Blake Walsh

15 Best Things to Do with Kids in Visalia, CA

  • Published 2022/12/06

If you’re looking for a change of scenery with pristine skies, easy access to forest excursions, and kid-friendly activities, look no further than Visalia, California.

Visalia, one of California’s bustling communities in Tulare County, is proud of its setting in the foothills below the gorgeous Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Explore the breathtaking surroundings and appreciate this town’s unrivaled beauty, culture, and distinctive taste as a charming city.

This city has many great things to do, especially for kids.

Try seeing its historical sites, taking the family to outdoor parks and entertainment attractions, feasting on delectable food, strolling downtown, and even exploring mountainous areas.

The best things to do with kids in Visalia, California, are below, which will make you fall in love with this charming city.

See Great Shows at Visalia Fox Theatre

Exterior of the Visalia Fox Theatre

FinJoe / Shutterstock.com

Who said that theater is dull?

Marvel at the shows and architecture of the iconic Visalia Fox Theatre!

Visalia’s charming clock tower, which faces 60 diameters in various directions, will catch your attention as you stroll through the city.

Your family will be impressed by the theater’s Spanish-style exterior and Indian-inspired interior.

View of the Visalia Fox Theatre at night

Logan Bush / Shutterstock.com

You’ll have the impression of walking into a regal Indian palace as you enter.

See the temple pagodas nearby and a colossal genie perched above the proscenium.

Since it first opened in 1930, this theater has featured various genres, including comedy and children’s entertainment, like cartoons that your kids will adore.

Expect many other electrifying performances and films at the Visalia Fox Theatre.

Discover the Natural Beauty of Mooney Grove Park

Enjoy a day of adventure and learning about heritage, culture, and history while having fun at the oldest county park in California, Mooney Grove Park.

Enjoy the eye-catching, magnificent beauty of the oak tree at Mooney Grove, a well-known preserve site of giant oak trees.

Create cherished memories with your family by taking advantage of the park’s family-friendly recreational opportunities.

Go to the picnic spots, duck ponds, fishing in the lagoon, a kids’ play area, the End of Trail Statue, and a preserved 90-year-old treasure cabin log.

Your kids will spend a wonderful day playing on the 18-hole, 18-basket Perry Outback Disc Golf Course and three other play slides.

They’ll also enjoy the climbing structures scattered throughout the Children’s Play area.

While enjoying the sight of friendly ducks, find the perfect spot for your fishing activity at the lagoon.

Bring snacks and enjoy a warm lunch beneath a canopy of oak trees!

Have Fun at Visalia’s Adventure Park

Since 2004, Visalia’s Adventure Park has been recognized as the city’s best place to have fun.

Whether on land or water, this seven-acre amusement park offers a choice of reasonably priced fun activities for the whole family in addition to rides.

Display your inner arcade warrior while playing the newest high-tech games and win prizes with your kids.

At the park’s batting cages, your kids will also love throwing baseballs or softballs and be the top player.

Show off your driving prowess by hopping into a go-kart adventure in the Family Go Kart section.

If your family is looking for a fun and interactive challenge, try out their laser maze!

You’ll have to work together to find the key and money bag to escape the vault before time runs out.

Sequoia Adventure, a theme park with go-karts, bumper boats, mini golf, laser tag, and other attractions, awaits you at Visalia’s Adventure Park.

Fuel Your Kids’ Imagination at Sam B. Pena Planetarium

Visit the multimedia educational facility Sam B. Pena Planetarium for a realistic space experience.

The Secrets of Gravity at the Planetarium will captivate your youngsters with its exploration of the cosmos, the rules of physics, and the stars.

Become one of the 70 individuals to view the 30-foot Spitz dome screen and the brand-new full-dome with high definition and digital projection system at the planetarium and science center.

Your clever kids will like the James Webb Telescope’s special exhibition of breathtaking real-world images of space.

Enjoy your journey across the galaxy!

Explore the Mural Trail in Downtown Visalia

Explore local history and culture by following the mural trail around Downtown Visalia.

