It was Day 8 of our Santa Cruz adventure.  Due to circumstances mostly beyond my control I needed a place to eat dinner at 6:45 pm.  The kids were cranky and exhausted.  My husband was out eating with friends.  I was desperately seeking a place that was so entertaining that the little ones would behave themselves well enough that we wouldn’t be kicked out!

I found my oasis in the town of Capitola, California.   I headed to the Train Place Deli hoping that the mesmorizing sight of model trains would calm my rowdy crew.  Well, as you can see from the pictures below, the kids were still pretty rowdy, but the gracious service and fascinating trains did put everyone in a better mood.

Tired, but Happy at the Train Place Deli

The hardworking owners of the Train Place Deli welcomed us fifteen minutes before closing, patiently took my children’s order,  (A five year old can be pretty undecided at 7pm), and even treated us to some extra cookies.  My Italian Special was delicious and included: a huge salami sandwich, pasta salad, and a drink.  Each kids meal came with a big cookie which made everyone happy.

All Aboard at the Train Place Deli

Thomas Steams Along at the Train Place Deli

 If you are looking for more train adventures, this week we also took the beach train at Roaring Camp in Felton, Ca and visited Sonoma’s Traintown a very affordable train adventure.

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Happy Trails,

Bridget

Yesterday we had the chance to ride the Roaring Camp Big Trees Railroad with some friends down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  Afterwards crossed over into Henry Cowell State Park and walked their loop trail through the redwoods.  We all started out a bit grouchy.  I had left my backpack  containing video camera at the beach.  Jared, my youngest was exhausted and threw a tantrum at the beginning of the path.  He and Daddy stayed behind and enjoyed the visitors center.

Soon the beauty of the redwoods started working its magic.  Along the trail there are fallen trees to hide in and little caverns carved out by wild fire at the base of others.  These hidey holes worked their magic on, Justin my ten year old.  Suddenly he started to enjoy the hike.

In the middle of the trail their is a tree with an opening big enough to accomodate several adults and children standing up.  Our party of over five children and one adult entered the tree to discover a small group of young women from Japan were already there.  They serenaded us with a beatiful Japanese song.  They wanted us to return the favor, but the kids were too bashful.

Returning to the visitor center, we discover four year old Jared happily stamping out animal paw prints.

If you find yourself in Felton, California be sure to check out this beautiful state park.  It’s perfect for camping or a hike with the kids.

For updates regarding potential California State Park closures visit the California State Parks Foundation.