7 family friendly things to do in Citrus Heights

By Sara Beth Williams–
Families looking for local places to keep kids occupied throughout the summer months in Citrus Heights, can find a limited range of opportunities including a skating rink, bowling alley, gaming cafe and kids’ playhouse and arcade.

Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes: The local bowling alley has been a staple fixture on the corner of Grand Oaks Boulevard and Auburn Boulevard for years and offers more than just bowling. The bowling alley offers a full bar and grill and also holds bowling league tournaments, hosts birthday and company events, and offers daily bowling specials before 5:30 p.m. Find out more at their website. Fireside Lanes is located at 7901 Auburn Blvd.

Rollerland: Located behind the Sunrise Mall, Rollerland has been another prominent fixture that recently celebrated 50 years. Rollerland offers themed skating events, discounted online skating packages, birthday party packages, group and private skating lessons, and monthly late-night adult skating parties hosted by Rhythm and Wheels Sk8ters. Visit the roller rink’s website for more information on weekly sessions and ticket pricing. Rollerland is located at 6001 Sunrise Vista Drive.

Elly’s Playhouse: Elly’s Playhouse offers a great atmosphere for little ones eight years and younger to come and interact out of the heat. The small playhouse offers birthday party packages, open play, and monthly memberships. A small snack bar is also on site. Visit the playhouse’s website for more information. Elly’s Playhouse is located at 7777 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 1700.

Chuck E. Cheese: Families looking for a great place to get out of the heat can pick up a Summer Fun Pass from Chuck E. Cheese. With a pass, families have unlimited visits for two months, and can play up to 250 games per visit. The pass also provides 20-50 percent off most foods and drinks on site. Chuck E. Cheese also offers birthday party packages and open play, which includes a trampoline zone. For more information, visit their website. Chuck E. Cheese is located at 6251 Sunrise Blvd.

Galaxy Game Café: A new, no-tech game café recently opened on the corner of Antelope Road and Sunrise Boulevard, giving patrons the opportunity to browse over 700 board games along with an extensive Star Wars collectibles gallery. The café offers individual and family membership packages, and families can also rent board games for overnight use. The café hosts weekly and monthly events, including one-shot and ongoing DnD campaign nights, trivia game nights, board game nights, blind dating with a board game, and couples game nights.

The café recently updated its list of 3-day kids’ camps for July and will be hosting a pirate-themed game camp for kids, a Build Your Own Board Game camp, a Pokémon Academy camp, and a Dungeons and Dragons kids camp. For more information, visit Galaxy Game Café’s website. Galaxy Game Café is located at 7700 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 1900.

Sylvan Oaks Library: The library is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and offers more than just books to patrons. Visitors can access free Wi-Fi, use computers, rent laptops and tablets, and participate in family and toddler storytimes. The library also hosts weekly and monthly events, including weekly free chess play, movies, a monthly book club, and a youth comic club.

Through Aug. 9, youth under 18 can receive free lunch at the library Tuesday through Friday. For a full list of events visit the library’s calendar. The library is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays. Sylvan Oaks Library is located at 6700 Auburn Blvd.

Rusch Park Public Pool: For those that want to cool down outside, Rusch Park’s public pool is open for public swimming Tuesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to representatives from Sunrise Recreation and Parks District, pool hours will be extended on July 4 by one hour, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The pool is closed on Mondays. For ticket information and pool rules, please visit the park district’s website here.

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