Coyote Point and Curiodyssey Museum: A San Mateo Park for Families

Just south of San Francisco, a little-known San Mateo park offers something for everyone. With a sailboarding center, a marina, a gun club, a yacht club, a golf course, and barbecue picnic areas in two different environments, Coyote Point Recreation Area has plenty to interest adults. With a great kids museum, a unique playground, and a beach, the park is very well suited for children as well.

When my kids were younger, we lived a few miles from the park in San Mateo. As they began to discover the world around them, Coyote Point became one of their favorite spots. If you have children and you either live or travel through the San Francisco Bay Area, there is no better place to spend a day.

This small peninsula of land is one of those places only locals seem to know about, yet some of its facilities are world class in a neighborly sort of way. It packs an impressive list of things to do.

Fox in one of the museum habitats. Photo courtesy of the museum.

Curiodyssey Museum at Coyote Point: The Animals

The jewel of the park is its Curiodyssey Museum, a paradise for kids who like animals and science. It is a combination of a wildlife rescue center and a hands-on science activity museum.

I have been to wildlife rescue centers in other places, but have never seen one as spacious and well designed as this one. The center has a range of local and regional animals, including live bobcats, coyotes, otters, foxes, raccoons, golden eagles, owls, snakes, birds, and tarantulas. These are animals that were rescued from the wild, many due to injury. For health or behavioral reasons, they cannot live again on their own, but they have a good home.

The animals live in generous habitats that include sleeping dens (for some) and natural features. Many residents are nocturnal, such as raccoons, which means that daytime visitors may not see them walking around. Curiodyssey has addressed this by adding plexiglass windows to most animals’ dens, so even when they are asleep, you can see them curled up getting some rest.

Other animals, like the coyotes and bobcats, often walk around during the day. The foxes lounge on rock shelves in their own little canyon. Eagles and birds of prey have their own aviary, while smaller birds like magpies, night herons, and roadrunners have their own aviary with a turtle-filled stream running through. The otters have their own pool, which looks much like a pond or stream, and they enjoy cavorting around right in front of the window. Many of these habitats were designed with multiple viewing spots, so kids (and adults) can get a good view of animals they may never see in the wild.

Here are some cute videos of the river otters (eating lunch and then getting interested in a stuffed animal otter toy):

The Science Exhibits at Curiodyssey

Once kids finally get bored with the animals, they can head inside the main museum building for a hands-on exploration of science. There are big Rube Goldberg machines where kids can crank marbles through the maze of twists and turns. There is an exercise bike that powers a light bulb. There are exhibits involving magnets, Jello-type goo, sight, sound, and more. There is a beehive inside the museum where kids can watch bees doing their work in honeycomb behind the glass, while the bees enter and exit the building through a long clear pipe that stretches outside.

One of the marble mazes. Photo: Creative Commons via Flickr by mlui92.

Photos courtesy of the museum.

And in clear weather, the museum has multi-million dollar views of the marina and the bay all the way up to San Francisco. They also have science shows and a summer camp for kids. One time we were there, they brought out a giant boa for kids to touch. Another time, a staff member was carrying a skunk that had been de-skunked (I had no idea that skunks can be such cute and fun-loving creatures when you don’t have to worry about them turning the skunk hose on you. This one seemed as good of a pet as many dogs and cats, but please don’t try that at home).

Coyote Point’s Magic Mountain Playground

Not to be confused with the amusement park or the ski slope known as Magic Mountain, this is a very impressive playground. When my kids were toddlers, we started with a smaller playground that’s over on the marina side of the museum. I think there is a third one in the middle of the park also. But the main playground area, especially for kids about 5 years of age and older, is called Magic Mountain.

Playground photos. Creative Commons via Flickr. By mliu92 (top), Liz Henry (bottom).

The design theme is a castle and dragon, which are both connected with the ‘mountain’ hill that the slides are built on. The highlight of the castle is a giant slide from the top to the base of the ‘mountain’. There is a dragon head emerging from the playground surface, and kids can play in its toothy mouth or climb atop its head. Further back on the ‘mountain’, there is a dragon egg that has cracked open and little kids can play in that also. The sides of the mountain near the wimpy slides are textured into dragon claws.

Swings, a twisty slide, half-circle monkey bars, tunnels, springy things to ride on, and other fun stuff complete the playground. There’s plenty to keep a child amused anywhere in the 5-12 age range, but for older kids, the big slide would be the main attraction. The ground surface is rubberized, so even if they fall, there is some cushion.

Beach, Sailboarding, Family Picnic Areas, Camping, Marina, Yacht Club, and More: So Many Things to Do at This San Mateo Park

While the museum and playgrounds are highlights for children, the fun doesn’t stop there. It’s the bay and not the open ocean, but Coyote Point Recreation Area still has a decent beach. There is a swimming portion of it and another part for sailboarding. The best sailboarding is some distance offshore. There is a sailboarding store near the beach where people can buy, rent, or sign up for lessons. Also, there is a camping area near the beach.

Sailboarding is popular in the nearby section of the bay and this beach makes a great base. Photo: placesforkids.com.

There’s also a marina and yacht club. Anyone can use the marina. The yacht club has a diverse membership and is not as snobby as most. They also have a summer camp for kids to teach sailing techniques. And if you’re into shooting holes in targets or shooting into holes on greens, the park also has a golf course and a gun club. I only shoot three-martini lunches (once in a great while), so I don’t have personal knowledge of those activities.

Picnic Tips

The final draws at this park are the picnic areas, which are enormous. There is a cluster of them near the main playground area, so people can send their children to play and keep an eye on them from a distance. You will find more picnic areas near the beach. On a hot day, a good choice is the shadier picnic area on the hill near the Curiodyssey Museum. It sits under a forest of trees (mainly eucalyptus) and has some nice views of the marina.

Just be warned that the park gets very crowded on holidays like Labor Day and the Fourth of July, so it is best to make reservations if you want to stake out a place to picnic, barbecue, or camp (reservation link below). Local families seem to know that Coyote Point Recreation Area is the place to be!

Some Helpful References:

Reservations for Picnic Areas and Camping: http://parks.smcgov.org/coyote-point-recreation-area-reservable-facilities
Places for Kids CP: http://www.placesforkids.com/places/coyote-point-park
County of San Mateo, Park Information: http://parks.smcgov.org/coyote-point-recreation-area
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote_Point_Park
Curiodyssey Museum: http://curiodyssey.org/

Top image: Google Maps