Turlock, a rural, central California town with a population of more than 70,000 people, is home to California State University Stanislaus. The town offers a range of activities for families to enjoy, such as the municipal pool and local skate park. Both residents and visitors may enjoy a family-friendly trip the Stanislaus County Fair or to the Turlock State Recreation Area for hiking, boating and blackberry picking.
Turlock's Recreations Department provides a pool for local swimmers to splash and play. Parents can relax in the pool while children enjoy a game of Marco Polo. Pools are open for recreational use at Turlock and Pitman High Schools and at Columbia Park on 595 High Street after June 21st of each year. Access to the pool is $1 per person per day. Families can purchase season swim passes for $40 per person. Saturday swims at Columbia Park are $5 for the entire family. Children under 6 years of age swim free.
Turlock offers 24 recreational parks, including a skate park located at 250 Starr Avenue, for families with children. The skate park features 28 skating elements, including a four-foot half-pipe, rails, a five-foot quarter-pipe and two spines. No pads are required to skate at the park. The park also features security lights and security cameras as well as picnic tables, shade trees and restroom facilities. Skateboardpark.com gave the park a 7 out of 10 rating for overall fun for intermediate-level skaters. Parents of the skateboard generation will enjoy this park with their young skaters.
Held every summer at the county fairgrounds at 900 N. Broadway in Turlock, the Stanislaus County Fair features a horse show and a motor sports rodeo. Clint Black is slated to headline the concert line-up for the 2011 fair. Both parents and kids will enjoy the carnival rides and funnel cakes available at the fair. This year's kids night will be June 21, 2011, where children 12 and younger enter the fair for free. Check out the fair's Rainforest Adventure interactive exhibit to see sloths, chameleons and honey bears (kinkajous).
Located on Camp Road off of Yosemite Boulevard (Highway 132), Turlock Lake offers visitors activities such as fishing, hiking, boating and water skiing. Families may enjoy camping beneath the stars on cool summer nights or hiking along the Tuolomne Trail, a 0.5 mile trail that starts at an unmarked trailhead at Campsite 6. Hikers may run across remnants of gold mining activity left by the La Grange Dredging Company. Wild grapes and blackberries also grow along the river and are perfect for picking.
Located about 10 miles from Turlock in Modesto, Calif., Boomers Park offers a variety of activities for families, such as laser tag, bumper boats, rock wall climbing, mini golf, video games and Go-Karts. A variety of ticket specials are available for four- to six-hour access to the major attractions. Tickets are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for $12, and unlimited play tickets for Saturdays and Sundays cost $21.
