Kid Friendly Activities
Kid friendly activities in Nevada City & Grass Valley, Empire Mine, Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, arts, events, festivals, County Fair, ice cream, swimming holes.
Start Here!
- Visit Empire Mine State Historic Park
- Check out the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
- Go for a hike along the Independence Trail, Buttermilk Bend or South Yuba Trail
- Visit Treats in Nevada City and try an exotic flavor of ice cream
- Visit the Pioneer Park swimming pool and playground
- Visit The Artist Workshop and make a homemade gift
- Visit 49er Fun Park and play mini golf, go karts, batting cages or the arcades.
- Summer Movies at the Del Oro for kids or the family friendly outdoor screening of Outdoor Family Films organized by the Nevada City Film Festival.
- Listen to one of the free outdoor concert band concerts by Nevada County Concert Band.
- Check out the Points of Historical Interest walking tour map of Nevada City or the tree tour
- Food Love Project U Picks veggies or Riverhill Farm UPick berries
- Go geo-caching
- Check out the local library reading programs and activities
Spring Activities
- Check out the tulips at Crystal Hermitage Gardens
- Go for a ride on the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum Railbus
- Take a hike along the Deer Creek Tribute Trail
- Visit one of the new playgrounds in Grass Valley
- Check out the spring programs at Fox Walkers
- Go camping at the Inn Town Campground
Water Activities
- Paddle Boarding on Scotts Flat Lake
- A few great South Yuba River swimming holes: Mountain Dog Swimming Hole, Edwards Crossing, Purdons Crossing, Hoyt’s Crossing, Mothers Beach, 49 Crossing. The most accessible for small children is definitely Bridgeport.
- Kayaking on Lower Scotts Flat Lake
- Pioneer Park Pool or Memorial Park Pool
- Go for a swim in one of the local lakes
- Go white water rafting with H20 Adventures
Outdoor Adventures
Great kid friendly hikes include: Independence Trail, Buttermilk Bend, Hoot Trail and Deer Creek Tribute Trail. Or Take the kids for a mountain bike ride at Hirschman Pond.
Jason Auld, owner of Mountain Recreation, loves taking his 3 kids outdoors during the summer season. “There are great flat water kayaking and SUP as a fun family friendly activity. Short distance backpacking is a great way to get kids outside and blow their minds with nature. Just need to focus on keeping it achievable, fun and interesting. Often you don’t need to hike in more than a mile or two to really feel like your way out there. The less taxing and grueling it is the more the kids will enjoy it.” Click here for information about their rental programs if you want to rent a SUP or kayak.
Seasonal Summer
Perhaps you’re looking for a summer camp, there are still lots of great programs happening, click here for a post from earlier this spring on the Summer Camp Fair, still time to check out the Gravity Camp, Food Love Farm day camps, Art classes, Fox Walkers or The Center for Arts programs. Perhaps you want to be creative, try stopping byThe Artist Workshop, either for a class or their drop in open session and leave with a new art project. While we’re not sure how many of these programs will happen in the summer of 2020, please bookmark these ideas for future adventures.
There are a lot of great kid friendly events during the summer season: Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival (June 18 – 21), 4th of July parade, California WorldFest (July 9 – 12), The Children’s Festival (Friday, July 17), The Sierra Storytelling Festival (July 17-19) or the Nevada County Fair (August 12-16), the Miners Picnic at Empire Mine (August 29). While most of the events are being postponed for 2020, please keep them in mind for future summer adventures.
Or try one of the winter events: Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year Parade, Mardi Gras Parade.
The Outside Inn’s blog, InnSide Nevada City, has some great posts on local hikes, cycling, SUP, rock climbing, swimming and more, so no mater what you want to do while in the Nevada City area, we’ve got ideas and suggestions.
