Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Big Bear Lake

Sylvan Park

Sylvan Park

Spot for free-play, picnics & sports. Public green space with play equipment & picnic tables plus facilities for basketball & baseball.

Orange Street Alley

Orange Street Alley

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lincoln Memorial Shrine

Lincoln Memorial Shrine

Historic presidential monument & museum. This 1930s structure commemorates the life of Abraham Lincoln with artwork & exhibits.

Kimberly Crest House & Gardens

Kimberly Crest House & Gardens

1897 mansion & renaissance-style gardens. 1897 home & sprawling renaissance-style Italian gardens, with tours available several times weekly.

San Bernardino County Museum

San Bernardino County Museum

Cultural & natural-science exhibits. Educational exhibits on local culture & natural science, plus cactus gardens & a live-animal center.

Perris Hill Park

Perris Hill Park

Baseball, picnic areas & playgrounds. Park for baseball, tennis, swimming, picnicking & grilling plus Roosevelt Bowl stadium.

Norton Air Force Base Museum

Norton Air Force Base Museum

Air Force photos, uniforms & memorabilia. Small military museum with tours & a collection of Air Force photos, uniforms & memorabilia.

San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary

San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary

Multi-use trails amid woods & grassland. 200-acre park with hiking, biking & horseback riding trails through riparian & chaparral landscapes.

Cal Fire Museum

Cal Fire Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

INLAND EMPIRE MILITARY MUSEUM

INLAND EMPIRE MILITARY MUSEUM

Small army memorabilia museum. Small army museum with a collection of military artifacts & uniforms from the civil war, WWI & WWII.

Cabazon Dinosaurs - World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Cabazon Dinosaurs - World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Outdoor display of prehistoric animals. Vintage attraction featuring enormous replicas including Brontosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex & more.

Hulda Crooks Park

Hulda Crooks Park

Park with a playground, tennis & more. 19.6-acre park featuring a playground, volleyball, tennis courts, grassy areas, restrooms & more.

E Street Alley Murals

E Street Alley Murals

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA)

Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA)

Ceramics & ancient Egyptian artifacts. Diverse mix of ancient & contemporary art, with a special focus on ceramics & Egyptian relics.

Blair Park

Blair Park

Outdoor area for sports & picnics. Recreation space with 2 baseball diamonds & 3 tennis courts, plus picnic tables & playgrounds.

San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum

San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum

Exhibits on trains & local history. Set in an 1918 train depot, this museum showcases artifacts dedicated to railroad & local history.

Fiesta Village Family Fun Park

Fiesta Village Family Fun Park

Amusement center with varied attractions. Family amusement center featuring go-karts, laser tag, carnival rides & arcade games.

Colton Area Museum

Colton Area Museum

Local artifacts in a historic library. Local-history collection in a neoclassical former library featuring artifacts, programs & a shop.

Hi-Desert Nature Museum

Hi-Desert Nature Museum

Educational museum of desert ecosystems. Interactive museum detailing the flora, fauna & geological nature of the surrounding desert.

World's Largest Paper Cup

World's Largest Paper Cup

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hunter Hobby Park

Hunter Hobby Park

City park with mini steam-train rides. Green space with softball fields, picnic tables, grills & free mini steam-train rides twice a month.

UC Riverside Botanic Gardens

UC Riverside Botanic Gardens

Forty green acres open to tours. University's garden offers 40 leafy acres of 3,500+ plant species & 200+ bird types. Open daily.

Lake Fulmor Day Use Area

Lake Fulmor Day Use Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Indian Vista Scenic Overlook

Indian Vista Scenic Overlook

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fairmount Park

Fairmount Park

Rose gardens, lakes & a golf course. Serene park featuring picnic areas, rose gardens, lakes, rental pedal boats & a golf course.

Museum of Riverside

Museum of Riverside

Regional history, culture & nature. Museum dedicated to the history, culture & nature of the region, including 2 landmark homes.

Estudillo Mansion

Estudillo Mansion

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Jacinto City Museum

San Jacinto City Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fontana Park

Fontana Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Rancho Park

Rancho Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Regional Park, Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District

Regional Park, Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District

Local recreation & picnicking area. Family park with covered picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields & basketball & volleyball courts.

Peace Tower

Peace Tower

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mount Rubidoux Park

Mount Rubidoux Park

Mountain hiking, vistas & a dog run. Natural terrain for dog-running, hiking & views, centered around a giant white cross at the summit.

Martin Tudor Jurupa Hills Regional Park

Martin Tudor Jurupa Hills Regional Park

Ball fields, picnic spots, trails, games. Family-oriented park with ball fields, picnic tables & trails plus horseshoe & bocce courts.

Hemet Maze Stone

Hemet Maze Stone

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Jensen Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum

Jensen Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mary Vagle Nature Center

Mary Vagle Nature Center

Native plant gardens, a pond & trails. Nature center with exhibits on local natural history, plus native plant gardens, a pond & trails.

Bill Gray Park, Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District

Bill Gray Park, Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Beyond the Lock Escape Rooms

Beyond the Lock Escape Rooms

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hemet Museum

Hemet Museum

Quaint option for American history. Modest locale with an eclectic collection of early American, railway & Native American artifacts.

Gibbel Park

Gibbel Park

Playground & various athletic facilities. Park offering a playground, picnic areas & facilities for baseball, basketball, tennis & horseshoes.

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center

Nature-based activities for families. Nature-focused activities include an earth science museum & hands-on learning with rocks & fossils.

