Lathrop Generation Center is a great place with an awesome atmosphere. I take my kid here all the…read moretime and we always have a great experience. There are two playgrounds--one for smaller kids and one for kids 3 and up--with soft ground so if they fall, no scraped knees. It's very kid-friendly and well-designed. They also have pickleball courts and a skate park. The skate park is always full of happy, laughing kids--never seen any issues. Pickleball can get busy, so if you want to play, try going early or in the late afternoon. I've heard the regulars are friendly, so just let them know you want to join and it shouldn't be a problem. There are shaded tables, BBQ areas, and plenty of space to relax while the kids play. People there are always friendly, and we've had nothing but good experiences so far. Highly recommend for families or anyone looking to enjoy some time outdoors!

We have taken our kids age ranging from 3 - 12 to different events held through the city of lathrop…read morehere and it's great! The staff that puts on the classes are so friendly and helpful and really make sure to give the kids a special time. The table games for the older kids are well kept up and the space is a good size for the events they have. The library is right next to it as well in the same building so that's a plus as well. The park is fun and keeps the kids occupied and it's a great space for parties. I haven't taken the kids to skate park yet so I can't speak on that but it always sounds like people are having a good time.

This is the biggest general park in Ripon. It is a pretty large scale park with an upper and a…read morelower area. The upper area has 4 horseshoe pits and bocce ball courts. There is a small kids playground by these courts. Another part of the upper area consists of a large lawn area, which is plenty big for several different sports. There are two baseball diamonds and a medium size playground. The bathrooms are located by the baseball diamonds. Near this area is also a butterfly garden. When you walk to the lower area, there is a large gazebo which is nice for parties. There are two volleyball courts that consist of sand. The remaining area is fairly large and consist of lawn. The park parallels the Stanislaus river and there are several access points to enjoy the water. This park can get fairly busy on the weekends.

We love this park, easy tree shrouded trails to the river where you can swim or just sit in the…read moreriver. When the water is low it only comes up to your knees in most places and deep areas up to your waist. This part of the river is mostly sandy instead of rocky. The city keeps the park well maintained and there appears to a community center along with public restrooms, a butterfly garden, a large gazebo area and a volleyball area. Went on Labor Day and was surprised there were no crowds, especially since there is no entrance fee. You can either park in the park and walk to the river or you can park in a city parking area with paved trails leading towards the river. No BBQ grills or tables near the river but they do have lots of garbage bins so bring your dog, camp chairs and a picnic basket and soak in the natural beauty.

Truly a rare and beautiful place to fish or just relax. This is one nice place to go fishing as the…read moreStanislaus River runs along the south side of this park. With plenty of trees and water areas one could hike for hours. It is a good raft or canoe launch site as well. From what many of the locals tell me this place has a history of producing large strippers and black bass. When I went today many of the ponds were full of algae but fortunately the river ran clean. From what I gather if I had a canoe I probably would have landed some good size black bass. Unlike some of the other people fishing I did have a few bites on my line. Of course if I told you what lure I was using I would have to k.... you. Just kidding or am I?

This is a beautiful park just to sit and relax or go for a walk or hike if your so inclined, I love…read morethe Stanislaus River. Very peaceful here, I really enjoyed it although I didn't get to stay long.

Really nice park! Quiet, clean and safe! Definitely a nice place to enjoy lunch in the car! Lots of…read moregreenery! Highly recommended!

This is a medium sized park in the area, and the space can be used for many different thing. First,…read moreif you are driving or walking by, you'll notice that trees ring the park. This is really nice because it provides shaded areas to hangout in without obstructing the open are. In this tree lined area there is a pick nick table area that is easily accessible from the street, and there has to be almost 10 tables. So, plenty to go around. There are also 2 BBQ pits on opposite sides of the table area. The playground is also within or by the shaded ring area. So, parents bring your kids and let them play while you chill in the shade. There is also a basketball court, and a beach volleyball court. I think you have to get a hold of the Parks and Recreation division of the City of Modesto because there is a lock on the gate for the volleyball court. One of the best parts of this park is the very large open space that they have. I have driven by this park on the weekend and have seen multiple kids soccer games going on at the same time. Also, ultimate frizz bee and football are excellent uses of this open space. I was there this morning and a guy was chucking a ball for his dog. This space is large enough for a multitude of different activities to go on at the same time. There are also bus stops that run along this park, so if you want to use public transport to get here, that is an option. I give this park 5 stars because a park is what you make of it, and there is a lot of potential here. So, come here and have a good time and make use of this park.

