Good question. If you have any ideas, write me. I'm still trying to figure it out. For teens, I think they feel it's more important who they're with, rather than where they're going. However, here are some favorite hangouts and activities for teenagers in the area:

• Any place where their parents aren't around. Teens would have more fun with their friends in an empty parking lot than with their parents at Disney World. The concern for parents is to make sure their teens don't get into trouble. That's easier said than done.
• Any shopping mall. In the South Bay and Peninsula, the major ones are the Great Mall of the Bay Area in Milpitas; Valley Fair, Eastridge, Almaden Plaza, and Oakridge in San Jose; The Outlets at Gilroy; Sunnyvale Town Center in Sunnyvale; Vallco Fashion Park in Cupertino; San Antonio Shopping Center in Mountain View; Westgate Mall in Saratoga; the Pruneyard in Campbell; Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto; Hillsdale Shopping Center in Daly City; Tanforan Park Shopping Center in San Bruno; The Island in San Mateo; Serramonte Center in Daly City; Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco. In the East Bay, there's Newpark Mall in Newark, Bayfair Mall in San Leandro, Eastmont Mall in Oakland, Southland Mall in Hayward, Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, Hilltop Mall in Richmond, Sun Valley Mall in Concord, County East Mall in Antioch, and Solano Mall in Fairfield. In the North Bay, there's Northgate Mall in San Rafael and Coddington Regional Shopping Center in Santa Rosa. New ones are popping up all the time. See here for transit directions. See here for mall locations. Malls are relatively safe places, except for the danger that your teens may spend all their (your) money.
• Great America, Santa Clara. This is the biggest theme park in Northern California. It is similar to Magic Mountain in Southern California. It is more of a thrill ride park than a dark ride park like Disneyland. Every year they seem to add a new giant ride to challenge your stomach. Conveniently accessible by VTA Light Rail or from Hwy 101, it is easy for teens to get to. A lot of Silicon Valley kids have season passes and spend many summer days there with their friends. It has roller coasters, water rides, carnival games, video arcades, live shows, and an Imax movie theater. There are also plenty of rides for little kids. Adults like to see the shows and ride some of the more sedate rides, so this is a place for the whole family.


• Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.- this is one of the most popular places for Silicon Valley teens and families to go on hot summer days. Hwy 17 turns into one long traffic jam as they stream over the Santa Cruz Mountains heading for the beach and the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is a long amusement park along a mile-long beach, between the San Lorenzo River and the Santa Cruz Wharf. It has rides for all ages, from kiddie rides to the famous Giant Dipper roller coaster. There's an indoor miniature golf course and plenty of arcades and carnival games. It has a traditional outdoor carnival atmosphere, like a county fair or Coney Island. It is a state historic landmark. Its carousel dates back to 1911, and the wooden Giant Dipper dates back to 1924. Both are National Historic Landmarks. The park has been operating for almost a century. The nearby beach is another plus. The water is warm for Northern California. Little kids can wade by the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. Free concerts are given in a bandstand on the beach.


• Marine World, Vallejo - This was once primarily a combination zoo and sea-life park, but under Six Flags management, it has become a thrill-ride amusement park, rivalling Great America. (Six Flags also runs Magic Mountain in Valencia.) It was always a great family park, especially for little kids. They liked looking at the animal shows, riding on the small kiddies rides, and playing in its big playground. It was a little tame for teens, though. With the addition of the thrill rides, this has changed. The animals are still there -- whales, dolphins, sea lions, sharks, lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, etc., but now they've added some state-of-the-art thrill rides. An example of one of their newest rides is the Vertical Velocity, which shoots rides up a twisting vertical tower. Marine World was also famous for their exciting water ski shows, which they still have (see picture below):


• Water theme parks (see my page for school-age kids and my "Best Places to Go Swimming" page).
• Any arcade. They're everwhere. There's a big new high-tech arcade, the Airtight Garage, at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk has several large arcades. Pier 39 has a big one, but it's not cheap. The remaining Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatres were known for their arcades, though they're geared more for smaller kids. My kids' school had their senior grad night at Camelot Park in Livermore, which has a big arcade and miniature golf. See here for pictures of it.One of my son's favorite places is Nickel City in San Jose, where games are only a nickel (or multiple nickels).  Many of the miniature golf places below also have arcades.


