Family Vacation Ideas and Help for Family Vacations

This program is tailored to visitors six and under and offered year-round for family travelers. Presented in front of The

Ahwahnee fireplace fall through spring, Wee Wild Ones moves to the outdoor amphitheaters at

Yosemite Lodge at the Falls and Curry Village in the summer. Yosemite-related themes such as

wildlife or geology are two of the popular topics covered. This family travel program takes place several times a

week and is 45 minutes long. Attendance averages eight to 15 people in the off-season and 30 to 50

people in the summer. (Note: These are the number of children, but parents love it too)

What makes for a better family vacation than sitting around a blazing fire under towering pines and granite cliffs? Yosemite provides the

 perfect setting for an old-fashioned campfire, complete with stories, activities, songs and marshmallows. This program started in 1999 and

has grown to five nights a week during the summer. The fire circle can accommodate 65 guests and is often sold out, so families are

 encouraged to book early. Program lasts 1½ hours. Cost is $5/person or a special $20/family rate is also available.

Wondering what to do at night? Starry Skies Over Yosemite takes visitors on a cosmic voyage from the

comfort of a Yosemite meadow. Participants look up at the brilliant sky while learning about the

heavens, Milky Way galaxy, comets, constellations, meteors, the moon and folklore. Offered at

Wawona once a week and in Yosemite Valley three nights a week, this program has grown in

popularity since its inception in 1999. Cost is $5/person or $20/family with 70 spaces available.

A blazing fire, good stories and a gorgeous setting lend themselves to this program in The A

hwahnee Great Lounge, offered winter and spring. Families, whether Ahwahnee guests or just visiting, will enjoy

this free pre-dinner activity as they stroll through the Great Lounge in the evenings. Attendance often

exceeds 40 participants.

During storytime, an interpreter reads a Yosemite-related story that is specifically geared to children 12

and under. Offered in partnership with the National Park Service and the Ansel Adams Gallery, this

program is offered three times a week. The location varies between the Curry Village Guest Lounge,

Degnan's Loft and the Ansel Adams Gallery porch.

This program takes place during winter holidays (Christmas, President's Day and Martin Luther King

weekends) at the Curry Village Guest Lounge. During this three-hour open house, DNC at Yosemite,

the National Park Service, Yosemite Institute and Ansel Adams Gallery offer storytelling, face painting,

Native American and Yosemite-related crafts, and winter ecology walks. This afternoon event is

extremely popular, with attendance averaging between 200-350 participants.

Many families, especially those living in urban areas, find a visit to a national park unfamiliar territory.

The Explore Yosemite Family Program provides a morning or afternoon session full of hands-on

activities that encourage family-member participation. Cultural and natural history information is

presented in a family-friendly way during a two-three mile walk. This program meets at Curry Village

Amphitheater and costs $12.50/child, $10/additional children and up to two parents are free. Any more

than two adults accompanying children will be charged $10. Each session is offered three times a week

and attendance is limited to 20 people. The Explore Program began in 1999 and is constantly evolving

to better meet the needs of families.

A new program offering for families during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, the Night Prowl is

sure to be a hit for kids of all ages. Join an interpreter for a short and easy stroll while discovering the

unique adaptations Yosemite wildlife employ to survive and thrive at night. This program is 1½ hours

long and offered once a week. Cost is $5/person or $20/family with 25 spaces available.

(published by the Yosemite Association) and completing the activities inside. The booklet is sold for

$4.95 plus tax at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, Nature Center at Happy Isles (May through

September), Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center (June through September), and Wawona and Big Oak

Flat Information Stations (May through September). In order to earn a Junior Ranger patch, children

must also attend a guided interpretive program and collect a bag of trash.

Little Cubs is a self-guided booklet that encourages children under age six and their families to discover

Yosemite's wonders and to earn a Little Cubs button. This booklet (published by the Yosemite

Association) is sold for $3 plus tax in the Nature Center at Happy Isles, Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne

Meadows Visitor Centers, and Wawona and Big Oak Flat Information Stations.

The Happy Isles Nature Center is geared toward kids, with dioramas of animals (including owls, spotted

skunks, weasels and bats) and hands-on exhibits of plants, trees and rocks in Yosemite. At the "scat"

exhibit, kids learn how to spot deer droppings, owl pellets, and bear, bobcat and coyote "scat" (poop).

The gift shop also has a large collection of children's books on Miwok tales, nature in Yosemite and

John Muir. Nearby are short trails focusing on the area's four different environments: forest, river, talus,

and fen. The Nature Center is open late spring to early fall, and admission is free.

In addition to the above children's programs, NPS interpretive rangers lead walks and talks on a variety

of family-friendly topics, including Bears, The Ahwahneechee Indians, Trees and Fire Ecology.

During the summer, the Sierra Club's LeConte Memorial also offers a variety of family-oriented

programs including sing-a-longs, crafts, night walks, storytelling, and nature walks that are well-suited

for children. These programs are free and offered June through August.