Airtopia Adventure Park - Hemet

Airtopia Adventure Park - Hemet

Visit this great place for kids and families!

World Famous Crochet Museum

World Famous Crochet Museum

Unique collection of crocheted items. An eclectic assortment of crocheted animals & other creations in a converted drive-thru photo stand.

North Etiwanda Preserve

North Etiwanda Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mary Henley Park

Mary Henley Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Found art in a rustic desert landscape. This open-air desert museum features an offbeat collection of found folk-art assemblages.

Noah Purifoy Foundation

Noah Purifoy Foundation

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Riverside Heritage House

Riverside Heritage House

Furnished 19th-century house & gardens. Museum in a grand Victorian residence with period furnishings & decor, plus landscaped gardens.

Desert View Conservation Area

Desert View Conservation Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

The Escape Game Rancho Cucamonga

The Escape Game Rancho Cucamonga

Visit this great place for kids and families!

DropZone Waterpark

DropZone Waterpark

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Arendt Family Lights

Arendt Family Lights

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Perris Valley Historical Museum

Perris Valley Historical Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mercado Park

Mercado Park

Public recreation space with splash pad. City park offering shade trees, benches, a playground, picnic tables & a seasonal splash pad.

Enchanted Hills Park

Enchanted Hills Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Simpson Park

Simpson Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center

Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center

Exhibits on natural & cultural history. Local-history museum featuring excavated fossils & exhibits on regional settlers & dam building.

Western Science Center

Western Science Center

Dinosaurs, fossils & science exhibits. Kid-friendly science museum with dinosaurs, fossils & history, plus hands-on science activities.

Eller Park - Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District

Eller Park - Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District

Modest venue for kids' play & sports. 5 acres with a play structure, lighted ball field, basketball courts & picnic tables.

Valley-Wide's Diamond Valley Lake Community Park

Valley-Wide's Diamond Valley Lake Community Park

Many baseball fields & a fitness trail. Straightforward, 85-acre park with multiple ball fields, picnic areas & a fitness trail.

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

Indoor go-kart racing. Chain of indoor racing centers featuring electric go-karting for all skill levels, plus food.

California Citrus State Historic Park

California Citrus State Historic Park

Park dedicated to CA's citrus history. Park dedicated to preserving the history of California's great citrus boom of the 20th century.

California Citrus

California Citrus

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Milliken Park

Milliken Park

Sports facilities & a playground. Neighborhood spot with a playground & areas for basketball, volleyball, baseball & picnics.

Central Park

Central Park

Playgrounds, a field & community centers. Public park featuring playgrounds, walking paths & a large field plus a community & senior center.

Southern California Railway Museum

Southern California Railway Museum

Historic train cars & weekend rides. Sprawling educational museum with historic railway cars & locomotives, plus weekend rides.

McSweeny Park

McSweeny Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hidden Valley Nature Center

Hidden Valley Nature Center

Serene place with multi-use trails. Tranquil nature preserve offering scenic views & trails for hiking, cycling & horseback riding.

Buccaneer Cove at Castle Park

Buccaneer Cove at Castle Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Castle Park

Castle Park

Carnival-style rides, shows & food. Compact carnival-style amusement park with live entertainment, arcade games & American fare.

Hidden Valley Wildlife Area

Hidden Valley Wildlife Area

Park with hiking & equestrian trails. Natural area featuring walking & riding trails, plus a picnic area, bird walks & seasonal events.

Doty Trust Park

Doty Trust Park

Water park, hiking trails & playground. Nature site with a water park, playground, picnicking with grills & trails with an exercise course.

Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park

Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park

Lakes, fishing & a small water play park. Park featuring 2 lakes with fishing & pedal boats, as well as a small water play area with slides.

World Museum of Natural History

World Museum of Natural History

University natural history museum. Natural history museum on a university campus with animal, plant & mineral exhibits.

Pumpkin Rock

Pumpkin Rock

Landmark hilltop painted rock. Painted like a large jack-o'-lantern, this rock sits at the top of a hill with sweeping views.

Red Hill Park

Red Hill Park

Playgrounds, a duck pond & ball fields. Open park with playgrounds, areas for baseball, soccer & horseshoes, an exercise trail & duck pond.

La Paloma Park, Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District

La Paloma Park, Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Spirit Park

Spirit Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Upland Memorial Park

Upland Memorial Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

Hands-on exhibits & toddler spaces. Sizable children's museum featuring 50-plus interactive exhibits, a giant loom & areas for toddlers.

Get Air Trampoline Park

Get Air Trampoline Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cooper Regional History Museum

Cooper Regional History Museum

Local history in an old fruit exchange. Regional & cultural history museum in a converted 1930's Art Moderne fruit exchange building.

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

Indoor go-kart racing with an arcade. Electric-powered go-karting for adults & children on an indoor track, plus small arcade & gift shop.

Conservation Park

Conservation Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Ontario Town Square

Ontario Town Square

Entertainment hub with shops & eateries. Well-known gathering place with an outdoor amphitheater & an array of shops & cafes.

Ontario Museum of History & Art

Ontario Museum of History & Art

Art museum with events & workshops. Museum in a historic building with exhibits on art & history, plus workshops & events.

Indian Cove Boy Scout Trail

Indian Cove Boy Scout Trail

Hiking area with rock formations. Secluded hiking area with a large campground, surrounded by rock formations popular with climbers.

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in Big Bear Lake.