I'm looking for a great sandy beach with mild waves to bring my nephew 7, son 6, and daughter 3 to for a day trip. We're in Antioch, hoping to avoid too far of drive. Bathrooms & other facilities would be a plus...any suggestions welcome!! Looking to entertain kids out for the summer!! :) Thanks!
I have not been there in a long time but what about taking them to Contra Loma??
J.,
The best actual beach is probably Stinson Beach. Very crowded on the weekends but better than SF beaches. Also in Pleasanton there is a place called Shadow Cliffs, it is a man made Lake but really great for the kids. Nice beachy area, shaded grassy areas and places to BBQ. A snack shack is open on the weekends and there are bathrooms available. It will cost a few dollars to park there. You can find info online for Shadow Cliffs. Growing up my favorite place to go was The Russian River up near Santa Rosa. Johnsons Beach near Guerneville is a rocky beach so water shoes are a must have, but there are bathrooms and a snack shack open 7 days a week with very good prices. You can rent umbrellas, chairs, canoes, kayaks, innertubes and all kinds of stuff for a truly fun filled day. The drive is about 1 1/2 hours from Concord so you can make it a day trip. There is a roped off area for smaller children and the river dam is up so it is a slow moving river shallow near the beach edge, but also nice and deep a short distance from the shore for those great swimmers.
Good Luck,
K.
We just went to Crab Cove in Alameda. The Visitors Center is open Wed - Sun. There's a beach and a grassy picnic area. My daughter's, 5 and 8, enjoyed playing in the waves. Lot's of pelicans, seagulls, and terns to watch. Some of the beach seemed dirty but it might have been stagnant water rather than anything worse. There's a breakwater that creates a cove. It was the cove part that seemed stagnant. Beyond the pier was a better beach. We went last week and it was 70 degrees there (with a wind) while it was 80 in pleasant Hill (where we live). Took about 20-30 mins to get there. No food available at the park but lot's of stuff in Alameda.
Hey J.,
Are you looking for an ocean beach or any beach? If the river works for you, you can try heading up to Rio Vista. There are quite a few beaches up that way, some with and some without bathrooms (but lots of bushes). My dad lives up there and I take my daughter all the time. There is also Brannen Island. Its a state park, a few bucks to get in, but they have bathroom, picnic areas, a swimming area. Just hop in highway 4, head over the Antioch Bridge, drive for a few miles, you will go over the 3 mile slough bridge and Brennen Island is right there off the freeway on the right. If you want to check out other free beaches keep going, make a left at the light. Go over the Rip Vista Bridge and and head towards the water. Just make sure they wear life Jackets! We take tubes and other float toys and rope, tie them to the beach. All the kids have a GREAT time. Let me know if you have more questions. ;o) Have fun
