by 13 people |
Fun Places to Take Little Ones
The Bay Area is a great place to live, especially with young kids. This lense describes the places me and my little ones like to go and the things we enjoy doing. Hope you find this useful.
Unless otherwise specifically stated, each one of the recommendations in this lense is based on my personal experience or on the recommendation of a personal friend.
Do you know of a fun place to go that I have missed? Do you and your kids have a favorite activity that others should know about? If so, please contact me!
Newly Added Activities
Here are the latest activities and attractions added to this lens:
- Hidden Villa in Los Altos - all it takes is a $5 parking permit and you can spend the day doing fun, non-strenuous hikes under shady trees, visit some farm animals and play around a really nice vegetable garden. Nice way to spend the afternoon.
- Laser Quest in Mountain View - For a birthday party or just for a fun afternoon, Laser Quest is a blast (no pun intended) for kids and adults alike. This attraction essentially involves running around a maze and shooting at each other with harmless laser guns. We held our son's 7th birthday at Laser Quest, and many of the parents stayed to play too. At $8.5 per game, this is an affordable and fun way to spend an afternoon.
Fun Things to Do Without Breaking the Bank
This is a list of fun things to do, and places to go that don't typically require buying tickets or paying a large entrance fee.
- Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach - This gorgeous beach offers tide pools full of sea urchins, anemones, starfish, crabs and many other creatures. When we visited, there was also a group of seals on the beach. Helpful volunteers show visitors around on weekends. My kids loved the place. Be sure to visit at or close to low tide.
- Flying a kite in Shoreline Park - there's a special kite flying area and on windy afternoons, when the weather is nice there are dozens of kites in the air. For you East Bay folks, the Berkeley Marina is also a great place to do some kite flying.
- A day at the beach in Half Moon Bay - a few weeks ago on a sunny winter day, we spent half a day at the beach in Half Moon Bay. It's amazing how much fun kids can have playing in the sand and chasing seagulls.
- An afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese - yeah, I know, it's cheesy, but my three year old loves it, it costs almost nothing and getting a prize at the end really makes it easy to go home when you're done.
- A visit to the library - going to the library with the little ones to hear some new stories is fun. Explaining that shouting in the library is a no-no is harder...
- Riding the train - my four year old loves the train and riding it, even for a couple of stops is a treat. Especially if he gets to ride in the top floor. We typically take Caltrain, but BART works just as well.
- Visiting the sea lions at Pier 39 - kids love them, just make sure it's the right time of the year. While you are there, Pier 39 also has a great old fashioned carousel, and some free shows for kids. It's way touristy though.
- A Stop at the Local Fire Station - every kid on the planet gets excited at the sight of a fire truck. Most fire stations have times when they are open to the public and many will let you visit even when there is no special event if you ask nicely.
- Ride a Cable-Car in San-Francisco - it's the most touristy thing to do in the city, but kids love it, especially if you get them a good spot to sit.
- Hidden Villa in Los Altos - all it take is a $5 parking permit and you can spend the day doing fun, non-strenuous hikes under shady trees, visit some farm animals and play around a really nice vegetable garden. Nice way to spend the afternoon.
- Explore Tide Pools at Bean Hollow State Beach - This one is a real gem, where your little ones can hunt for star fish, see hermit crabs and watch seals playing in the surf. Admission is free, and the beach is about 15 minutes south of Half Moon Bay. Make sure to visit when the tide is on its way out.
- Go Berry Picking - Located in mid peninsula, Webb Ranch let's you pick your own berries a few times a year. Obviously, this activity is seasonal, so check the website!
Advertise on this Lens
If you are interested in advertising on this lens, please contact me.
Why Advertise Here? - It's simple. Thousands of Bay Area parents with small kids visit this lens every month and advertising here is REALLY cheap.
Note that ads NEVER appear as part of the recommended places to go, but can receive high visibility placement elsewhere on the site.
If you offer a service or product that my readers may find useful, please contact me at shadox1 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Why Advertise Here? - It's simple. Thousands of Bay Area parents with small kids visit this lens every month and advertising here is REALLY cheap.
Note that ads NEVER appear as part of the recommended places to go, but can receive high visibility placement elsewhere on the site.
If you offer a service or product that my readers may find useful, please contact me at shadox1 [at] gmail [dot] com.
