Best kid-friendly attractions, including innovative museums, gorgeous parks & plenty of outdoor places to play.
San Francisco is a fantastic destination for families. The postcard-perfect city has innovative museums, gorgeous parks, and plenty of outdoor places to play. The food is world-class, and the inner city’s small size makes it easy to get around. You’ll need several days to do these 10 Plays, but afterwards, you and your kids will have had an unforgettable vacation.
1. Golden Gate Park
Northwest
First stop for any family should be the California Academy of Sciences. It’s the only place on Earth to house an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum – all under one living roof. You can easily spend a whole day here seeing sharks, taking in a planetarium show or walking in the four-story live rainforest. And don’t miss my kids’ favorite: the feedings of the South African penguins in the mornings and afternoons in the African Hall. Cost: Child (4 -11) $24.95; Youth (12-17) $29.95; Adult $34.95.
Older kids may like to visit the de Young Museum which houses an extraordinary art collection and the ninth floor observation level offers breathtaking 360-degree views of San Francisco.
If you’re fortunate to be here on a sunny day, rent pedal boats or row boats on Stowe Lake, an artificial lake with an island, Strawberry Hill, in the middle. If your kids still have more energy to burn, rent bikes, scooters or skates or head to the Koret Playground and Carousel.
The Japanese Tea Garden is worth a quick visit, too, and has yummy Japanese snacks, sweets, and of course, tea. If you want more horticulture, the white-domed Conservatory of Flowers is a Victorian-era greenhouse that houses more than 2,000 plants and flowers. The western edge of the park ends at Ocean Beach. While heading out here, be sure to visit the herd of Bison that have lived at the park for more than 100 years. They’re right next to Spreckels Lake, where locals play with their remote control boats on the weekends. Ocean Beach is a beautiful place to take in the view, watch surfers, and build sandcastles but not to swim or wade, as there are dangerous rip currents. Since it’s often chilly, warm up with a hot lunch at the Beach Chalet or legendary Cliff House.
KidTripster Tip: The deYoung Museum and the Conservatory of Flowers are free the first Tuesday of every month. The California Academy of Sciences is free every third Wednesday of the month.
KidTripster Tip: On Sundays and all major holidays, Golden Gate Park closes many of its roads to all vehicle traffic. Plan accordingly! Check here for details.
2. Yerba Buena Gardens
Mission Street, between 3rd and 4th Street in the SOMA (South of Market Street) District, Northeast
Yerba Buena Gardens is one-stop shopping for any family. Here your kids can ride the historic, hand-built carousel. Cost: $4, good for 2 rides. Also visit the Children’s Creativity Museum, a children’s media & technology museum where kids can code robots, sing karaoke, and create their own animation. Cost: $12. For more family fun, head to the large playground with huge slides and a climbing structure, walk in the Children’s Garden, visit the indoor ice skating rink or bowl as a family at the 12-lane Bowling Center. And don’t forget to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Looking for more culture? The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Jewish Museum, and Cartoon Art Museum are all within walking distance. Next door to Yerba Buena Gardens, you’ll find the Metreon, a four-story shopping center with a movie theater and huge food court that offers everything from burgers to burritos to Japanese noodles.
3. San Francisco Zoo
Sloat Boulevard at the Great Highway, Southwest
Nearly 2,000 animals live at the more than 100-acre San Francisco Zoo between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. All yearlong, you can see giraffes, rhinos, polar bears, chimpanzees, and more, but no elephants. The zoo has been elephant-free since 2005, when the elephants were relocated to an animal sanctuary. Be prepared to walk a lot! For young kids, strollers are a must. Cost: Children (4-14) $13.00; Adult (15-64) $19.00.
KidTripster Tip: Catch the Grizzly bear feedings at 10:30 a.m.
4. Exploratorium
Pier 15, The Embarcadero & Green Street, Northeast
Sssh… don’t tell the kids the next stop is a museum! Kids and adults alike will learn all kinds of stuff without even knowing it. At the Exploratorium, everyone is encouraged to touch and play their way through the more than 600 science, nature, art, and technology exhibits. Cost: Youth (4-12) $19.95; Adults $29.95.
Kidtripster Tip: Don’t miss lunch in the cafeteria. The food is fresh and delicious, and while you eat, you can watch the boats under the Bay Bridge.
5. Crissy Field
North
Formerly an army airstrip, Crissy Field is now a 4.3-mile waterfront promenade that wanders from Fort Point to the Golden Gate Bridge. Go for a walk, have a picnic, watch the kite surfers, frolic on the beach, and dip your toes in the Pacific Ocean with the spectacular backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. Make a pit stop at the Warming Hut for hot chocolate and only-in-San Francisco books and souvenirs. Along the way, there are lots of kid-friendly attractions, including House of Air trampoline park and Planet Granite climbing gym. If it’s a sunny and clear day, take a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge walk is 3.5 miles roundtrip. Bikes are allowed but no skateboards, skates or rollerblades. Cost: Free.
