Our trip to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens in Claremont came at the invitation of my friend Debi at GoExploreNature.com – although she doesn’t admit to being seen with us in her post about it.  We met up in the Claremont Village (Yale Street and surroundings) for a bite to eat and then headed off to the gardens to explore.  I thought this place would be little and it would take a couple hours.  Boy, was I wrong!  It’s massive (over 80 acres) and in three hours we only covered the first half, and not fully.

Leave lots of time to explore this “wonderland” because it truly is a beautiful place to wander.

SO many flowers were blooming on our trip at the end of April. The colors were incredible.  There were fields of these Purple Irises:

Check out these coral bells!

The bugs were such a great scavenger hunt for the kids.  In fact, Debi’s son made up a scavenger hunt with check boxes based on the map.  Tooooo cute.  My daughter and him led the search.

You’ll see real butterflies, dragonflies, turtles, and birds.  Couldn’t believe I caught this little guy on my camera!

Finally, there are shaded paths with oaks and solitude.

You must go visit!

Checklist:

• Official Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens website
• Visit the Claremont Village website to plan a visit to the charming downtown area
• Claremont McKenna College also has a guide to restaurants, cafes, and bakeries
• Read Debi’s post on our trip (her youngest is younger than mine)
• Could get really hot during the summer — bring water
• Definitely bring a stroller for kiddos who get tired feet
• There are bathrooms spread out all along the property
• It only took us about 45 minutes to get there (a perfect day trip)
• We took the 57 to the 10 to get there (Indian Hill Blvd.) – directions and map
• David Rogers’ Big Bugs are only there through July 15th (don’t miss them)

Do you know why I love Mother’s Day and holidays and vacations? Because I give myself permission to play.  What if you gave yourself permission to play EVERY day?

Natural Graffiti

• Write “nature notes” to yourself or your loved ones with shells, rocks, sticks. Write in the sand, in the snow, in the mud.
• Stack rocks to see how they balance.
• Build sand castles.

Noticing

• Notice colors, patterns, and dew drops in nature – feel like the world is bigger than you

Find Your Place

• Mine is the beach. With kids or without – I relax. I find peace. I slow down.
• I see the reflections and it reminds me to reflect.

Start today and make it every day — whether it’s 30 seconds or an hour or the whole day. Let your mind wander and let yourself surrender to moments of play.

Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary and Natural Science Center is at the end of Modjeska Canyon.  We went on a foggy day which suited me well because I’m always cautious about rattlesnakes.  I imagined it to be a dry, wide open space with a lake.  It turned out to be a quaint tree covered nature path around a pond tucked up in the canyon.  Perfect for birdwatching!

Directions to Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary: From Santiago Canyon Road, turn onto Modjeska Canyon Road and drive back into the canyon.  Bear to the left at the fork with Modjeska Grade Road and wind your way up to the nature center on the left with the main outdoor portion on your right. MAP TO TUCKER WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Highlights:

• The natural science center holds all sorts of exhibits to see, hear, feel and touch.  There are animals to see, drawers to pull out, coloring projects to complete, and owl pellets to dissect.  It’s a small space, but holds lots to discover.
• Great hummingbird spotting right outside the nature center.  I stood at the window to the gift shop and watched them come to the feeders outside.
• You’ll find a nice selection of nature books in the gift shop.

• Head outside, there’s a short interpretive nature trail right outside the nature center with native plants and a little loop appropriate for toddlers. The path is paved.
• Head past the nature trail and turn left up the dirt fire road to walk a bit steeper and more wild loop up the hill toward with views of the water tower.  This is where I’d keep an eye out for snakes on hot days. (Not appropriate for strollers, but short enough that it would work for young kids.)  We saw lots of wildflowers blooming on our walk

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• Then we came back down the hill to enter the main outdoor sanctuary.  There is lots to see here!  I’ll keep it a bit of a mystery so you can discover for yourself.  Just keep an eye out for birds and make sure you check the telephone poles for woodpeckers.  There’s a special spot for doing this on the trail.  There’s also a special spot for accessing the creek at the very top of the property — look for it.

