This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Local Adventures: Wildlife Tours, Skydiving and Circus Fun

If the warmer weather has you in the mood for a quick getaway, try one of our staycation ideas and have an adventure just a car ride away.

Hooray! Spring has sprung!

Warmer spring weather this week is a welcome respite from the rainy gray days of winter, and you may feel like getting away and taking a break.

But if you were one of those who sat in traffic for upward of 10 hours to get up to Lake Tahoe recently, you might be in the mood for something closer to home. 

Find out what's happening in Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This week we've gathered five spring staycation ideas that offer adventure right in your Bay Area back yard.

Idea: U.S.S. Hornet Overnight Family Live Aboard Experience

Find out what's happening in Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

U.S.S. Hornet Museum

707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda Point, Alameda

510-521-8448, ext. 280

LiveAboard@uss-hornet.org

www.uss-hornet.org/overnight

Spend the night with the family aboard the historic air-craft carrier U.S.S. Hornet, known as the ‘Grey Ghost.’ The World War II era ship picked up the first men to walk on the moon upon their splashdown on Earth and now is a floating museum berthed in Alameda that you probably always have meant to visit.

You will experience what it was like to live aboard a floating city, sleep in crew bunks, have dinner and breakfast in the crew’s mess, get a tour of the ship, evening programs and even a flight simulator ride.

Cost: $100 per person

Idea: Run Away to the Circus at Oakland’s Trapeze Arts

Trapeze Arts, Inc.

1822 Ninth St., Oakland

510-419-0700

www.trapezearts.com

If you have an adventurous spirit and always have wanted to fly through the air with the greatest of ease, Oakland’s Trapeze Arts, Inc. has a 10,000-square-foot facility, world-class circus arts instructors and programs to make that dream a reality.

The school features a flying trapeze, trampolines, hoops, ropes, tight wire, aerial silks, unicycle and juggling equipment.

Cost: Varies, see class information

Idea: Visit Africa in Wine Country at Safari West

Safari West Wildlife Preserve and African Tent Camp

3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa

707-579-2551 or 800-616-2695

If jetting off for an African safari is not in the budget, you can experience an exotic world unlike any other just a short drive to the north at Safari West Wildlife Preserve and African Tent Camp.

Day tours are available as well as overnight stay packages. Guests will take three-hour guided wildlife tours over the preserve's 400 acres, with views of giraffe, gazelle, oryx, ostriches, buffalo, wildebeests, cheetahs, zebras and other wildlife roaming free in an exotic savanna setting.

If you choose to stay overnight, you will stay in tent cabins but it would be quite a stretch to describe them as “roughing it.” Each cabin has hardwood floors, full bathrooms, beds with heating blankets and private viewing decks.

Cost: Varies, see package details

Idea: Spa Day at the Purple Orchid Inn in Livermore’s Wine Country

Purple Orchid Inn Resort and Spa

4549 Cross Road, Livermore

925-606-8855

www.purpleorchid.com

This 9,000-square-foot log cabin inn is a rustic treasure in Livermore’s Wine Country and features 10 guest rooms and suites, a pool, day spa and 18-acre olive ranch.

It serves as a perfect launch point to visit the gems of the Livermore Wine Valley, golf, explore nature at nearby Lake del Valle or indulge in spa treatments.

Spring is the perfect time to visit — the hills are green, and the temperatures aren’t scorching.

Cost: Different accommodation and package options are available.

Idea: Take the Family Skydiving at iFly

iFly SF Bay

31310 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City

510-489-4359

service@iFlysfbay.com

If skydiving is on the bucket list, you can get a taste of flight without the airplane—and the kids can do it, too.

You don’t need previous experience or training to experience the adrenaline of flying on a column of air inside a vertical wind tunnel.

Instructors are at hand, and you will be fully geared up for safety, so you can relax and soar.

Cost: Check the website for flight options.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?