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 or Malakoff Diggins State Park
- Check out the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
- Go for a hike along the Deer Creek Tribute 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 or Lola and Jack and make a homemade gift
- Go play games at Grass Valley Games in downtown Grass Valley
- Movies Under the Pines organized by the Nevada City Film Festival.
- Check out the Points of Historical Interest walking tour map of Nevada City or the tree tour
- Food Love Farm U Picks veggies
- Check out the local library reading programs and activities
- Go geo-caching
- Go to the kids climbing session at Gold Crush Climbing Gym
CLIMB ON GINORMOUS ROCKS AND SWIM AT THE RIVER
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
ENJOY MOVIE NIGHT AT THE CAMPGROUND
Friday and Saturday Evenings. Weather Permitting.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Great kid friendly hikes include: Buttermilk Bend, Hoot Trail and Deer Creek Tribute Trail. Or take the kids for a mountain bike ride at Hirschman Pond or visit the bike park at Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley.
SEASONAL SUMMER
Perhaps you’re looking for a summer camp, there are still lots of great programs happening, still time to check out the Food Love Farm day camps, Art classes, Fox Walkers or The Center for Arts programs. Or maybe your kids want to do a sleep over camp, check out Camp Augusta or Camp Woolman.
FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENTS
There are a lot of great kid friendly events during the summer season, stay tuned for when these events are back on schedule: Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival, 4th of July parade, Nevada City Summer Nights, Grass Valley Downtown Markets, First Friday Art Walk, California WorldFest, The Children’s Festival, The Sierra Storytelling Festival or the Nevada County Fair, the Miners Picnic at Empire Mine.
Or try one of the winter events: Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year Parade, Mardi Gras Parade.
Our favorite winter outdoor activities include: skiing, sledding, movies, hiking, Western Gateway Bike Park.
