Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Berkeley
Berkeley Natural History Museums
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Virginia-McGee Totland
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Codornices Park
Rose garden, views, picnicking & hiking. Comprising the Berkeley Rose Garden plus areas for ball playing & hiking, picnicking & kids' play.
University of California Botanical Garden
Sprawling collection of diverse plants. Established in 1890, this 34-acre garden features a collection of plants from around the world.
Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt
Playground & creek amid redwood groves. Urban greenbelt offers a playground, climbing wall & creek amid butterfly gardens & redwood groves.
Doyle Hollis Park
Park with a playground & an amphitheater. Park featuring a playground & basketball, plus a fountain, picnic areas & an amphitheater.
Temescal Regional Recreation Area
Oasis for picnicking, swimming & more. Urban, lakeside retreat offering swim & picnic areas, a fishing dock, trails & playgrounds.
Adventure Playground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Habitot Children's Museum
Hands-on learning lab for kids. Museum engaging kids ages 1-5 with interactive exhibits like a wind tunnel & face-painting table.
Shorebird Park
Picturesque setting with a nature center. Scenic marina park offers picnic sites, play areas & a nature center with fish & wildlife displays.
Tilden Nature Area
Site for scenic hikes & wildlife views. Nature preserve featuring easy & challenging hiking trails with scenic views & wildlife sightings.
Tilden Nature Area Environmental Education Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Inspiration Point
Scenic overlook at a nature park. Observation area with sweeping views & interpretive plaques, plus a parking lot & trail access.
Blake Garden UC Berkeley
Artful UC Berekely park for scenic views. UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design's green space with scenic views & diverse plant life.
Children's Fairyland
Storybook-themed amusement park standby. Vibrant, longtime amusement park pairing a storybook motif with rides & theatrical performances.
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
Hiking & native plants in a wooded area. This 241-acre wooded preserve features a self-guided, botanic interpretive trail & restrooms.
Marina Bay Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area
Low-key park featuring eucalyptus trees. Quiet spot for picnics & other gatherings, with a rustic cottage, hiking trails & fragrant trees.
Pyramid to Moses
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Chabot Space & Science Center
All about outer space plus a planetarium. Big complex featuring interactive exhibits on outer space, a planetarium, a gift shop & more.
Joaquin Miller Park
500-acre park & trails through the trees. Dog-friendly woodland park on 500 acres boasting rustic trails, meadows & picnic sites.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area
Sports & picnicking amid redwoods. An 82-acre park in a stand of second-growth redwoods, popular for picnics & recreational sports.
Pacific Pinball Museum
Historic & playable pinball machines. Museum displaying rare & vintage pinball machines, which are also playable, amid colorful local art.
Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove
Aquarium & marine life exhibits. Bayfront education center with an 800-gallon aquarium & interactive exhibits about marine life.
Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline
Waterfront park with beach & rail museum. Waterfront space with a picnic area, beach, fishing pier, panoramic views & a model railroad museum.
Pogo Park #1 - Elm Playlot
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Wave Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Exploratorium
Hands-on science museum. Hundreds of interactive, educational exhibits & activities illustrating scientific principles.
Briones Regional Park
Rolling hills, wildlife sightings & more. Pastoral, 6,255-acre park with rolling hills, wildlife viewing, campgrounds & other features.
Angel Island Immigration Station
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Francisco Carousel at Pier 39
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze
Colorful maze of mirrors & archways. Arched doorways & columns form the basis for this colorful mirrored maze for adults & children.
Aquarium of the Bay
Waterfront museum with aquatic animals. Aquarium with creatures from local waters, including otters, sharks & jellyfish, plus a touch tank.
Musical Stairs
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sea Lions
Marina docks with sea lions galore. Docks off Pier 39 that are a favorite hangout of hundreds of sunbathing, barking sea lions.
Sea Lion Viewing Area
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Angel Island State Park
Island park with campsites & city views. Large island with campsites featuring hiking & biking trails plus panoramic views of San Francisco.
Chinatown San Francisco
Famous neighborhood for Chinese culture. Iconic area with the largest assembly of Chinese eateries, shops & cultural events outside of Asia.
Leroy King Carousel
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Heart of San Francisco Series
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Children's Creativity Museum
Interactive arts & technology museum. A place for kids to explore arts & technology by making music videos, animating short films & more.
