Theme & Amusement Parks in Sonoma

Even before you climb inside, the GoCar is clearly a car with a personality. The petite, three-wheeled two-seater has a hood that slightly resembles an eager-to-please smiley face, and an open top that seems custom-made for letting the breeze ruffle your hair. Then the real fun begins: built with the company's own software and a compassion for the voiceless robots of America, a talking GPS system guides two-seater GoCars through the city streets of San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon with cheerful, info-rich narration. Second only to having a knowledgeable local jog alongside your minivan, tours zip along at drivers' own pace and accommodate as many pit stops as time allows.

In addition to leading circus classes for adults and children of various experience levels, the specialists at Trapeze Arts also manufacture custom circus equipment. At their 10,000-square-foot Oakland facility, they perform firsthand research to create solutions for high-flying performers.

The team has built equipment for Cirque du Soleil, UniverSoul Circus, Flynn Creek Circus, Jean Ann Ryan Productions, and several other professional performing companies. At their own facility, they teach students to use the flying trapeze, trampolines, hoops, silks, ropes, tightwires, unicycles, and juggling implements to increase confidence and babysitting abilities. Trapeze Arts has had such success imparting the aerial arts that several of their alumni are currently performing for Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

Scandia Family Fun Center flings open the doors to youthful fantasy in a lush space that has continued to blossom since opening day in 1988. Much of the management has been on staff for more than 15 years, evincing a love of fun that is reflected in the manicured grounds and impressive wealth of games. Juniper and magnolia trees shade shingled cottages and castles rise from mossy rocks on the two 18-hole mini-golf courses. The sounds of splashing and laughter indicate both the birth of another pirate and a direct hit from a Blaster boat's front-mounted water cannon, backdropped by go-karts rumbling on the Li’l Indy Raceway and bats cracking in the batting cages. Inside, the arcade illustrates the evolution of gaming with more than 150 machines. A limited-edition Tron pinball machine crowns the collection of vintage games, and modern play is represented with multiplayer dance simulators, Quadair hockey tables, and cinematic experiences such as Terminator: Salvation, which screens on a 100-inch monitor. Visitors who left their pizza-flavor chew toys at home can check out Scandia's Viking Pizza.

When the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in October 2012, they did it with the unlikeliest of good luck charms: a baby françois’ langur. The tiny monkey had been born at the San Francisco Zoo, and its arrival coincided with a winning streak for the Giants. In honor of this serendipitous connection, the zoo named the orange-headed monkey Romo, after the relief pitcher who clinched the World Series championship. Today, guests to the San Francisco Zoo can visit Romo and several of her monkey buddies at the Doelger Primate Discovery Center, which is just one of dozens of meticulously crafted animal exhibits.

Amid verdant city parks and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the zoo has been a part of the San Francisco community since it opened in 1929. Nearly 700 species of animals crawl, swim, and fly over its nearly 100 acres. Visitors traversing the space can explore elaborate exhibits and attempt to telepathically communicate with anything from birds and reptiles to invertebrates and mammals, including hippos, polar bears, and big cats.

One of the zoo’s most impressive habitats is the 3-acre African Savanna, which recreates a sprawling natural environment for free-roaming giraffes, zebras, kudu, and ostriches. Nearby, lemurs swing and leap through the treetops inside one of the country’s largest outdoor lemur habitats. In the Hearst Grizzly Gulch, panes of transparent plexiglas separate visitors from enormous Montana-born grizzly bear sisters Kachina and Kiona.

Founded by three Scandinavian families in 1977, Scandia Family Fun Center flings open its doors and invites families in for afternoons of youthful fantasy. Manicured hedges and lush green mounds dot the center’s challenging miniature golf course, while go-karts rumble past on the Stockholm Raceway. The sounds of splashing and laughter not only indicate the birth of a pirate, but also a gentle collision between Baltic Sea bumper boats, accompanied by the crack of speeding baseballs and softballs at the batting cages. The center’s Scandia Screamer lifts passengers 165 feet into the air before accelerating to speeds of 65 mph, while the Swedish Scrambler opts for a more amenable 25 mph. Visitors can also exercise their opposable thumbs at a fully-stocked arcade, visit Scandia's snack bar brimming with pizza, hot dogs, and churros.

For nearly four decades, the Parks and Good families have tilled the fields and nurtured the trees of Victorian Tree Ranch, brightening up holidays with Douglas firs, Silvertips, and cedar garlands. Family members labor alongside each other as they work to make the tree ranch more sustainable, letting laying hens coop among the trees to fertilize the plants. Visitors dive head-first into holiday spirit as they peruse the rows of conifers, sip complimentary apple cider, munch on homemade pumpkin bread, and enjoy the company of snowmen. Customers can also take refuge form the cold in the warming hut.