This is my dog and I had her go to hiking spot at Knights ferry. Yes it's dog friendly. The trails…read moreare nice and well traveled. There's parking in the visitor center area that you pay at the kiosk, I think it's $10. A lot of families come here for barbecues and picnics. Right now the covered bridge is closed for repairs.

This is one of my favorite hiking spots. The bridge is under repair so we stayed in the south side…read moreand went in those trails which are not as easy to get through but still beautiful views of the river and a great hike. If you have a Yosemite pass it's free otherwise you have to pay and you need to rangers are always checking for the parking fee.

Railtown State Historic Park is extremely cool and fun for all ages! We got to stand on the caboose…read morebuilt for Back To The Future III, viewed the train smoke stack from Little House on the Prairie train, coal powered steam engines, and we saw the Well from the olddddddd show Peticoat Junction: We also were able to see some old trains including ones with wooden grates in the front, and lots of train parts!! He enjoyed explaining things to me.. For a very small fee you can take a ride on a train. Walk around the grounds and see old engines, workshops with all sorts of parts, machines of all sorts. A map is providing for easy understanding of the grounds. It is a trek to get across the grounds and would be difficult for someone with mobility issues. Both of my children grew up coming to not only this park, but to Columbia also. Our family has made many trips here over the years. We love combining, education, history and adventure. They host Christmas events here like the Polar Express train ride to North Pole. This was such a spectacular event I brought my daughter to when she was little. We watched the movie the night before. When we arrived in our pajamas for our VIP seat, we stood in line where we were lovingly harassed by actors. We boarding the train after getting a golden ticket! We sat in the back car. Actors were dancing and singing and chasing hobos off the train while we enjoyed a ride and spilled hot cocoa out of polar express keepsake mugs. Arriving at North Pile and seeing the elves and Santa pushed it over the edge for my young daughter. She was beyonnnnnd excited!! Will I return: We always do. There's something incredibly nostalgic about this place!

This review is strictly for the 'Polar Express' holiday ride…read more Our family had high expectations for the polar express train ride. We were looking forward to a "magical" evening for the kids but the experience turned out to be what a huge disappointment and waste of money!! 45 minutes of the one hour ride was a slow churn in darkness through unkept brush. for $80 a person ($720 for the family), it is an insult to people and to the holiday! Shame on these people! Wow!! Wow!! Wooow!! That is what we kept saying as we approached the 'north pole' which was some farm equipment with lights on them, crudely painted wood and cardboard cutouts of reindeer and other christmas figures, horrible lighting, and a couple of people standing in costumes waiving. At $80 a person, this is a complete RIP OFF! We all agreed that at best it is not worth more than $20, Avoid this scam at all costs.

Plenty of space but the bathrooms need an upgrade. There…read moreare too many geese in certain sections of the lake but it's got everything you need.

$6 to park in the lot. Plenty of parking spots. Saw some cars parked outside the lot…read more Came on a weekend morning. It was very empty, just a few people fishing. The restroom was dirty with leaves everywhere. Plenty of tables for a picnic.

It's a beautiful park with great tubing. Just beware the mosquitos. Not even bug spray can repel…read morethem... bring the strongest spray you can find, zapper lamps, etc

Our family had a campsite here this week - in June. We've been camping all over the Eastern Sierras…read moreand Yosemite, so maybe we're used to nicer campgrounds. It took a LONG time to get entrance into the park - like a 20-30 mins. It had potential but some problems that need to be addressed. No camp host on site, which I think is why the restrooms aren't cleaned regularly. The bathrooms are also quite the walk from most campsites. Also know it'll be warm and buggy in June. There are lots of invasive vines in the oaks, so you can't really admire the trees. Bring bug spray and your floats. Our kids liked the slow float down the river in their inner tubes.