Refugio Valley Park
Play equipment, a pond & picnic areas. Park featuring a walking path around a duck pond, picnic tables, restrooms & 2 play structures.
Mission Bay Kids Park
Purpose-built activity center for kids. Interactive play zones, climbing structures & sandboxes in a modern kids' park with picnic benches.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
Scenic park offering multi-use trails. Sprawling park with scenic, multi-use trails through meadows, eucalyptus woods, bluffs & beaches.
Oakland Aviation Museum
Display aircraft & historical exhibits. Museum housing an extensive aircraft collection & various aviation exhibits in a historic hangar.
Tenderloin Playground
Indoor/outdoor recreational hub for kids. City-run recreational center & children's playground offering special events & classes.
Helen Diller Civic Center Playground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Paradise Beach Park
Scenic spot for picnics, beach & fishing. Waterside park in a residential neighborhood, offering views, picnic lawns, a fishing pier & beach.
Tiburon Open Space Committee
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oakland Zoo
850+ native & exotic animals on display. Long-standing zoo features 850+ native & exotic animals, a wildlife theater & educational programs.
Knowland Park
Undeveloped area with diverse wildlife. This open, largely undeveloped park is the habitat for many native plants & animals.
Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Education center with 50+ animal species. Environmental education center housing 50+ species of live, nonreleasable California wildlife.
John Muir National Historic Site
Hiking trail with peak & valley views. A 2.4-mile hiking trail loop that begins near the John Muir house, with scenic mountain views.
Sausalito Boardwalk
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Helen Diller Playground
Play area with a climbing wall & slides. Climbing structures, sand boxes & swings in an adventure playground with a long, twisting slide.
Civic Park
Green space with native gardens & gazebo. 10-acre park with gardens, picturesque views & a community center & gazebo used for weddings.
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Interactive kids' museum. Indoor/outdoor museum inspiring kid creativity via interactive exhibits, a play space & art classes.
Randall Museum
Children's museum on 16-acre park. Museum with wild-animal exhibits & hands-on experiences for exploring science & the arts.
Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline
Waterside park with trails & wildlife. Spacious park along the water featuring nature trails & opportunities for bird & animal viewing.
Dunphy Park
Oceanside park with a gazebo & courts. Waterfront space featuring sand volleyball & bocce courts, plus a gazebo & benches.
Rankin Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Fort Point National Historic Site
Civil War fortress. Fort from the Civil War era located under the Golden Gate Bridge offering cannon drills & tours.
Blackie's Pasture
Bayside park with trails & fields. Scenic waterfront park featuring grassy fields, a playground & paths for walking & biking.
Chabot Park
Disc golf, fishing & forested hikes. Leafy nature area with a big lake, hiking trails & a disc golf course, popular for fishing & biking.
Koret Children's Playground
Large vibrant playground with a carousel. Lively playground featuring a variety of equipment, an old-fashioned carousel & ample grassy lawns.
Sugarloaf Open Space
Natural area with picnic spots & trails. More than 3,000 acres of woodlands, grasslands & chaparral with picnic areas & multi-use trails.
Martinez Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Gardens at Heather Farm
Botanical gardens & classes. This 6-acre destination with botanical gardens hosts special events & offers classes.
Heather Farm Park
Swimming, skateboarding & a dog park. This 102-acre preserve offers a swimming complex, dog park, sports fields & a skate park.
Len Hester Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Osher Rainforest at the California Academy of Sciences
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Green refuge with rare plant collections. 55 acres of serene gardens showcasing diverse plants from around the world & a magnolia collection.
Marina Park
Shoreline park with mile-long trail. 30-acre park along the shore with picnic tables, a mile-long workout trail & large group shelters.
McNears Beach Park
Fishing, picnicking, tennis & swimming. 55-acre green space with picnic tables & tennis courts, plus a fishing pier, swimming pool & trails.
Huntington Falls
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Marin Headlands
Rugged coastline & wildlife haven. Stretch of coastal basalt headland & habitat for bobcats, coyote, deer & abundant birdlife.
Golden Gate Park
Gardens, trails, museums & festivals. The city's 1,017-acre oasis draws hikers, bikers, art lovers & music fans, plus gardens & museums.
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park
Former state capitol building with tours. 1853-1854 state capitol building with a period interior, educational information & guided tours.
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