When You Can't Go Out...
This awesome game by Cranium is highly recommended.
Hullabaloo is an excellent game that mixes music, learning, movement and lots of family silliness. The game offers a lot of variety, and keeps getting more and more complex as you play it.
This is a game kids can play by themselves, with friends or with parents. It is recommended for ages 4 to 10, but my son got it for his 3rd birthday and has been playing ever since.
Hullabaloo is an excellent game that mixes music, learning, movement and lots of family silliness. The game offers a lot of variety, and keeps getting more and more complex as you play it.
This is a game kids can play by themselves, with friends or with parents. It is recommended for ages 4 to 10, but my son got it for his 3rd birthday and has been playing ever since.
Cranium Hullabaloo
Amazon Price: $32.98 (as of 12/18/2009) 
Other Websites for Kids and Parents
Be sure to visit my latest websites for parents and kids
- Smart Toys for Young Kids
- This new website that I created offers advice on how to select smart toys for smart kids.
There is so many junk out there, that I know I really appreciate recommendations and ideas about the best toys and entertainment for my kids. In this website I collect all the good advice and ideas that others give me on the subject.
Zoo & Parks
The zoo is always a fun place to go with little ones, and in the Bay Area we have some excellent zoos and parks.
- San Francisco Zoo
- My family's favorite Bay Area zoo. The family membership is a steal at $70 per family per year. Parking can be a bit rough on sunny winter weekends. Make sure you catch the phenomenal lemur habitat.
- Happy Hollow
- Happy Hollow is closed for renovation until March 2010. Located in San Jose, Happy Hollow is has a small zoo and a small amusement park for the price of one ticket. The amusement park features all you can ride carouselles, as well as a train and a puppet show. Happy Hollow is perfect for kids 2 to 5.
- Oakland Zoo
- Not as nice as the San Francisco Zoo, but still a lot of fun.
- Coyote Point Museum
- The Coyote Point Museum is located pretty close to SFO. It contains a small zoo, where the sea otters are a big hit. The museum itself is pretty outdated, but my little ones really enjoy some of the exhibits.
- Monterey Aquarium
- OK, so it's not exactly in the Bay Area, but this is, after all, the world reknowned Monterey Aquarium and no list of zoos would be complete without it. Kids love it, and the gelly fish exhibit is especially stunning. Highly recommended.
- Tilden Park
- In the East Bay, this park has a lake, a steam train for young'uns to ride, a merry-go-round and lots of other fun things. My oldest son loves this place.
- Children's Fairyland
- Fairyland is a rather smallish amusement park for young kids. My 2 & 6 year olds had a blast, although I suspect that slightly older kids would find the place boring. Admission is $6 for all age groups, and attractions include farm animals, a small train, puppet and magic shows (strongly recommended) and more. Overall this is really good value for money but I would recommend avoiding the cafeteria and bringing some food with you. Selection is poor and quality is so-so.
Educational Fun at Home
Leapfrog has a range of high quality, educational toys for many age groups. Our house is full of them and all are highly recommended.
LeapFrog Scribble and Write
Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 12/18/2009)
LeapFrog Text and Learn
Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 12/18/2009)
![LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Hy063atjL._SL75_.jpg)
LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
Amazon Price: $37.47 (as of 12/18/2009)
Museums
I love taking my little ones to the Museum. They love it, they learn and it's MUCH better than hanging out in front of the TV...
- USS Hornet
- The Hornet is a WWII era aircraft carrier, turned museum and permenantly docked in Alameda. You can spend hours exploring this amazing museum: roam the hanger deck where various aircraft are stored; walk the flight deck from which you can see the great vista of the Bay and San-Francisco; take a tour into the command deck, navigation posts and wheel house. Your kids will love it! Guarenteed.
- The Exploratorium
- More fun than a barrel of monkies, the Exploratorium is a science museum where kids can play, touch and experience while learning science. The artificial tornado is a personal favorite.
- Chabot Space & Science Center
- A really fun museum where kids can experiment and learn about space, the solar system and the stars. The planetarium show, in a state of the art 360 degree projection dome, is a real treat. Highly recommended.
- Children's Discovery Museum
- A fun, hands-on learning experience for kids. My family's favorites include the water interactive exhibit (think waterfalls with flying balls); and the bubbles exhibit. A word of advice: do not try to visit the museum on rainy weekends - parking is a nightmare & the museum is extremely crowded on those days.
