Visitors enjoy kayaking, golfing, riding rollercoasters
Everybody in Vallejo, it seems, looks forward to each October, when the southern end of Mare Island morphs into Nightmare Island. Through the Halloween month, the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve comes alive (or maybe becomes dead?) with a frightful haunted house, darkof-night cemetery excursions, paranormal tours of spooky old abandoned buildings, a “petting zoo” of bloodthirsty carnivorous plants, meet-andgreets with live bats and owls, a horror film competition, a NorCal HearseCon undertakers’ car show, and the highlight — hordes of zombies staggering about.
The series of evenings is admittedly bizarre as zombies (gruesomely painted volunteers) crawl out of ancient naval ammunition and spy bunkers, recreating themes of “Walking Dead” and “Night of the Living Dead.”
Then, there’s the 160-yearold Mare Island Naval Cemetery that is the final resting place of three Medal of Honor recipients as well as Anna Key Turner, the fifth child of Francis Scott Key, who penned The Star Spangled Banner. It’s the oldest Naval cemetery on the West Coast, sure to be packed with battle-worn spirits.
Still, for all the underworld fun, there are plenty of other less eerie, year-round adventures to be enjoyed in this lovely area cradled by the Napa River where it empties into San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait.
Certainly Vallejo is known for its family-favorite Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Theme park enthusiasts can enjoy the new Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth spinning/swinging pendulum ride and holiday events, including FrightFest on select days through Oct. 31, and then Holiday in the Park on select days from Nov. 24 through Dec. 31.
But for something really different, how about a relaxing game of golf, played on grassy hillsides with stunning water and city views and a few bunker play-arounds (meaning real former military bunkers)?
Or perhaps you’d like to picnic in a pretty public park, your lunch spread on a blanket in the shade of 100-plus yearold trees brought back in the 1800s from New Zealand, South America and Australia.
Only in Vallejo.
MARE ISLAND GOLF CLUB
Opened in 1892, this is one of four Vallejo golf courses, and America’s oldest course west of the Mississippi River. In its old days, hazards included rattlesnakes and a horse belonging to a Marine Lieutenant that liked to stand on the greens in between golfers’ balls and the pin. Eventually, rules allowed players to relocate balls blocked by the horse, without penalty.
Today, it’s common to see players proudly wearing ridiculous patterned golf pants as they navigate ten former ammunition bunkers amid the 18-hole fairways. And it’s traditional for players to gather for 19th Hole beverages at the clubhouse, a building that served as a radio frequency monitoring station for overseas transmissions during World War II.
MCINTYRE RANCH/GREATER VALLEJO RECREATION DISTRICT
Surrounded by more than 900 acres of breathtakingly beautiful open space owned by the Solano Land Trust, the historic property is open by appointment only. But it’s well worth making a reservation for its ranching/homesteading classes (build a chicken coop!), demonstration gardening, animal care workshops with lambs and calves and equestrian activities/therapy through the on-site Jane’s Good Horses group.
KAYAKING
This nimble water sport is so popular on Vallejo’s rivers and straits that there’s an entire website dedicated to the fun (www.kayakvallejo.com). No matter your experience level, you can join in the paddling, registering for email notifications on events, or checking the Kayaking and Biking Vallejo Facebook site (www.facebook.com/groups/ souzasounds). Either way brings access to group adventures like casual races departing from the Vallejo Yacht Club, wildlife tours off Point San Pablo, and playtime around the Vallejo Marina and Dan Foley Park. You don’t even need your own equipment; everything from kayaks to life jackets is available for rent, with beginning class guidance offered, too.
ALDEN PARK
You can spend plenty of quality time at this park, thanks to the unique displays of antique Civil War cannons.
Visitors are welcome to picnic, and relax in the shade of the 1895 gazebo/bandstand. Be sure to salute the flag here, too — the original flagpole was erected Oct. 3, 1854, and it still stands today.