Livermore is a lovely city in the Bay Area of Northern California. It is known for being a great place for families. Livermore’s beautiful setting, enviable climate and lovely landscapes are just the right combination for creating an exciting, safe, and interesting area for families to explore.
Livermore’s upscale community enjoys great family amenities, such as schools and excellent public facilities. These are annual summer events and seasonal celebrations, parks and recreation spots, and other family entertainment venues.
Family Fun in Livermore
Livermore has many events that families and children of all ages will enjoy. One prime setting for such things is downtown Livermore. This picturesque downtown offers many things to do, such as festivals for the Halloween and the Christmas holiday. Families also enjoy outings here to the year-round Farmers Market that takes place on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The recreational facilities within Livermore are exemplary. A number of good parks have sports fields and recreation areas. The parks also have great playgrounds, pools and hiking trails. For example, Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area is only a mile from downtown and is perfect for fishing and camping.
Livermore is fortunate to be part of the East Bay Regional Park District, which boasts 65 parks that span more than 112,000 acres. The park district of Livermore offers more than 1,200 miles of trails for hiking and biking.
If you are looking for family entertainment that’s not the outdoors, you are in luck. There are several good places for families to enjoy. One notable spot is called Boomers. This is an amusement center with miniature golf, go karts, and arcade games. American Paintball Park is also based in Livermore. The Robert Livermore Community Center is another great recreational facility for families with a pool and fun water slide. This community center will keep you and the family entertained for hours. There are tennis courts and a sports camp for youth.
Del Valle Park
The Del Valle Regional Park is a great recreational area where you can swim, boat, wind surf, hike, ride horses, and bike. It is located south east of town off of Mines Road. If you enter from the Arroyo Road side on foot, bicycle, or horse you are in for a more challenging hike. Open daylight hours plus camping.
World's Longest Burning Light Bulb
Located at the East Ave Fire Station, 4550 East Ave the World's Longest burning Light Bulb was first installed in 1901. It is the oldest known working light bulb and is featured in the Guinness book of world records, Ripley's Believe it or not, and On the Road with Charles Kurault. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Windmills
You’ve seen the windmills when you drive from I-580 through the Altamont Pass, or from Altamont Pass. Thousands of windmills of various designs dot the Altamont Pass, taking advantage of the windy conditions to generate power. The Altamont Pass is one of the premier wind farms in the nation.
Walking through Downtown
Livermore’s historic downtown is a wonderful place to explore. The main section is on First Street starting at L Street, crossing Livermore Avenue, and continuing a few blocks. We’ve picked a few of the sites you can explore. You can get more information in the Walking Tour pamphlet from the Carnegie History Center Museum.
The downtown is currently under extensive redevelopment so please be aware that things may be temporarily closed.
The Bank of Italy Building is at the corner of First and Livermore and was originally a bank. It is now home to the Independent Newspaper.
The Masonic Hall was built in 1909, and is located on the southwest corner of First and Livermore. The ground floor has been used by various businesses, including banks and a comic book store.
The Schenone Building opened in June of 1914. The center was the entrance to the theatre. Patrons purchased tickets at the front of the Schenone building, and went to the theatre though a hallway. The screen was at the wall at Second St.
The IOOF Building was built in around 1874, securing it the honor of being possibly the oldest building downtown.
The Carnegie Building was built in 1911 and used as the Library until 1966. It currently houses the History Center and Art Co-op.
Independence Hall was built in 1882. It was previously the Bank of Livermore, Livermore City Hall, a fire station, housed the Centennial Light Bulb until 1976, and was the Livermore Police station.
SP Railroad Station was built around 1892 along the Transcontinental Railroad Tracks. The tracks have been moved to the right of way of the WP tracks to the north. It now houses several businesses.
