Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Del Rey Oaks

Laguna Grande Regional Park, Monterey side

Laguna Grande Regional Park, Monterey side

Waterfront area with picnic tables. Green space on the water offering a volleyball court, play area, picnic tables & public barbecues.

Dennis The Menace Playground

Dennis The Menace Playground

Sizable kids' playground & park. Spacious kids' playground & park featuring activities such as a maze & a rock climbing wall.

Del Monte Beach

Del Monte Beach

Waterfront with boardwalk & dunes. Strip of beach with boardwalk pathways through sand dunes, plus wildlife & picnic areas.

Old Fisherman's Wharf

Old Fisherman's Wharf

Quaint landmark with dining & shopping. Iconic waterside complex & event site featuring seafood eateries, shops & water-sports activities.

Colton Hall Museum and Jail

Colton Hall Museum and Jail

Exhibits dedicated to California history. Built 1847–1849, this museum in an old government building has exhibits on the history of Monterey.

McAbee Beach

McAbee Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cannery Row

Cannery Row

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monterey Mirror Maze and Laser Challenge

Monterey Mirror Maze and Laser Challenge

Mirror maze with a vibrant setup. Walk-through mirror maze with a psychedelic vibe & activities for team-building & parties.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Sprawling marine life attraction. Well-known aquarium on a rocky coastline with exhibits ranging from otter habitats to touch pools.

Play Palace

Play Palace

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Candy Cane Lane - Morse Dr.

Candy Cane Lane - Morse Dr.

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Free exhibitions on regional wildlife. Nature museum offering exhibits on birds, insects, plants & other wildlife, plus free admission.

Lovers Point Park

Lovers Point Park

Small beachside recreation spot. Petite beach park with swimming, surfing & other water recreation, plus kayak & bike rentals & more.

Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Nature reserve for seasonal butterflies. Preserve with pine, cypress & eucalyptus trees sheltering thousands of monarch butterflies Oct–Mar.

Carmel by the sea

Carmel by the sea

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Carmel Beach

Carmel Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)

Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)

Historic light tower from 1850s. Oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Pacific, offering tours of Victorian-era building.

Pescadero Point

Pescadero Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Bird Rock Vista Point

Bird Rock Vista Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cypress Point Lookout

Cypress Point Lookout

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tatum's Garden

Tatum's Garden

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hidden Beach County Park

Hidden Beach County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Seacliff State Beach

Seacliff State Beach

Camping & hiking among redwoods. Versatile state beach offers a variety of outdoor activities such as camping & hiking.

Lighthouse Point

Lighthouse Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Exhibits exploring wave-riding culture. Rotating exhibits on surfing culture & local history housed in a historic, preserved lighthouse.

Walton Lighthouse

Walton Lighthouse

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lighthouse Field State Beach

Lighthouse Field State Beach

Serene spot with a variety of vistas. Iconic spot with a lighthouse offers a variety of vistas & pathways for dog walking & strolling.

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Wildlife, plant & archaeology exhibits. Galleries & interactive programs exploring flora, fauna, geology & peoples native to the Bay Area.

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Iconic amusement park on the beach. Amusement park offers a variety of games & rides right on a mile-long stretch of sandy beach.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Theater & interactive exhibit gallery. Educational multimedia exhibits include theater, touch pools & a remotely operated underwater robot.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Aquarium & interactive science museum. Interactive marine science museum & aquarium, with hands-on exhibits, a touch pool & a gift shop.

Blue Whale Skeleton

Blue Whale Skeleton

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Neary Lagoon Pier

Neary Lagoon Pier

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Chanticleer Ave County Park

Chanticleer Ave County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Ocean View Park

Ocean View Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Neary Lagoon Park

Neary Lagoon Park

Wildlife habitat with floating walkways. Wildlife refuge with trails & floating walkways, bird-watching areas, tennis courts & a playground.

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

Hands-on exhibitions & special programs. Expansive venue with hands-on art & history exhibitions, plus special programs good for all ages.

Visit Santa Cruz County

Visit Santa Cruz County

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Wilder Ranch State Park

Wilder Ranch State Park

Picnic areas, trails & horseback riding. Natural landscape with diverse activities including hiking trails, picnic areas & horseback riding.

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

Rare plants & a butterfly garden. Vast collection of rare plants with a succulent garden, a butterfly area & a eucalyptus grove.

The Mystery Spot

The Mystery Spot

Iconic gravity hill offering tours. Opened in 1941, this roadside landmark is a tilt-induced visual illusion with tours & a gift shop.

Roaring Camp

Roaring Camp

Train rides & all-ages special events. Family-friendly park offers train rides amid natural landscapes, seasonal routes & special events.

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Reservoir park for fishing & boating. Scenic 175-acre reservoir park for fishing, boating & hiking (seasonal & can be closed by drought).

Oak Park

Oak Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Vasona Lake County Park

Vasona Lake County Park

Site with a sprawling lawn, trail & lake. Public green space with 45 acres of lawn, a multi-use trail & picnic areas plus a lake with fishing.

Little Free Art Museum ("SJ FLAG")

Little Free Art Museum ("SJ FLAG")

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum

Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum

Folksy interpretive village & artifacts. Restored barn, school, blacksmith shop & turn-of-the century farm implements that trace history.

San Lorenzo County Park

San Lorenzo County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hellyer County Park

Hellyer County Park

Urban park with a multi-use, paved trail. Green space featuring a 15-mile paved trail, plus picnicking, disc golf, a dog park & a velodrome.

Lincoln Glen Park

Lincoln Glen Park

Small park with playground & green space. Small community park offering a playground & tot lot, water spray area, green space & picnic tables.

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