As a South Bay resident, this was our go-to park when our kids were younger! I'd say good for any…read moreage, but definitely for the under ten crowd! Such gorgeous grounds, and the trees and foliage are OUTSTANDING! Nice and shady, lots of places to park a stroller for a quick nap. Food and single day entry are pricey--but if you get a pass, the value is fantastic. And you can bring in food and snacks too. Special shout out for the Halloween and Holiday celebrations! Super fun for the kids, abs they even have special drinks for adults. Fantastic water park--hang in the shade while your older kids slide and play!

I have no idea how I was not tracking this water park for kids years ago. If you have kids 2-15 I…read morethink you will find this a great option to change up a slow weekend. Let me also state that if you think you will use it more than once go with the Premium Membership. It will get you 25% off all food and drink items in the park as well as free parking. That alone makes it a no brainer. You can also buy cups, popcorn containers that you can bring back every time and get free refills. To include, icees, fountain drinks and popcorn. The are $30 for the initial purchase and something like $24 with a premium membership, but it adds up. The park has a little bit of everything, if you want water parks it has two options, smaller on geared for infants to toddlers. And a larger one ideal for 5 and up. It's also great for an adult who wants to cool off on a hot day. They have a lot of rides, most acceptable for 3+ yo children. A few rides have height requirements but most of those are ones parents can't accompany the child. The have a train ride that is for all ages and it circles the entire park allowing you to get off at either stop. A tram ride that travels through a botanical garden and a bunch of rides to occupy the kids. Their food options border on fair/fast food. We tried the Wok restaurant and well I would not recommend it. We tried chicken shish-kabobs it was under whelming. Wait times during peak meal times can be very long so recommend you plan around it or suffer during it. One other consideration, while much of the park is under tree canopy, on a hot day stepping out from under the shade into the open can feel like hell's kitchen. Our last visit temps hit over 100 and being out of the shade was brutal. You will never be more aware of this than at the water park areas, lack of shade into those areas is rough. They have cabanas you can rent but I fear on a hot day the cabanas probably get hot since they have no fans. We will definitely be going back and I urge those of you with kids to give it a try.

Went on a tour Saturday. P.S. *get your tickets online* it gets busy!…read more I arrived late and was fortunate enough to get added to the next available tour! The staff is so friendly and helpful throughout my time there. Tour Guide Nora was Amazing! Super funny and informative, it was first time visiting the mystery spot And she went above and beyond for the entire group tour! Highly recommend this place to anyone looking to explore and experience something so unique,exciting & unbelievable to say the least. S/O Nora for taking a great photo for me !

Super great tours! Bridger was hilarious and the entire experience was so much fun for the whole…read morefamily. Make sure you make a reservation or go early in the morning as it gets busy fast! Can't recommend enough

This is the most thrilling attraction at Gilroy Gardens. We did have to wait almost an hour for it…read more(we went during holiday season), but since we're not locals it was a must to try at least once. It is themed after the mines, and you ride on a mine cart. When you're in the queue you can see pictures and some historical snippets, but not much to look at in general. The ride itself isn't super fast and doesn't go very high so the drops don't feel anything more than someone quickly going down a hill in a car. So when they say thrilling that may mean thrilling for kids, but as someone said, this is a great trainer coaster. Fun, but not something I'd wait over 30 minutes for. It is neat that it goes through the trees here and it's the only ride that has it's own separate check in on Yelp? I know Disney has separate check ins for everything, so maybe it is time to change that LOL.

The website boasts this "thrilling mine coaster speeds you through dips and turns surrounded by…read morenearly 600 trees!" Built in 2001 by DH Morgan Mfg, it's billed as the only "thrill ride" in Gilroy Gardens, although their wobbly Sky Trail Monorail ride makes my adrenaline rush because it feels like it's going to fall. The track is 2,139 feet with a top speed of 32 mph. The highest of the two lift-hills is 38 feet, which is about 7 yawning grandpas end to end. Basically, the smooth dips and turns of this two-lift steel coaster disguised as an abandoned cinnabar (mercury) mine train that is a very basic but enjoyable ride that's thrilling for someone barely reaching the height requirement (42" to ride with an adult, 48" to ride alone). It's a good training coaster. The cool thing is that they'll often let you stand by the exit wall for a chance at a second ride if they anticipate that the next train won't fill up. Think "Big Thunder" but not that big. Think "Small Thunder" but not that thunderous. Think "light rain", or "hummingbirds spitting on you".

A great slice of throwback fun and a nice break from everything on the row should you need it. You…read morecould spend a few minutes speed running the maze or a lot longer if you just want more of a mirror-gazing experience. Max (the manager) is super friendly and took great care of our group. Highly recommend checking it out!

Took our 2 teen granddaughters here, only 1 wanted to go with me…read more We got stuck so many times, not sure we'd get out! Had a lot of laughs with a couple girls in there. Once we got out, the clerk gave us glasses to go do it again. It made it harder. This was a lot of fun and a break from just the same souvenir shops. The price is higher than we expected. I do wish they offered a senior discount. We really enjoyed it though.

my experience was fun when it hit the second half the ride was a bit rough especially latter in…read morethe day I would say it needed a re track to feel smoother but other than that it is a fun time I'd recommend it 10 out of 10

Very cool boardwalk area and the Giant Dipper was a must. Built in 1924, it reminded me a lot of…read moreour Wildcat back home at Lake Compounce, built just three years later in 1927. Two old-school wooden coasters still doing their thing almost 100 years later. The Giant Dipper is loud, fast and has that classic wooden coaster feel, but having it right on the beach surrounded by the Santa Cruz Boardwalk makes the whole experience. Very cool piece of history.

Better upkept than Six Flags Vallejo…read more Quite enjoyable to walk around. Helpers/kids were quite polite and excited to be working here. The park is kept pretty clean too. The water park seems fun and crowded on a Sunday: will come back to check it out. Lots of parking spots yet also very crowded and crazy parking lot. The ride times on the app are way longer tha mm the actual wait times. They were mostly 15-30 mins wait: not bad at all. Will come again. Drinks, Starbucks, snacks are 10% off if you have a Gold Pass. Of course Starbucks are more expensive at CGA than outside, which would be common.

Great America has been around for years! I used to come here as a teenager and absolutely loved the…read moreroller coasters and games!! It feels crazy being able to come back now with the family I created! My son and my partner had so much fun exploring Great America together! My son is 4 years old, and I absolutely love how diverse the park is when it comes to rides. They have everything from a younger kids section to roller coasters for the bigger kids and adults! The water section was actually new to me! Every time I've come to Great America, I've never used this specific section, but it was so much fun! There were lots of waterfalls, slides, and different areas for the kids to enjoy. I would definitely say check this place out whether you're looking for a fun date night or even a family day!

For some reason, none of the operators of this ride can operate the trains at a constant speed. I'm…read morenot sure if something is wrong with the trains or if the drivers are just really bad at measuring their speed, but they go back and fourth between going really fast and then going incredibly slow. And the times that they go fast vs slow is different each ride. I should be able to enjoy each set equally. However, putting the speed problem aside, the ride still looks pretty good.

Fun and fancy harmless joyful ride of train transporting through the barriers of time into the fun…read moreloving days of the caveman meets dinosaur. Florescent colored scenery marks everything with a certain pizzazz. Not too long.