- Hiller Aviation Museum
- This fun museum, located in Redwood City, is filled with planes, planes and more planes. Once a year the museum holds its helicopter show. This is a big event and is highly recommended.
- Zeum
- Zeum is a multimedia arts and technology museum, geared towards kids. Kids can make their own animation movies, appear in a movie, make a movie sound-track and more. My 4 year old enjoyed it, but older kids would probably enjoy it even more. The historic carousel just outside the museum was a major hit with my little one.
Also, pretty close to the carousel is a special statue of a man that will sit down if you sit down in front of it. Kids think its a hoot. - California Academy of Sciences Natural History Museum
- currently located on Howard & 4th in San Francisco, the museum features a nice aquarium, with Pinguins, Piranahs and a petting area. Exhibits other than the aquarium are less than impressive, and the price is a bit steep for what is given ($10 for adults), but my little ones really enjoyed themselves.
- Bay Area Discovery Museum
- Definitely skewed towards the younger crowd, kids between 2 and 4 will love this interactive museum. Admission is a bit on the pricy side, at $8.5 for adult and $7.5 per child, however the museum offers a AAA discount. A word of advice - the cafeteria is horrible. Plan on eating elsewhere.
- The Tech Museum of Innovation
- Located in Downtown San Jose, the Tech Museum is a fun place for kids in many age groups. Older kids will enjoy the IMAX show and hands-on science experiments and younger kids will love the many interactive exhibits. Fun exhibits include: experiencing an earthquake; piloting an actual hovercraft; playing with watermills and windmills to generate electricity. Tickets are $8 for all age groups.
An Excellent Activity Guide
Get two copies: one for your car and one to keep at home.
Fun Places to Go With Children in Northern California: 9th Edition over 350 Listings, Completely Revised and Updated
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 12/18/2009)
Amusement Parks
Here are some of the Bay Area amusement parks that have activities geared towards young kids
- Six Flags Marine World
- Six Flags are famous for their coasters, but Six Flags Marine World is perfect for young kids as well. Our three year old loved the kiddie coaster, the aminal shows and the trains. In the park you can also feed giraffes, ride an elephant and pet the sting rays. The price is pretty steep, but we thought it was well worth it. By the way, kids under 3 get in for free... Do an online search for coupons before you go, usually you can find some promotion to lower your entry fees.
- Paramount's Great America
- Great America also has quite a few rides for young kids, plus it features the Nickelodeon characters and shows. We liked it less than Six Flags, but it was also fun.
- Bonfante Gardens
- Geared specifically towards the younger crowd, this place has rides, gardens and exhibits. They also have a funky radio commercial which you are sure to have heard if you live around here... By the way, you can easily find a discount coupon to the park online. What they don't tell you is that if you use a coupon, your ticket will be for a single day. If you buy at full price, you ticket is good for the whole season.
- Lemos Farm
- Appropriate for really young kids, Lemos Farm offers pony rides, train rides and a petting zoo. Before Holloween the Farm also offers a haunted house and a large pumpkin patch. The lines can be very long and the drive from the Peninsula can be very slow on weekends with good weather. $15 will buy you unlimited rides for the full day.
- Malibu Grand Prix
- This mini-golf / arcade / go cart facility is conveniently located in the mid-peninsula. Don't expect fancy facilities or superb food, but my 5 year old truly enjoyed an afternoon of mini-golf. Costs are reasonable at $8 per game and kids under 5 play for free.
For another Mini Golf & Arcade option, check out Golfland USA in Sunnyvale. - Laser Quest
- For a birthday party or just for a fun afternoon, Laser Quest is a blast (no pun intended) for kids and adults alike. This attraction essentially involves running around a maze and shooting at each other with harmless laser guns. We held our son's 7th birthday at Laser Quest, and many of the parents stayed to play too. At $8.5 per game, this is an affordable and fun way to spend an afternoon. I would suggest this only for kids 6 and up.
- Raging Waters
- For around $30 for an adult and around $20 for a child, your family can spend a day of water filled fun. The park has many types of water slides and pools, appropriate even for very young kids. Life jackets are available. My kids loved it. My family went on a warm Saturday in August and the lines were fairly reasonable.
