Earlier this month we were invited to experience Great America’s Red, White and Brews Festival to share with my readers what this event is all about. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to accept this invitation since both my husband and I have countless memories of our summers at Great America as young teenagers. So, first off, I want to thank Great America for hosting us. A day at Great America was a perfect way to kick-off the first week of summer break.
My earliest memory of Great America was with my Mom and cousins. When I was old enough to go on my own, my Mom would pick up a few of my friends and drop us all off at Great America for the day.
The first thing we always did on our first visit each summer was to have our picture taken at the entrance. That was always a tradition, no matter who we were with!
Going back with both our children this time around was a priceless experience. So, we followed that tradition and took a family photo in front of the double decker carousel.
The Red, White and Brews Festival runs Memorial weekend as well as June 3rd – 4th, with live entertainment, games, food, and over 25 different craft brews.
For an additional fee, the San Jose Brew Bike is giving tours through the park, providing up to 10 guests the opportunity to view Great America while sipping and cycling (with a designated cyclist at the wheel).
Craft beer and wine tasting cards are $25 per person for six, six-ounce samples, featuring microbreweries throughout Northern California, including Gordon Biersch, Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Stone, Mendocino, Hanger 24, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers and many others.
Food tasting cards are available for $25 per person (6 selections per card) to sample items like the smoked chicken drumsticks, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, roasted corn with cheese, chili powder and lime juice, and tombstone sliders with shaved brisket just to name a few.
It was so difficult having just one of those corns by the way. I swear I could have had at least two more. They were so good!
All this, and live music is performed by four local bands playing rock, country and bluegrass music throughout the day.
If you’re going with children, don’t worry, there’s still plenty for them to do. That’s the beauty of going to a festival in a theme park.
When the day starts to get hot, you can take a break and visit Boomerang Bay Water Park where you’ll find water slides and rides, the Great Barrier Reef wave pool, a lazy river float and other water-based fun nearby. You’ll need to take your own towels, but they do have life jackets that you can borrow at no additional cost.
If you plan on spending the entire day at Great America with a larger group, you can also rent a cabana for an additional fee from their website. Just make sure an adult is always available to watch the kiddos!
For calendar and operating hours, click here.
Don’t be afraid to take a spin on some of their rides too. Our kiddos loved Psycho Mouse so much that they got on it three times!
Toward the end of the night, before we finished the night off in the park, we enjoyed our last drink samples, some dessert, experienced the Mass Effect New Earth show, and waited for the fireworks.
We didn’t plan on spending the entire day there, but there was so much to do that we ended up staying until the park closed. All in all, we were in the park for a good eight hours and enjoyed every minute of it.
I hope you have as much fun as we did if you get a chance to go. If you do, tag me on Instagram @spanglishspoon and @cagreatamerica on social media, or come back and share your experience below in the comments if you can! We’d love to hear all about it!
Can’t make it this weekend? No worries, they have more fun planned this Summer. Check out the list of events here.
