Kids & Family

Best place for a love-skate relationship

Roller Kingdom Family Fun Center

515 E. Seventh St.

Many kids who grew up in the 1980s probably spent many a weekend or summer break at the local roller skating rink. Remember the girls with the feathered hair and the big comb in the back pocket of their Jordache jeans, or the skating wiz who always had to show off his fancy moves? You can revisit your roller king/queen days of yore at Roller Kingdom, which has been attracting a new generation of young people to its rink. These days, you’re more likely to hear Taylor Swift than Journey playing overhead, but you’ll still see giggling pre-teen girls forming human chains and youngsters taking their first wobbly strides on the floor among the more experienced skaters. The skating rink offers open skating hours Wednesday through Sunday, as well as skating lessons and theme nights, including a monthly ’80s night and an adult night on Sundays.

Best unpaved place

Our back yard

Reno has a long list of cool amenities for kids, but the reigning champion is our Own Back Yard. No! Not the RN&R’s parking lot! We mean the accessible public land and open space you’ll find if you just drive in any direction until the pavement ends, which is usually only a few miles. Watch the sunset from Rattlesnake Mountain. Take an easy break from South Reno shopping in Huffaker Hills. Swim in the Truckee River in Lockwood (or a dozen other great spots). Catch a moonrise from Peavine’s foothills, or, for maximum view and practically zero elevation gain, stroll along the winding Steamboat Ditch Trail. These are the backdrops for some of the best kinds of quality family time we can think of. And you don’t even need a map. Just look up from wherever you are now, pick a hill, drive to it, and marvel in the privilege that is raising kids in a small city nestled between the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin.

Best arcade games

1. Game Lab at Peppermill Resort Spa Casino

2707 S. Virginia St., (866) 821-9996

2. Fun Quest at Grand Sierra Resort

2500 E. Second St., 789-2439

3. Atlantis Family Entertainment Fun Center

3800 S. Virginia St., 825-4700

Best charter school

1. Coral Academy of Science

1701 Valley Road, 322-1328

2. Rainshadow Community Charter High School

121 Vesta St., 322-5566

3. Academy for Career Education

2800 Vassar St., 324-3900

Best elementary school

1. Mount Rose K-8 Academy of Languages

915 Lander St., 333-5030

2. Roy Gomm Elementary School

4000 Mayberry Drive, 333-5000

2. Jessie Beck Elementary School

1900 Sharon Way, 689-2520

Best family outing

1. Lake Tahoe

1. Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum

490 S. Center St., 786-1000

3. Wild Island Family Adventure Park

250 Wild Island Court, 359-2927

Best high school

1. Reno High School

395 Booth St., 333-5050

2. Robert McQueen High School

6055 Lancer St., 746-5880

3. Edward C. Reed High School

1350 Baring Blvd., 353-5700

3. Galena High School

3600 Butch Cassidy Drive, 851-5630

Best local library

1. Downtown Reno Library

301 S. Center St., 327-8300

2. Northwest Reno Library

2325 Robb Drive, 787-4100

3. South Valleys Library

15650 Wedge Parkway, 851-5190

Best middle school

1. B. D. Billinghurst Middle School

6685 Chesterfield Lane, 746-5870

2. Lou Mendive Middle School

900 Whitewood Drive, Sparks, 353-5990

2. Darrel C. Swope Middle School

901 Keele Drive, 333-5330

Best park

1. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park

1595 N Sierra St., 785-4512

2. Idlewild Park

2055 Idlewild Drive, 334-2270

3. Pah Rah Park

3545 Vista Blvd., Sparks

Best picnic spot

1. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park

1595 N Sierra St., 785-4512

2. Idlewild Park

2055 Idlewild Drive, 334-2270

3. Lake Tahoe

Best place to introduce kids to nature

1. Lake Tahoe

2. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park

1595 N. Sierra St., 785-4512

3. Galena Creek Regional Park

18250 Mt. Rose Highway, 849-4948

Best place to take the kids

1. Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum

490 S. Center St., 786-1000

2. Wild Island Coconut Bowl

1855 E. Lincoln Way, Sparks, 359-2927

3. Wild Island Family Adventure Park

250 Wild Island Court, 359-2927

Best thing to do on a Friday night

1. Food Truck Friday

Idlewild Park

2. West Wind El Rancho Drive-In

555 El Rancho Drive, 358-6920

3. Reno Aces game

250 Evans Ave., 334-4700

Best toy store

1. Toys “R” Us

5000 Smithridge Drive, 827-8697

2. Happy Happy Joy Joy

955 S. Virginia St., 562-1113

3. Learning Express Toys

5110 Mae Anne Ave., 787-5646

Best weekend activity

1. Great Reno Balloon Race

2. Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum

490 S Center St., 786-1000

3. Hiking

Best weeknight activity

1. Food Truck Friday

Idlewild Park

2. Reno Aces game

250 Evans Ave., 334-4700

Most kid-friendly restaurant

1. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers

4999 Kietzke Lane, 825-7246

2. Laughing Planet Café

650 Tahoe St., 360-2592

3. Chuck E. Cheese's

5000 Smithridge Drive, 827-5100