Hi neighbor,
Woah, it’s hot!
It seems the pools are now closed during the week and some activities have shifted hours with the new school year — but there’s still plenty to do.
Here are some fun ways your family can beat the heat this week.
Water play to cool off outdoors
Many of the splash pads are still open, though some have shifted their hours a bit:
Meadow Homes Spray Park (Concord). Open 3–6pm Monday through Friday and 12–6pm weekends and holidays, through September 27. Free.
The Grove (Clayton). Open 9am–7:30pm daily, through October 1. Free.
Hap Magee Ranch Park (Danville). Open weekdays 12–6pm and weekends 10am–6pm through October 1. Free.
Sycamore Valley Park (Danville). Open weekdays 12–6pm and weekends 10am–6pm through October 1. Free.
A few pools are still open on weekends, for now:
Clarke Memorial Swim Center (Walnut Creek) is open for recreational swimming on Saturdays and Sundays from 12–5pm. $6–8 per person.
Castle Rock (Walnut Creek) is open on weekends and holidays from 11am–6pm through September 27. $3–5 per person.
Rankin Aquatic Center (Martinez) is open Saturday and Sunday from 12–5pm through this weekend (September 13). $5–7 per person.
Indoor play to burn some energy
We have some great indoor options in our area for the days when the kids need to burn off energy, but the parents prefer air conditioning:
Urban Air Adventure Park (Concord). Trampolines, obstacle courses, laser tag, a zip line, climbing walls, and more. Generally open weekday afternoons and weekends. Tickets are $23–45 per person, or you can get a membership.
Rockin' Jump (Concord). Trampolines. Open weekday afternoons as well as weekends. Passes are $15–30 per person.
Pump It Up (Concord). Bounce houses. Generally open for family jump on weekdays between 11am–2pm, except Tuesdays. $16–18 per child
Indoor games
Arcades or an escape room might be a better fit for the kids feeling zapped after a hot day at school or those who want to save their energy for sports practice:
Round1 (Concord): Bowling, karaoke, claw machines, and a huge arcade floor.
Dave & Buster's (Concord): Wall-to-wall games plus a full restaurant, so you can make an entire afternoon of it.
Chuck E. Cheese (Concord): Arcade games, trampolines, and an obstacle course.
The Flipper Room (Concord): More than 30 pinball machines and an art gallery. Bring quarters.
Cali Claw USA (Concord): Nothing but claw machines, and they'll let you trade up your prizes.
MarTEEnez Mini Golf & Arcade (Martinez): Indoor mini golf plus pinball and classic arcade games.
Phoenix Games (Concord): A video game store with a back room of pinball and classic arcade games.
ATG Escape Room (Concord). Four options to choose from, including one specifically for kids.
Red Door Escape Room (Concord). Seven options, children under 6 are free.
Arts and crafts
Air conditioning plus an art activity is a good mix during heat waves:
I Heart Art at the Pleasant Hill library. Wednesdays from 11–12 for the toddlers and 1:30–3:30 for school-age kids.
Thought Balloon Art Studio (Pleasant Hill): Pottery painting with walk-ins welcome. A $7 studio fee per person plus $10–$30 for your piece.
Color Me Mine (Walnut Creek): Pottery painting. Pay a $7–10 studio fee, plus the cost of the pottery.
Slime Kitchen (Pleasanton): Fully customized slime. $20–30 per slime.
A movie
Nobody ever regrets a matinee on a 100° day:
Cinemark Century Downtown Pleasant Hill. Cars (G), Coyote vs. Acme (PG), Paw Patrol (PG), and Spiderman (PG-13) are all playing this week.
Beauty and the Beast at the Walnut Creek library. Wednesday, September 9, at 4pm.
Free Movie Night at West Wind Solano Drive-In. Thursday, September 10, at 8pm.
And then there's ice cream
A frozen treat makes every hot day better:
CoCo Swirl (Pleasant Hill): A sweet little frozen yogurt and boba tea shop right downtown.
O'Brien's Ice Cream (Concord, Walnut Creek, Martinez): Over 50 flavors at each location, and the Martinez store is a drive-through.
The Market on Larkey (Walnut Creek): Our favorite local vegan coffee shop now serves Dole Whip cups and cones in several flavors, with toppings.
Where does your family go when it's too hot to be outside? Reply and let me know — I'm always looking for new places.
See you around town,
Jen
