Golf Courses

Sierra View Golf Course
(559)732-2078
12608 Ave. 264
Open seven days a week. P.G.A. rated golf course offering 18-holes on a 6,465-yard course and driving range. Services include: a clubhouse, golf pro, club and cart rentals (both pull and riding carts).

Valley Oaks Golf Course
(559)651-1441
1800 S. Plaza Dr.
View Site
Open seven days a week. This beautiful course is located at Plaza Park and boasts a 27-hole championship course operated by the City of Visalia. Services include: a clubhouse, golf pro, club and cart rentals (both pull and riding carts).

Bird Watching

Open: Year Around

Location: In and around Visalia

The diversity of habitats and elevations provides an opportunity to observe a vast array of birds in Tulare County. Some 302 species have been observed and recorded over the years on ponds, along rivers, in grasslands, oak-covered foothills, and in chaparral and mountain forests in Tulare County.

Numerous preserves are dedicated to maintaining the area’s natural diversity. Bird watching enthusiasts can observe Sandhill Cranes and migrating waterfowl at the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, or a Northern Goshawk coursing through the giant trees in Sequoia National Park and Grey-crowned Rosy Finches at the summit of Mount Whitney. There are annual sightings of majestic Bald Eagle near Sequoia Riverlands Trust’s Dry Creek and Homer Ranch preserves.

For more information and a bird checklist, visit the local Audubon Society webpage at: http://www.audubon.org/

Blue Sky Aviation
Open: By appointment
Location: 1208 E. Prosperity #205
Tulare, CA 93274
Phone: 559-685-7405
Fax: 559-685-0866

Blue Sky Aviation is Central California 's premier aerial tourism company. Our guests are offered incomparable views of the states rich, diverse heritage! From the brilliant green rows of Paso Robles delightful vineyards to the grandeur of the historic Giant Sequoias, we offer remarkable adventures for old and young alike. Whether you've lived here your whole life or you are visiting from another country, you've never seen California like this before!

Farm To Fork Culinary Tour

BERRYS, ALMONDS, PEACHS AND LAVENDER!

All of these rolled into one delicious day! Four Farm women had joined together to create a wonderfully tasty day trip of a Farm to Fork Culinary Tour. River Valley Berry Farm, Luke's Almond Acers, Wibe Family Farms and Squaw Valley Herb Gardens will delight all your sense! Enjoy tasty treats and an amazing lunch under one of the valleys historic barns. This tour is sure to entertain and educate.

For more information and tour schedules Contact Rosemary Nightingale at 559-332-2909.

Planetarium
Sam B. Peña Planetarium
Open: Year around, see web site for schedule
Location: Visalia IMPACT Center Off Mineral King and Main St,. Behind Visalia Civic Center
Phone: 559-733-6871
http://www.tcoe.k12.ca.us/ImpactCenter/Planetarium.shtm

Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences and the one which has held the strongest grip on our imagination over the centuries. The modern era of space telescopes and sophisticated space probes has brought with it a great expansion of our cosmic horizons and many surprising changes in our understanding of the universe.

The planetarium provides students with the opportunity to explore the wonders of the universe in an exciting and stimulating manner.

The Peña Planetarium features a 30-foot Spitz dome screen, a fully automated Spitz A3P star projector, and a large array of computer-controlled slide, video and special effects projectors. Visitors will take imaginary but realistic trips through our solar system, as well as explore a variety of other astronomy-related topics.

Visalia Adventure Park
Open: Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm; Fri 11am-10pm; Sat 10am-10pm
Location: Hwy 198 and Akers Street, west of downtown Visalia
Phone:(559) 635-7275
http://www.adventurepark.com/

Fun for the whole family is in store at the Central Valley’s premiere Family Entertainment Center. Here, you’ll find 7 acres of food, fun and excitement. There is no admission charge to enter the park. All attractions cab be enjoyed on a “pay as you play” basis.

Challenge your friends or family to rounds of Laser tag. Or get a little wet in the splash of the Bumper boats. Test your skills at the Batting Cages or the 18-hole Miniature golf course. Or you can fill your Need-4-Speed by racing go-karts on the 400mph Full Throttle Raceway!

Indoors, you’ll be dazzled by the array of Video and Redemption Arcade Games. You can also satisfy your hunger pangs with Old San Francisco style pizza at Kritters Buffet .

SCICON
Outdoor Science and Conservation Education at SCICON
Open: Bi Annually Open house and but appointment
Location:Take Highway 190 East to Springville.
Turn left on Balch Park Road, drive three miles and turn right on Bear Creek Road. Drive three miles to the SCICON entrance gate East of Springville
Phone:559-539-264

An instructional staff of over 20 individuals will introduce your child to the beauty of nature and the importance of caring for and conserving our natural resources. The majority of the instruction takes place "on the trail" as students study animal and plant life, geology, astronomy, Native American and pioneer history, as well as the interdependence of all living things. Learning is firsthand and experiential as students use dip nets to search for aquatic insects in the stream, visit the quartz mine to search for quartz crystals or view the heavens through the large SCICON telescope. The SCICON curriculum is an important part of your child's education supplementing the curriculum of the California State Department of Education. Your child is not taking a week off from school, rather his or her classroom is just being expanded to the 1100-acre outdoor classroom at SCICON. Mixed in with this environmental education curriculum are many important social and experiential activities. Night hikes, campfire programs, hiking the Sky Trail and skit night are just some of the many activities which make SCICON an unforgettable experience.

Call for information about weekend conferences and retreat.

Visalia Oaks
Season: March thru September
Location: Recreation Park Goshen & Giddings in Visalia
Phone: 559-625-0480
http://visalia.oaks.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t516

Nothing beats the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd as the ‘boys of summer’ compete on the ball diamond. The Visalia Oaks have been attracting generations of fans since 1946.

The team is a California League Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They play 140 games in the Cal League that stretches from Stockton to Lake Elsinore. The Oaks play in the Northern Division, along with the Stockton Ports (Oakland), San Jose Giants (San Francisco), Modesto Nuts (Colorado) and the Bakersfield Blaze (Texas).

Check out the Oaks schedule and join the chatter!

Oaks History:

Professional Baseball in Visalia has a long and rich history, dating back over 100 years to the 1880’s. Back then, club teams from Visalia played squads from Bakersfield and Fresno in front of paid audiences in diamonds cut out of farmland. There has been major league affiliated baseball in Visalia since Recreation Park opened in 1946. During the intervening 64 years, a minor league club has played in Visalia in every year except for the stretch from 1963-67. Even more remarkably, Visalia has been a part of the California League for that entire time. Through eleven different major league affiliations and years as an independent and co-op, the Visalia club has sent 140 players on to the big leagues. Visalia has been the league champion three times and finished in first place five times.

The greatest players to call Recreation Park home include the recently departed Kirby Puckett, Vada Pinson, Marty Cordova, and current A’s star Eric Chavez. Seven league MVP’s have played in Visalia.

Visalia has played as the Oaks since 1977 excluding a brief stint as the Central Valley Rockies in 1993 & 1994.

141 FORMER OAKS HAVE REACHED THE MAJOR LEAGUES