The heart of downtown and other parts of the city are covered in murals.

Some are painted by kids under the direction of art teachers, while others are commissions and paid by the Visalia Veterans Committee.

Your children will enjoy spotting some of their favorite anime, cartoons, and animal characters around the area.

Try some scavenger hunt-fire hydrant edition and find 25 fire hydrants painted for The Art of Fire program across the city.

Take family pictures and pose with your favorite images along the mural trail in downtown Visalia!

Check Out Plaza Park

Explore Plaza Park, the recreational and fishing paradise of this city.

The entire family will enjoy various outdoor activities at Visalia’s Plaza Park.

Your family will appreciate spending time together at either of the two available children’s facilities, seven picnic spots with a barbecue grill area, or open play space.

Try taking a stroll or a bike ride around the pond, and for added enjoyment, try fishing.

Rather than just meandering to the lagoons, use the Valley Oaks Golf Course, the eight lighted tennis courts, the softball fields, and the horseshoe courts.

You can bring your four-legged buddies if you’re traveling with them and allow them to take a vacation.

The Plaza Park Raceway, where your kids may enjoy racing on the Mini Dwarfs Track, is the most thrilling attraction here.

Enhance Your Children’s Imagination at Imagine U Children’s Museum

Bring your children to the Imagine U Children’s Museum for an exciting and instructive learning experience.

Your kids can engage in intercultural, hands-on learning in the sciences, environmental conservation, and arts at museums, which offers them a unique learning experience.

Your children will enjoy this exciting setting where they may learn new things and hone their talents through a 360-degree glass wall, enormous instruments to produce beautiful music, milking cows, and the other 12 accessible corners.

At Angela’s Castle Corner, your kids will also enjoy dressing as their favorite characters or the people doing their jobs.

They can experiment with slime, look for new organisms under a microscope, and make repairs with a diagnostic computer or a rolling toolbox.

They can also drive, fill up, or charge cars while helping at the service desk.

Any area of this paradise will be enjoyable for every family member.

Adults are welcome to join them as well.

Join your kids at the top of the Oak Tree Clubhouse by crawling and pulling.

Fun, hands-on, and interactive activities await you and your children at the Imagine U Children’s Museum!

Watch a Game at Visalia Rawhide Baseball Club

Visit Visalia Rawhide Baseball Club to watch a baseball game with your kids.

Join the crowd’s cheers as you watch your favorite team hit home runs and throw strikes in real time.

For a better viewing experience, pick your desired side area.

You can relax with tables and chairs under a ceiling fan in the shaded Red Zone area at the concession stand in the left field.

At their concession stand area, you can fill your belly with snacks like nachos, chicken strips, hot dogs, hamburgers and hotdogs, and street tacos.

These snacks come with unlimited 20-ounce sodas until the end of the seventh inning.

Have fun cheering and enjoy the heart-pumping game at the Visalia Rawhide Baseball Club!

Take a Walking Tour of the Visalia Farmers Market

Visalia Farmers Market is a place to go whether you’re looking for local food or craving food away from home.

Visalia’s Farmer’s Market has everything you need for immediate home cooking if your kids love eating homemade meals on vacation.

Besides farm-fresh products, expect homemade trinkets and food trucks from nearby restaurants.

Your kids and the entire family will enjoy all the stalls.

Here, you can find delightful blueberries and a variety of other treats that your family will genuinely enjoy.

Enjoy the day with the entire family at Visalia’s Farmer’s Market!

Show Your Game Face at Riverway Sports Park

There are several recreational opportunities for people of all ages at the 83-acre Visalia Riverway Sports Park.

Due to the abundance of sports fields, this location is a utopia where you won’t have trouble finding a place to play.

Your teenage kids will enjoy playing with other youngsters at basketball and volleyball courts, on soccer grounds, a diamond softball complex, and a diamond baseball complex.

Around the corner are three playgrounds and a picnic spot with shade where you may enjoy the snacks you prepared throughout the day.

You can join your kids as they enjoy the interactive water play feature at the Visalia Riverway Sports Park!

