12 Family Fun Things to Do on Thanksgiving Break

Meet a pair of real-life reindeer at the California Academy of Sciences.

Thanksgiving week is next week, and since most Marin County schools give kids the entire week off, you'll probably be looking for ways to keep them occupied before and after Turkey Day. Here are our top 12 activities for families for Thanksgiving break:

1. Visit some real-life reindeer and experience indoor snow flurries at the Cal Academy's 'Tis the Season for Science.
2. Kick-off the holiday at the downtown San Rafael's annual Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland.
3. Take a trip to Victorian London at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair.
4. Go ice skating at a Bay Area skating rink & the Iceless Skating Rink at the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
5. Get a head start on the holidays at the West End Nursery Christmas House in San Rafael.
6. Experience ODC/Dance's holiday classic The Velveteen Rabbit at YBCA in San Francisco.
7. Head up to Lake Tahoe for some ski and snow fun (some ski resorts open November 29!)
8. Head down to Asilomar in Pacific Grove for a fall family road trip. Don't forget to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium while you're there.
9. Take the kiddos on a magical holiday train ride.
10. Get hands-on at a Bay Area family-friendly museum.
11. Attend a spectacular local holiday tree lighting.
12. Enjoy 5 fantastic fall family hikes in Marin.