skate rental is an extra $4.50. Gateway Ice Center is located at 2473 N. Marks Avenue in Fresno. 559-277-2233

Maximum-Paintball-500

PLAY SOME BALL!
Are you up to the challenge? Play a game of paintball at Maximum Paintball TheField located at 1707 W. Jensen Avenue in Fresno. Players must be at least 10 years old and in fair physical condition.  A parent or guardian must sign a waiver for anyone under 18 years of age.
 Maximum Paintball is open every Saturday and Sunday. 222-3814 www.maximumpaintballsupply.com

Children's Museum of the Sierra Carnival 2016

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE SIERRA IN OAKHURST
Your kids will enjoy this discovery museum for young people ages 2-12 where they can explore, imagine, create, make choices and learn by doing. The hands-on exhibits teach scientific principles and allow children to learn about the world around them through dramatic play and artistic expression.

The Children’s Museum of the Sierra is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $6 per person, children under 2 are admitted free. It is located at 49269 Golden Oak Drive, Suite 104, in Oakhurst. 559-658-5656

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