Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Dana Point
Niguel Botanical Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Pirate Tower
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Laguna Niguel Regional Park
Lakefront fishing, sports & amphitheater. Surrounding a fishing lake, this park offers trails, sports courts, picnic space & an amphitheater.
Bluebird Park
City park for activities & summer music. City park featuring sports courts, a children's play area, picnic tables & a summer concert series.
Laguna Beach, California
Oceanfront park for sports & walks. A beachfront park with a boardwalk, volleyball & basketball courts, a playground & a tide-pool area.
ROOTS the Beauty Underground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Grand Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Canyon View Park
Grassy areas, a playground & paths. 12-acre park with big grassy areas, a sand-covered playground & path overlooking the canyon.
Sheep Hills Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Dinosaur Park
Fields & a dinosaur-themed playground. Large park offering athletic fields as well as a playground with dinosaur- & fossil-themed elements.
Pavion Park
Public park with kids' facilities. A modern playground with interactive games is the highlight at this public park for families.
Mountain View Park
Urban green space with amenities. City recreational site with a playground, tennis courts, a walking trail, picnic tables & restrooms.
Pretend City Children's Museum
Imaginary town & exhibits for kids. Set up as a pretend city, this kids' museum has a post office, cafe, farm & other interactive areas.
Lake Forest Heritage Hill Historic Park
Calm park hosting 4 historic buildings. Petite park featuring heritage landscaping & guided tours of 4 restored buildings erected 1863-1908.
Irvine Spectrum Center Carousel
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Irvine Spectrum Center Giant Wheel
Family-friendly ride with city views. Day or night attraction with 52,000 LED lights & panoramic city views from the top.
Turtle Rock Nature Center
Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.
Lookout Point
Scenic vista with bay & ocean views. Scenic destination in peaceful surrounds known for its beaches, water fountains, bay & ocean views.
Tanaka Farms
Big farm with a market & U-pick options. Long-running interactive farm with a market stand, U-pick fruit, seasonal pumpkin patch & animals.
Great Park Balloon Ride
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Great Park
Park known for its giant helium balloon. Public space popular for a huge helium balloon tethered to the ground offering views from up high.
Great Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Newport Beach Balboa Pier
Iconic landmark with fishing & an eatery. Built in 1906, this pier offers a retro-themed diner & is popular for fishing & watching the sunset.
Parasol Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
Tranquil wetlands with birds & trails. Wetlands cover 300 acres at this tranquil preserve that has 12 miles of trails & 200+ bird species.
Newport Beach Pier
Oceanfront scenery & fishing. Scenic pier popular for fishing & ocean views, convenient to beach & nearby shops & restaurants.
Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve
Birding, biking & an interpretive center. Home to many bird species, this 135-acre park offers an interpretive center & hiking/biking trails.
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife preserve & science center. University-run wildlife sanctuary in a canyon with a science center, amphitheater & 3 trails.
Ortega Falls
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Cedar Grove Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Santa Ana Zoo
Home to over 350 animals. Zoo attracts animal lovers of all ages with 350+ animals, a petting barnyard & a mini-train ride.
Downtown Santa Ana Historic District
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mile Square Regional Park
Large urban park with many facilities. City park offering 3 golf courses, soccer fields & baseball diamonds as well as picknicking & lakes.
Bowers Museum
Global art, lectures & a restaurant. Mission Revival-style museum for global art (permanent & temporary), lectures & an eatery, Tangata.
Orange County Zoo
8 acres of native Southwestern animals. 8-acre city park zoo features native Southwestern animals & plants, plus regular programs & events.
Irvine Park Railroad
Recreation area with train & pony rides. Outdoor park featuring family activities including train rides, pony rides & paddle boat rentals.
Irvine Regional Park
Park, playground, rides & rentals. Park offers train & pony rides, plus paddle boat rentals, the Orange County Zoo & picnic areas.
Discovery Cube
Rotating displays & interactive exhibits. Educational museum with a focus on kids offers over 100 hands-on exhibits, plus special programs.
Santiago Creek Wildlife & Watershed Center, Santiago Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Adventure Playground
Outdoor play area for rafting & climbing. Playground offers a small pond for rafting, rope for climbing plus a mudslide & fort-building area.
Huntington Beach Central Park East
Idyllic park great for bird-watching. Full of open fields, trees & flowers, this sprawling 350-acre park is great for picnics & strolling.
Thrill It Fun Center
Ropes course & laser tag at a mall. Outlet-mall stop featuring an indoor ropes course, rock climbing, laser tag & an arcade.
Tom's Farms
Old-time attraction with restaurants. Family-friendly park with restaurants & a farmer's market, plus a steam train, pony rides & more.
Sea Lion Island
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Elm Grove Beach
Scenic lake shoreline for recreation. Public outdoor area with sand along Lake Elsinore, with shaded picnic tables & BBQ grills.
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Protected coastal estuary & bird habitat. 1300 acre ecological preserve with over 200 avian species spread around the coastal wetlands.
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve
Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.
Lakepoint Park
Scenic retreat for sports & lake views. Open recreational area offering a children's playground, trails, sports fields & views of the water.
Oceanside Harbor Village
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Atlantis Play Center
Unique playground with splash pads. Outdoor, underwater-themed children's center featuring whimsical play structures & splash pads.
Oak Canyon Nature Center
Nature park with an interpretive center. Nature park featuring oak forests, scrubland & canyons, plus wildlife & an interpretive center.
Oceanside Municipal Pier
Iconic 1,942-ft. wooden ocean pier. Originally built in 1888, this iconic wooden fishing pier stretches 1,942 ft. into the ocean.
California Surf Museum
Historic boards, iconic surfers & more. Surf museum chronicles the history of the sport with exhibits of surfboards, famous surfers & more.
Oceanside Pier Amphitheater
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oceanside Museum of Art
National & global artwork in a mod space. This contemporary building presents a rotating collection of modern art pieces & cultural events.
Flightdeck + Rogue Racing
Interactive flying experience for groups. Flight simulator for ages 11 & up replicates the feeling of being in a cockpit & flying a plane.
Disney California Adventure Park
Modern theme park with dining & shows. Contemporary theme park with innovative attractions, multiple dining options & live entertainment.
Paradise Gardens Park
Lakeside garden with rides & food stands. Landscaped lakeshore park with classic carousels & kids' rides, plus a bandstand & hot-dog stalls.
Eisenhower Park
Sizable green space with a duck pond. Large park featuring a pond filled with fish & ducks, plus walking paths, playgrounds & BBQ grills.
Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Buddy Todd Park
Grassy retreat with grills & a play area. Shady outdoor park featuring a children's playground & a covered picnic area with grills & outlets.
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
Lower Copper Canyon Park
Retreat for outdoor sports & picnics. Neighborhood recreational park offering a baseball field, basketball hoops & trails.
Buccaneer Park
Municipal basketball courts & play areas. Tiny public green with basketball courts & a playground, plus a path along the Loma Alta Marsh.
Seabridge Park
Playground & picnicking with water views. 3.9-acre neighborhood park offering a playground, facilities & picnic tables with water vistas.
Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center
Unique art exhibits for kids & adults. This contemporary museum hosts three inventive art exhibits a year & caters to all ages.
Susanna Bixby Bryant Museum and Botanic Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Seascape Kids Fun
Indoor playground & fun center for kids. Children's indoor amusement center for parties includes playground, ball pen & more.
Pearson Park
Vast outdoor space with paths & ponds. Family-friendly park for all ages offers trails for bike riding & walking, playgrounds & ponds.
Anaheim Founders' Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Explore More Activities
Discover more events and activities happening in Dana Point.