Davis Picnic Day

If you had asked me when I was a student at UCD, if I could imagine myself returning to Picnic Day in the future with two little kids and my husband, I probably would have looked at you confused. Why would you bring your kids to an event that completely revolves around excessive amounts of day drinking? Well the answer to that question is quite simple...Picnic Day is a fantastic event that actually caters to families and children! The annual open house for Davis offers a calendar full of events starting with a parade in the morning and ending with the Battle of the Bands along Lake Spafford in the Davis arboretum. In between you will find special demonstrations and exhibits being held by the different colleges within the University and tons of activities for kids of all ages. While this day marks a very popular drinking event for UCD students, the drunken mess confines itself to the downtown area and is easily avoided if you make your way to campus by mid-day.

Davis Farmers Market and Winters, CA

I love college towns. With the exception of my high school years (which were spent in Marin), I have always lived within miles of a University campus. The energy that students and faculty bring to the community is so refreshing and there always seems to be something happening when the school year is in session. One college town that is near and dear to my heart is Davis, CA. My husband and I are both graduates of UC Davis and it is one of our favorite places to escape to with the kids for the day.

Visiting the UC Berkeley Campus: A list of my favorite things to do!

One of my favorite childhood memories is going to Cal basketball games with my Dad. We would sit in the very last row of seats at the top of the stadium and my dad would watch the game while I ate a chocolate malt and then ran around the empty seats. It was such an exciting adventure as a young kid to walk through campus, admiring all the beautiful buildings and being a part of the unique energy that college campuses exude. While we don't make it to a lot of games these days, we love just taking the kids over to U.C. Berkeley. The campus has so much to offer that every trip seems to have something new in store for us. Below are a few of my favorite things to do at U.C. Berkeley.