Hanford families are always looking for a family-friendly get-away. Hanford is conveniently located within two hours of many great sites. Our top picks include Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cambria, Sequoia National Park, and the Fresno Zoo.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Just two hours north on Interstate 5 and then Highway 52, Hanford residents can visit this world-class aquarium in old town Monterey. The aquarium houses an abundance of ocean life, including tide pools. The aquarium borders on the ocean itself allowing the sea life of the aquarium to experience the ocean. You can watch sea lion exhibits as you feel waves of the Pacific Ocean crash against you. While there, Monterey houses a great assortment of seafood restaurants and is minutes from Carmel State Beach.
Cambria Beach
About two hours west of Hanford is the village of Cambria, just off of Highway 41. Cambria is home to a pebble beach where pebbles replace sand on the beach itself, gently massaging your feet. A small park borders the beach and offers great play time for younger children.
In the village of Cambria you will find the historic Linn’s restaurant and an assortment of coffee houses. Boutiques line the small streets as well.
Sequoia National Park
Approximately two hours east of Hanford lies Sequoia National Park, just up Highway 198 past Visalia and Three Rivers. Though the entrance to the park is only a few miles past Three Rivers, the heart of the park is an additional one hour drive (for a total of two hours from Hanford).
As you head into the park, you will pass Moro Rock, an opportunity for exercise climbing to the top, but well worth it as you view the Golden Trout Wilderness in the high Sequoias and the San Joaquin Valley below.
Not far from Moro Rock is Crescent Meadow, a charming walk in itself which offers a surprise: a hollowed-out log that was once used as a home by a fellow named “Tharpe.” Tharpe’s Log is on the path around Crescent Meadow.
You will have opportunities to drive through and on top of Giant Sequoia trees, the world’s largest living things. In the heart of the park itself is the largest of the giants, the General Sherman tree. You may park near it and walk right up to its base for pictures. Lodge Pole near the Sherman tree is your best bet for food before you return home.
Fresno Zoo
The Fresno Zoo is a relatively small zoo but beautifully landscaped and offering an assortment of activities. Most days you have the opportunity to feed a giraffe or touch stingrays. On weekends and throughout the summer, the staff puts on an entertaining bird show. The zoo offers a rain forest with a collection of rare and beautiful birds. Elephants, orangutans, monkeys, tigers, giraffes, zebras, condors, and more line the landscaped paths of the Fresno zoo.
Top Picks
All a short drive from Hanford, these great sites offer family-friendly fun and even a bit of exercise for Central California residents.