• Miniature golf - Some places are Malibu Castle in Redwood City; Golfland in San Jose, Milpitas, Castro Valley, Stockton, and Sunnyvale; Camelot Park in Livermore; and Karts 'N Golf in Fremont. See here for more listings.


• Any movie theater. Cinema multiplexes are teen heaven. They can spend all day there. Every city has them. Check your newspaper. Drive-in theaters are becoming an endangered species. The Capitol Drive-In in San Jose is one of the last.
• Concerts -- Teens love music, which their parents typically can't stand. Concert venues are all over the Bay Area. Check your local newspaper. One popular place for concerts in the South Bay is Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View:


• Beaches -- The Bay Area's beaches are not just for swimming and surfing, but for teens to meet and hang out with each other. The most popular beaches in the South Bay are in the Santa Cruz area. Hwy 17 on a hot summer weekend is one long traffic jam as kids heads for the beach. In San Francisco, it's Ocean Beach and Baker Beach. On the Peninsula, it's probably San Gregorio State Beach. In the North Bay, it's Stinson Beach. In the East Bay, it's Crown Memorial Beach. See my Favorite Beaches page for some other beaches. See the California Beaches Travel Guide.
• Museums -- It's a lot harder to drag teenagers to museums than pre-teens, but they may need to go to help with their school projects. Many of them are fun places to go with their friends, and since they are relatively safe places, you know your teens are not likely to get into trouble (as long as they don't cause trouble). See the list of museums in my page for school-age kids.
• Sporting events -- the Sharks at the San Jose Arena, the 49'ers at Candlestick, the Giants at PacBell Park, the Oakland Raiders and A's at the Oakland Colliseum, and the Warriors at the Oakland Arena. There are also minor league sports--the San Jose Giants minor league baseball team, the San Jose Sabrecats arena football team, and the San Jose Earthquakes and CyberRays soccer teams. There are also the college teams--Stanford, Cal Berkeley, San Jose State, Santa Clara U, San Francisco State, USF, Sonoma State, Hayward State, St. Mary's, etc.
• Racing -- Teenage boys like to watch auto racing. For that, there's Sears Point International Raceway near Sonoma, Altamont Raceway near Tracy, Watsonville Speedway, Antioch Speedway, Stockton 99 Speedway, and Laguna Seca near Monterey. They can go miniature car racing at Malibu Grand Prix in Redwood City, Karts 'N Golf in Fremont, and Camelot Park in Livermore. Editorial: Do not get your teen a motorcycle! My kids' orthopedist has a sign on his wall that says, "Get your son a motorcycle for his LAST birthday."


• Competitive sports: baseball, football, hockey, basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, etc. These are sports that teens can participate in. Usually these are organized through the schools or local clubs. As parents, your role is to pay for the equipment, provide transportation to the events, and cheer for your kids.
• Outdoor sports: hiking, bicycling and mountain biking, skateboarding, inline skating,  rock climbing, kayaking, whitewater rafting, water skiing, hunting, fishing, sailing, camping, swimming, diving, surfing, windsurfing, and snow skiing/snow boarding. Again, the parents' role is to provide funding, guidance, and transportation, more than direct participation. A good place to go for resources is a sporting goods store, like Big 5, Sportsmart, Any Mountain, REI, and Mel Cotton's in San Jose. Some links:
• Sports & Outdoor Activities for Kids, Teens & Families in the San Francisco Bay Area
• GORP: Great Outdoor Recreation Pages
• Bay Area Bicycling
• Bay Area Hiking
• Best Places to Go Swimming in Northern California
• Bay Area Climbing
• Castle Rock - Sandstone Bouldering in the Santa Cruz Mountains
• Great Kahuna - Inline skating in the Bay Area
• Skating unrinked
• College Tours -- The ultimate goal for every parent is to have their kids go to college and get a good career. Teens need to start thinking about college in the junior and senior years of high school, but it's never to early to start. A good way get teens excited about going to college is to tour college campuses. This can be fun because colleges are neat places with lots of activities going on. See my California College Tour pages. If you take a tour of UCSB, you can make it a family vacation.


• More links:
• Great Ideas, Information and Links from Parents' Press & Parent.TEEN
• CA Outdoors - Amusement Parks and Attractions (mostly Southern Cal)

Ron Horii, San Jose
Created 10/6/97. Last update: 8/5/01.