Nothing compares to a family having fun together!

Other Things to Do Nearby

The Gateway to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is a well-known moniker for Visalia.

Many travelers finish their journey to Sequoia National Forest by exploring Visalia.

It’s a terrific starting point for exploring California’s local attractions.

The following fantastic activities are a great choice to wrap up your Visalia Tour and make the most of your adventure.

Stroll around Kaweah Oaks Preserve

Welcome sign of Kaweah Oaks Preserve

Mychemicalromanceisrealemo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

With its historic atmosphere, the Kaweah Oak Preserve can be reached from Visalia after a nine-minute drive from Exeter, California.

The San Joaquin Valley’s final valley oak riparian woodlands are housed and protected within the 100-year-old Kaweah Oak Preserve.

The trail’s atmosphere makes it seem like you’re strolling through an old movie.

In this forest, approximately 300 different plant and animal species live, survive and breed.

Nature trail at Kaweah Oaks Preserve

Jamievontersch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

During your walk, the sight of a bobcat, a great horned owl, a Nuttall’s woodpecker, a wild grapevine, a willow tree, and a gigantic valley oak will astound your children.

Don’t forget to document your family’s trip in this 344-acre forest that is over 100 years old.

Enjoy your exciting and worthwhile family stroll!

Try Fruit Picking at Farmer Bob’s World at McKellar Family Farms

Have you tried to picture yourself living on a farm and picking your fruits before heading to your table?

Then you’re in for a treat because Farmer Bob’s World at McKellar Family Farms is only a 13-minute drive from Visalia to Ivanhoe, California.

On this tractor-pulled wagon, take your kids on a tour of this citrus ranch, which is home to orange groves.

Pick your oranges while taking in the fresh air at Farmer Bob’s World at McKellar Family Farms.

Farmer Bob’s farm exhibits, demonstration orchards, live animal watching, and photo opportunities are available for your family to enjoy.

Don’t forget to stop by the farm’s gift shop to get some goodies to take home.

Go on an Agventure at the International Agri-Center

After only a 20-minute drive from Visalia, the International Agri-Center will let you and your family travel through time.

Your children will enjoy a fun and instructive agricultural adventure at the International Agri-Center.

It offers opportunities to learn about the history of agriculture after engaging in hands-on exhibits, demonstrations, and activities.

The museum’s exhibit will astound your children by displaying different tractors, trucks, and farm machinery.

Introduce agriculture to your children so they can understand its significance in our lives.

Your family will witness several vintage and classic cars and some aircraft.

Take a Dip at Slick Rock Recreation Area

Daytime view of Slick Rock Recreation Area

Mariusz Lopusiewicz / Shutterstock.com

Cool off with your loved ones on a hot summer day by swimming in the clear waters at Slick Rock Recreation Area.

Slick Rock Recreation Area is a breathtaking natural site along Sierra Drive in Three Rivers, California, 28 minutes from Visalia.

This destination is perfect for people who love adventurous outdoor activities!

The waters of Slick Rock Recreation Area

Tami Crawford / Shutterstock.com

The boulders around Slick Rock Recreation Area are perfect for rock climbing, making it the go-to place for climbers who want to spend a day keeping active!

You could also take a quick dip in the scenic waters nearby and relax in the stunning landscape view.

Bring your loved ones and have fun at this excellent destination!

Explore the Children’s Storybook Garden & Museum

This literature-themed garden is in Hanford, California, 22 minutes from Visalia.

Spend a lovely day full of stories with your children at the Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum.

Kids will love reading fairy tales and other theme books inside these miniature houses in the garden.

You can join them and read some unique and entertaining stories at the Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum.

They will love participating in various educational courses, such as cooking, gardening, and painting in the garden, in addition to story reading.

Final Thoughts

Visalia promises a fun adventure with the whole family from all angles.

Explore the unbelievably big-size parks with different vibes and atmospheres and numerous engaging museums and attractions this city is proud of.

What are you waiting for?

Pin these best things to do with kids in Visalia, California, and experience its charming beauty, culture, and history.

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