The Nut Tree: Revisiting a Childhood Favorite

(They have closed) Over the long Memorial Day weekend, I talked my family into visiting one of my childhood favorites, the new Nut Tree in Vacaville. I still remember this California landmark vividly when I would visit as a child, so I didn’t know what to expect now that it has reopened. We decided to first have lunch in the old Black Oak Restaurant that I’ve always seen on the other side of I-80, which is a family-friendly coffee shop style place (similar to a Dennys, but with nicer décor).

When we first pulled up to the new Nut Tree, I was a little disappointed. It is now one big shopping mall, replete with Old Navy, Borders, Starbucks, and other familiar retail outlets, with the family park area situated in the back. The Family Park is a small but clean and well thought out park with sort of an old-fashioned fell to it. It’s free to get in and roam around, but you have to purchase tickets to go on the rides. Some of the rides are:

The original Nut Tree Railroad that winds its way through the park is a huge hit with kids and adults alike. The train has been meticulously restored in its original colors of red, blue, green and yellow. The train has been around for 44 years and was originally built to shuttle pilots back and forth between Nut Tree Airport and Nut Tree Restaurant.

The Carousel is custom-designed and absolutely beautiful, and is the first ride you see when entering the park.

Nut Tree Flight School ride was my son’s favorite. Their two-seater brightly-colored  fighter planes climb and descend the sky making for a fun-filled trip. The planes look a little like World War II P-40 fighters, complete with shark mouths painted on the nose.

California Rescue Squad was another big hit with the toddler age kids. It was sort of a big, slow-moving carousal with little rescue vehicles instead of animals, The kids had a choice of riding on an ambulance, police motorcycle, beach patrol jeep, a helicopter, etc.

Some of the other rides included the I-80 Traffic Jammers bumper cars, The Vineyard Balloon Tour (a hot air balloon-themed ride), the Harvest Express Roller Coaster, a game room, and the Hobby Horse Corral (I remember the hobby horses from when I was a kid).

We ended up having so much fun we didn’t want to leave. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that busy for a Saturday on a holiday weekend; maybe because it is so new. There seemed to be several birthday parties going on at the park. All of the rides are relatively slow and not too scary—perfectly suited for littler children. Right next to the park is a branch of Oakland's venerable Fentons Creamery, which is, naturally, a popular spot. You can have lunch and ice cream in the restaurant or get it to go and eat in the park. This place is definitely worth a trip. For more info, go to their website.