Be Aware:

• Due to budgetary concerns, the on-site bathrooms were closed. They directed us to visit the park down the street where a portable toilet is located.
• Parking could be tight if the sanctuary is holding a special event.   People park here to head out on the trails, as well as visit the nature center.  Probably busier on weekends.  There is parking past the center and a turnaround so you can head home facing the right direction.
• Drive carefully through the canyon. In many places there is only room for one car and it’s a small neighborhood – so there may be kids or pets in the road.
• Maybe it was because of the weather, but there is a quiet feel to the place.  I think it’s because there are a lot of bird watchers and wildlife to see — so everyone was quiet to entice the wildlife to show themselves.
• It can be hot in the canyons during the summer.

Checklist:

• Parking along the road and a few spots right across from the center.
• Picnic tables right outside the nature center.
• Bathrooms closed at the time of writing this post – use the restrooms at the park down the street.
• Most of it is stroller-friendly, but the paths are so short you probably won’t need your stroller.
• Official website: Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary

Park travel guides are popping up all over the place for families looking to explore parks all over the USA. My favorite park websites will always be the local park and playground bloggers who really know their stuff, but each of these sites has something to offer park lovers.  Wanna see what you’re missing?

1. KaBOOM’s Map of Play – The first park map I discovered back in 2008 that was recording playgrounds on a national scale. They’ve been working for over a decade to map play places and ensure every child has a playground within walking distance.

2. Oh, Ranger! / L.L. Bean Park Finder – Where you can “search thousands of public parks and lands.”  It’s from the American Park Network which claims to be “America’s leading publisher of visitor guides for national parks for more than two decades.”

3. U.S. National Park Service Find a Park – Guide to national parks brought to you by the official National Park Service.

4. Park Visitor – Search state parks with reviews powered through social media, users, and park experts.

5. The North Face – Explore Your Parks – Partners with state parks near 7 metro cities.

6. Nature Find – Licenses park information to a number of organizations and websites, such as the National Wildlife Federation’s Nature Find.

7. Nature Rocks! Find Nature – I’m a volunteer ambassador for this website which offers ideas for connecting kids with nature, as well as a national database of places to find nature.

8. Mom Maps / Kids Play Guide – Mom Mappers contribute park and kid-friendly location content to this Kids Play Guide.

9. Kids Play Parks – “Your guide to finding parks for parents and kids” on a national level written in directory style.

10. Accessible Playgrounds – Mara keeps a directory of accessible playgrounds across the nation.

BONUS: Nature Valley Trail View
Awesome movies from the trails of 3 national parks!

Happy searching!

Note: I may have partnered in some way with some of the companies or individuals that power some of these sites. However, I’ve never received any compensation beyond a “thank you” or $20 iTunes gift card for my contributions.

Nature is in bloom all around us this spring. I’m watching our school garden blossom and had the pleasure of seeing baby chicks and ducks.  I hope you are getting outside to enjoy it all.  Here are 5 nature things to do in spring:

1. Roll down a grassy hill: Try Heritage Park in Dana Point, Crown Valley Community Park in Laguna Niguel, Roland Bigonger Park in Yorba Linda, Ridgecrest Park in Aliso Viejo – or your favorite hilly park.

2. Notice wildflowers and bring native plants into your yard: OCParks.com has a beautiful Wildflowers blog which will help you to identify what you see on the trail or at the park.  Tree of Life Nursery on Ortega Highway has a beautiful selection of native plants to attract local wildlife into your garden.  Back to Natives is another great local resource.

3. See baby animals: Centennial Farm in Costa Mesa posts when baby farm animals are born, but if you keep your eyes out you’ll see ducklings in the wild.  There are all sorts of “bird cams” to check out: bald eagles at Santa Cruz and Catalina Island, peregrine falcons in San Francisco , and owls at Starr Ranch.

4. Hug a tree: Visit the Fullerton Arboretum or LA Arboretum.

5. Watch a sunset: My regular readers know this is a personal favorite.  Any beach or high point will do, but here are 3 of my favorite places to watch sunsets.