6. Cable car rides
Northeast
There’s no better way to experience the hills and views of San Francisco than aboard a cable car. If you’re brave, ride on the outside. It’s a thrill, but watch out for other cable cars approaching, as they pass quite close.
To get the most bang for your buck, hop a Powell-Hyde cable car and head towards Fisherman’s Wharf. You’ll get beautiful views of the bay and Alcatraz, as well as catch a glimpse of Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. Cost: Youth & Adults (5-17) $5 each way.
KidTripster Tip: If you have a kid who loves trains or trolleys, it probably makes sense to get the one-day pass; you can hop on and off as often as you wish. Cost: $13.
KidTripster Tip: If you’ve got a real cable car enthusiast in your family, make a visit to the Cable Car Museum (1201 Mission Street). The museum tells the story of San Francisco’s cable cars from the first run in 1873 to the present. The museum houses some antique cable cars. You can also see the engines and wheels that pull the cables. There are viewing areas both upstairs and downstairs that provide a unique look at how the system physically operates. This small museum is located in Nob Hill. It’s open daily and admission is free. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines stop at the museum.
7. Alcatraz Cruise
Fisherman’s Wharf and Ferry Plaza at the Embarcadero, Northeast
Is an old federal prison an appropriate place to take kids? Absolutely! Kids will love the 10-minute ferry ride to get there and once on the island, they’ll be fascinated by the former penitentiary. You definitely want to plan ahead for this tour, as tickets regularly sell out, especially on weekends. Ticket price includes ferry transportation, the cellhouse audio tour (a must do!), and access to the island. Cost: Child (5-11) $21.75; Youth & Adult (12-61) $35.50; Family Ticket (2 Adults + 2 Children) $107.50.
KidTripster Tip: The night tour of the Rock costs a little more but is highly recommended for tweens and teens but too scary for the younger set.
8. San Francisco Giants baseball game
AT&T Park, Southeast
One of most fun things that you can do while in San Francisco is to take in a Giants baseball game at AT&T Park right on the water. The views are second to none; home run balls are caught by boaters in the bay! Kids will love the Coca Cola Fan Lot which has a gigantic slide, miniature version of the stadium, and photo booth. When the Giants win, the sounds of the San Francisco fog horn and Tony Bennett’s song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” fill the stadium. What’s not to love?
KidTripster Tip: Take public transportation to the park. Weekend games often sell out, so buy your tickets in advance. Cost: $9 and up.
KidTripster Tip: Food in the stadium is expensive. If you’re on a budget, bring your own food. Pack it in clear plastic bags, and you’ll breeze through security; no alcoholic beverages and glass bottles.
9. Pier 39
The Embarcadero, Northeast
Called San Francisco’s Disneyland, Pier 39 has lots of kid attractions: a double-decker merry-go-round, an arcade, media experiences, and the Aquarium of the Bay, a unique, walk-through underwater attraction. Cost: Child (4-12) $14.95; Adult $24.95; Family (2 Adults + 2 Children) $68.00.
Right next to the aquarium, be sure to check out one of the free outdoor shows featuring jugglers, magicians, comedians, and everything in between. And don’t forget to visit the sea lions!bIn 1989, after the Loma Prieta earthquake, these wild marine mammals took over the dock next to Pier 39 and made it their home. No one knows why. The sea lions are loud, boisterous, and stinky! Check out the Sea Lion Web Cam here.
10. Bay Area Discovery Museum
557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito
Right over the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito, you’ll find the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It may be the most beautifully-situated kids’ destination in the world! Nestled in the lush greenery of Fort Baker, you’ll be mesmerized by the sweeping views of the bay and the bridge to the south, as you watch the kids run around and explore. This well-designed museum has indoor and outdoor exhibits, an art studio, a tech lab, a playground complete with an authentic fishing boat, a water play area, plus lots of space for kids to get messy and just be kids. The museum is geared toward children, ages 7 and under. The museum opens at 9 a.m. for early risers. Cost: Child (6-11 months) $12.95; Child & Adult (1 – 64) $13.95.
KidTripster Tip: The first Wednesday of the month is free.
Former journalist Diane Ettelson is a native San Franciscan but still loves playing tourist in her hometown with her three young girls. After several years of being entrenched in the princess stage, she’s relieved to report that her girls have found new interests ranging from sports to chess to animals.
This writer received some complimentary activities for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions expressed are solely her own.
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