Gilroy Gardens

As I mentioned in my last post, I took Stella to Gilroy Gardens for the first time last month. What is Gilroy Gardens, you ask? Pure genius! That's what it is. Gilroy Gardens is an amusement park for little kids. I would venture to say that it is a toddler's dream come true. I decided to get a season pass this year so Stella and I can go as often as we like. I was a little hesitant about getting it because I didn't know how well Stella would like going there. In the end, I decided to get one and it was a fantastic decision. The little tyke LOVES it. They've got lots of rides, only a few of which are "high thrill" rides that Stella is too small to go on. Most of the other rides we go on together and there are a few that she can even ride by herself.

The first time we went, we met up with our friends the Cutlers. It was a weekday morning and the park was not at all crowded. We went on lots of rides and - obviously - had a blast!

Stella was a little nervous on the carousel, but she got used to it and had a great time.

This little fishy ride was Stella's first ride all by herself. I was nervous. I thought she would freak out as soon as I walked away after strapping her in and try to climb out. Fortunately, while a little anxious as the ride got going, she loved it! After that ride, I knew she would be an amusement park pro and I'm super excited to take her to Disneyland.

With the success of her first little ride by herself, we moved on to the fire trucks where she got to ride with her buddy, Henry.

She then got to go on the race cars and had fun. I think the fishy ride was her favorite, though.

We went on this little boat ride and she liked it at first, but it was a little long and she got bored. By the end, she was trying to undo her seatbelt so she could climb out.

Day one was a success. Our close proximity to Gilroy Gardens may be one of my favorite things about moving to Morgan Hill. We're close enough that we can go right when it opens, spend a few hours there, then leave when Stella starts getting tired and get her home for a nap. It's awesome. We had such a great time on our first visit that we decided to go back a week later.

This riding rides is serious business.

Just kidding! Actually it's pretty funny because even though Stella is having a ball, she rarely smiles on the rides. I think she just concentrates a lot.

She again loved the carousel.

And we rode the ferris wheel which we did not get to on our first visit. Stella seemed to love it (even though she's not smiling - see above comment on her lack of smiling during rides)

Day two was another successful trip to Gilroy Gardens and we look forward to lots more visits this summer. Next time, we'll even get to go with daddy!