- Aqua Adventure
- My family and I haven't visited this attraction, but it was recommended to me by a reader of this site (thank you, Slal!). From the website, the park seems to be pretty small, but the admission price is much lower than that of Raging Waters.
Where to Take the Kids... Some Great Advice
Play Around the Bay: A Guide to Bay Area Outings for Families with Young Children
Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 12/18/2009)
Other Attractions
- Jelly Belly Factory Tour
- This is an excellent 40 minute walking tour of the factory. It's free and it's extremely kid friendly. My four year old loved to see the robots stacking boxes of candy, and boxes of Jelly Beans zipping around on conveyor belts. The biggest success: at the end of the tour he got his very own free bag of Jelly Bellies. Talk about a big finalle.
What Brings You to this Site?
Loading poll. Please Wait...
How Would You Improve this Website?
Please give me your feedback.
Loading poll. Please Wait...
Discussion Forum: Add Your Own Suggestions
Do you know of any cool things to do with small kids in the Bay Area that are not already included in this lens?
please take a minute to tell us about it. A simple sentence or two would do.
Thanks!
submit
-
Reply
- Slal Slal Nov 25, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
- Aqua adventure in Fremont is another water park which we enjoy alot.
-
Reply
- Chanyiki Chanyiki Oct 16, 2009 @ 2:47 am
- Gilroy Garden is a good place to go too. They have over 40 different rides you can spend a whole day there.
-
Reply
- Lou1842 Lou1842 Sep 16, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
- Wow, this is a very comprehensive list. If I'm ever over in San Fransisco, I'll be using this guide. Great lens. 5*
-
Reply
- swara swara Aug 21, 2009 @ 1:07 pm
- Thanks a lotttt for the list...its very usefull
-
Reply
- Shadox Shadox Aug 15, 2009 @ 8:15 pm
- Jenny - thanks for your comments. If something is out of date, please let me know and i'll update. We don't get a chance to attend all of these attractions all the time, so I am assuming some things are dated by now. Always happy to get better info.
-
Reply
- Jenny Jenny Aug 12, 2009 @ 6:59 pm
- The list is good but needs to be updated.
-
Reply
- Shadox Shadox Jul 27, 2009 @ 5:23 pm | in reply to kelly
- Kelly, thanks for the comment. Each attraction description contains a link to the appropriate website as part of the title. In some cases the link is a link to a Google map, where appropriate. Thanks for visiting my lens!
-
Reply
- kelly kelly Jul 27, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
- I wish that would add where these attractions are located, possibly the website
-
Reply
- aj2008 aj2008 Jul 27, 2009 @ 3:46 am
- We call "exploring tide pools" rock pooling in the UK - great pastime for all ages.
A very comprehensive and useful guide - I particularly like the fact that it is based on personal experience.
-
Reply
- bernadette1 bernadette1 Jul 9, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
- I am a mother of a small kid living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you and 5*
- Load More
Visit These Other Great Sites
- 42
- The funniest lense on Squidoo, bar none. Check it out.
- Space and Astronomy
- A whole bunch of interesting news, links and commentary about space, human space flight, astronomy and much. much more.
- The Scientific Search for Life in the Universe
- Is there life out there in the universe? This lense offers a window into what scientists around the world are doing to find out.
- Big Screen TVs - You Gotta Love Them...
- This lense explains what to look for in a big screen TV and how to avoid some serious pitfalls in searching and buying your new screen.
- Fly Into Space.... For Real
- This lense is all about the emerging and amazing industry of space tourism. Starting in 2008, just a couple of year away, flying into space on Virgin Galactic (yes, it's real) will be a reality.
Find out more about this fast moving industry. - Money and Such
- This is a blog about investing, saving, spending an having fun in your 20's, 30's and 40's. It is about getting your financial life in order.
Explore related pages
Super Why- Welcome to the world of Super Why!! Teaching valuable reading skills in a fun an...
The Stegosaurus- "Stegosaurus" means "roof" or "plated" lizard, and it's easy to see why. Stegos...
Family Clay Play in Port Charlotte, Florida
- Are you in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Murdock, or North Port and looking for a...
Real Love Spells I Can Perform- That's a question I get asked a lot! The answer is yes! There are two kinds of l...
Increasing life skills through board games- When people first hear my ideas they often find it hard to imagine how something...
