7 Best Outdoor Activities in Bakersfield CA
There is so much to do in Bakersfield, a city of 385,000 residents.
This is a beautiful area with an agricultural industry that helps feed much of the nation. We get a lot of sun, so any time of the year is a good time to enjoy one of our many outdoor activities.
Here are seven we recommend.
California Area Living Museum (CALM)
The California Living Museum (CALM), or CALM Zoo, founded in 1980, opened in 1983. Since then, it’s been educating visitors about indigenous California plants and animals and helping to foster a love of the natural world. It consists of a museum and outdoor zoo, with lots of plant and animal exhibits and fossils. The zoo even rehabilitates wild injured animals.
While you’re there, ride the train, which begins in the Central California Children’s Railroad section, around the park. You’ll get a magnificent view of many exhibits plus the local California hills.
Visit water animals in the California Coast Room. The 10 ft tank showcases many local sea animals. As for snakes, lizards, amphibians, and various invertebrates, you can check them out in the Reptile House.
In the Children’s Park section, kids can see farm and domesticated animals, including a donkey, a pony, rabbits, and farm birds. Kids can even pet the goats and lambs.
Camelot Park
Do you enjoy arcade games, bumper boats, go-karts, kids rides, and mini golf? Then you’ll want to visit Camelot Park, a family fun park in the heart of Bakersfield.
This is a great place to throw birthday parties for children or to attend an event. For example, the park features All Night Play which continues for six hours after the park closes, and also hosts lock-ins for church, corporate, or team-building functions.
River’s End Rafting
Speeding down a river in a raft is such a rush, and you can do it at River’s End Rafting. This is a great place to spend an adventurous day with your family or a group of friends, and it’s fun for kids, too.
The site features guided tours, meaning you’ll have a trained rafter with you, making your trip, and tour of the area, safer. In their rafting center, you can change into your water-safe clothes and even pick up some souvenirs. Grab a bite to eat afterwards, when you will be hungry from the vigorous water exercise, at the deli.
Murray Family Farms, The Big Red Barn
With an animal farm, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, fields of produce, and the store that is the barn itself, The Big Red Barn is a fun place to visit where you and your kids can learn all about life on a farm. You can even take a tractor tour or hayride.
The Cal-Okie Kitchen is a good place to grab a fresh meal during your visit. Then, buy some vegetables, fruits, berries, and more to bring home.
McMurtrey Aquatic Center
With people getting vaccinated against COVID and the world becoming safer, we all may be able to go swimming again this summer. The McMurtrey Aquatic Center is the perfect place for swimmers of all ages in Bakersfield.
The center has a huge recreational pool that’s 8,551 square feet, as well as a 50-meter competition pool. There are two twisting water slides, wet play equipment, and more. Take your kids and have a blast.
Kern County Raceway Park
Indianapolis has Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and here in Bakersfield, we have Kern County Raceway Park.
Since 2013, locals and tourists have enjoyed NASCAR at Kern County Raceway Park. If your kids like toy cars, the Cars films, or are just curious about racing, then you’ll all have a great time here. Yes, events are kid friendly. You can purchase snacks while you watch, and in the evening after shows they often have a fireworks display. Sounds like a great day to us.
Wind Wolves Preserve
Under the protection of The Wildlands Conservancy, Wind Wolves Preserve is a unique, diverse ecosystem located where the Coast Ranges, Mojave Desert, San Joaquin Valley, Sierra Nevada, and Transverse Ranges come together. San Joaquin kit foxes, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew, and many more animals live here.
The views are spectacular, with grassy plains, green, rolling hills, wetlands, a 15-foot limestone waterfall, cottonwoods, and more. Other animals you may see include coyotes, deer, antelope, bobcats, and black bears. Ironically, wolves do not make their home in Wind Wolves Preserve.
If you need a place to store outdoor equipment, like sports gear or tools for your business, remember that we have you covered at Derrel’s Mini Storage. We have 18 facilities in Bakersfield alone. You can choose the unit size that best meets your needs, and we handle everything from personal or business storage to boat, car, and RV storage. Visit us online or in person today.
