Mills Park (East Side) - Carson City

I think most people know about Mills Park here in Carson City. It's huge! It's full of beautiful green lawns, big shade trees, and a meandering stream. Some of the biggest events of the year are hosted here.
Even so, I think this park is SO big that some of us (ME!) don't even know everything it has to offer! Did you know it has 2 playgrounds? A skate park? A mini railroad (that you can actually ride)? I have to admit I didn't until we'd been here in town for almost a whole year. Check out my first post about this park and you'll see I missed a few things! And things have changed a little bit since then too!

Nevada Beach - Lake Tahoe

 Nevada Beach was the first Tahoe beach we visited as a family, and we've been back many times since. If you want to enjoy a day at the lake this might be just the place for you! You certainly can't beat the view!

Dayton State Park - Dayton

I think of myself as a person who is generally positive. I try to find the good in things around me. I don't know if I was having an off day the day we visited Dayton State Park though, because I have to honest. We didn't find much to redeem this location. As much as I'd love to try to paint a rosy picture for you, the goal of all of this writing is to provide you with accurate information, so here you go! 

Ft. Churchill State Park - Silver Springs

Back in June we decided to take advantage of Discover Nevada State Parks Day (which means free admission to all NV state parks) and explore Ft. Churchill State Park. We tend to have a soft spot in our hearts for places like this since my husband and I worked at a similar historic site in Arizona the summer after we got married. It was fun to see how similar the two sites are.

Scheels - Sparks/Reno

After barely leaving the house for WAY too long thanks to all the snow lately, we decided to take advantage of the glorious sunshine on Saturday to head up to Reno for the day. We knew we wanted to visit the Discovery Museum again (they have a great new exhibit perfect for school age kids), but we also wanted to visit somewhere new. A few minutes on Google gave us the idea of going to visit Scheels and it did NOT disappoint! 

Exploring Genoa Nevada

The other day we were looking for something to do to get us all out of the house. We decided to spend the day exploring the town of Genoa, Nevada. It's one of our favorite places around here, but we've always gone down there to visit specific places or attend specific events. This time we just wanted to explore. 

Mormon Station State Park - Genoa

We love the little town of Genoa, Nevada and find every excuse we can to head that direction. While the town actually has several fun shops, eateries, a park, and more to enjoy, I think it would be safe to say the main attraction is Mormon Station State Park.

Santa Train 2018 - Carson City

One really fun thing we did at Christmas time in 2018 was to take our kids to ride the Santa Train at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. We had so much fun, and the kids are already asking if we'll go back next year.

Eagle Lake - Desolation Wilderness

When I asked around on various local Facebook pages for kid-friendly hiking suggestions, the trail to Eagle Lake got mentioned more than once. I did a quick google search and immediately knew this one needed to go on our to-do list! It took us two tries to actually do this hike due to the high levels of traffic in the area, but we're so glad we didn't give up! Luckily, while Emerald Bay drives a lot of traffic to that stretch of road, the actual hiking trail up to the lake is comparatively empty. 

Jump Around Carson (JAC) Bus Rides - Carson City

I tell you what; you know you (and your kids) are bored and tired of being trapped in the house by poor air quality when you decide to do something crazy like go for a joy-ride on the local public transit system, the Jump Around Carson bus. :) It actually turned out to be a fun way to get out, see the town, and not break the bank. If your kids are crazy about any kind of large vehicle then this might be a fun treat for them, and it's so easy for you! I'll share a few useful details below.

Sand Harbor - Lake Tahoe State Park

We went up the mountain to Tahoe a few times in the late Spring/early Summer right after we moved here, but we've been avoiding it all summer. Why? Because we just don't do crowds. I don't want to fight for a parking spot, then fight for a spot on the beach, and have to spend my whole day trying to keep track of my kids among tons of people. Recently though we learned the trick to enjoying Tahoe, even during the busy summer months. I'm sad we didn't learn this sooner, but at least we'll know for next year!

Nevada State Museum - Carson City

Always on the lookout for something fun, we were super excited to go check out the Nevada State Museum! We'd been meaning to go for a while, but what got us over there was when we found out they run the coin press one day a month. Our kids have been very interested in money (and how it's made) lately, so this was a perfect fit for our little family. Plus there's a real mammoth skeleton there, so what's not to love? 

The Children's Museum of Northern Nevada - Carson City

We are big fans of Children's Museums. We have been to several, in multiple states, and they are always a great way to spend a day with the kids! This one is not huge, but they have tried really hard to pack every corner with something great for a variety of ages. 

Spooner Lake and Backcountry - Lake Tahoe State Park

Okay guys! This little lake is SO beautiful! We spent Memorial Day enjoying some family time and the great outdoors hiking at this lovely little lake. If you're looking for a good, kid-friendly hike this might be just the place for you. 

Full Steam Ahead, Wabuska Depot - Carson City

Whether you are a train enthusiast, or just looking for a fun weekend activity, this is SO much fun! We headed down to the Wabuska train depot today for a ride on a train pulled by a historic steam locomotive. Oh my goodness, this might just be our new favorite way to spend the day as a family!

Nevada State Railroad Museum - Carson City

 I had planned to spend last week exploring as many local parks as we could find, but the weather wasn't terribly cooperative. We woke up to a gray rainy day and grumpy kids and NEEDED out of the house. In desperation I put everyone in the car and headed to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. I had no idea if this was going to be a kid-friendly location, but it was inside and not too expensive, so we went for it. Now we can't wait for the weekend to go back and take Daddy with us!

Washoe Lake State Park

Last weekend we were looking for things to do and saw that there was an event that would allow us to get into Washoe Lake State Park without having to pay the normal Day Use Fees. We're all about cheap/free family fun, so we piled in the car and headed that direction.  We were not disappointed!