Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in El Cerrito
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.
Marina Bay Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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!
Pogo Park #1 - Elm Playlot
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.
Adventure Playground
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.
Inspiration Point
Scenic overlook at a nature park. Observation area with sweeping views & interpretive plaques, plus a parking lot & trail access.
Shorebird Park
Picturesque setting with a nature center. Scenic marina park offers picnic sites, play areas & a nature center with fish & wildlife displays.
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.
Berkeley Natural History Museums
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Wave Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Doyle Hollis Park
Park with a playground & an amphitheater. Park featuring a playground & basketball, plus a fountain, picnic areas & an amphitheater.
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.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
Scenic park offering multi-use trails. Sprawling park with scenic, multi-use trails through meadows, eucalyptus woods, bluffs & beaches.
Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt
Playground & creek amid redwood groves. Urban greenbelt offers a playground, climbing wall & creek amid butterfly gardens & redwood groves.
Temescal Regional Recreation Area
Oasis for picnicking, swimming & more. Urban, lakeside retreat offering swim & picnic areas, a fishing dock, trails & playgrounds.
Refugio Valley Park
Play equipment, a pond & picnic areas. Park featuring a walking path around a duck pond, picnic tables, restrooms & 2 play structures.
Angel Island Immigration Station
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.
Children's Fairyland
Storybook-themed amusement park standby. Vibrant, longtime amusement park pairing a storybook motif with rides & theatrical performances.
Paradise Beach Park
Scenic spot for picnics, beach & fishing. Waterside park in a residential neighborhood, offering views, picnic lawns, a fishing pier & beach.
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
Hiking & native plants in a wooded area. This 241-acre wooded preserve features a self-guided, botanic interpretive trail & restrooms.
Tiburon Open Space Committee
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Francisco Carousel at Pier 39
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!
Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze
Colorful maze of mirrors & archways. Arched doorways & columns form the basis for this colorful mirrored maze for adults & children.
Musical Stairs
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Aquarium of the Bay
Waterfront museum with aquatic animals. Aquarium with creatures from local waters, including otters, sharks & jellyfish, plus a touch tank.
Exploratorium
Hands-on science museum. Hundreds of interactive, educational exhibits & activities illustrating scientific principles.
McNears Beach Park
Fishing, picnicking, tennis & swimming. 55-acre green space with picnic tables & tennis courts, plus a fishing pier, swimming pool & trails.
Briones Regional Park
Rolling hills, wildlife sightings & more. Pastoral, 6,255-acre park with rolling hills, wildlife viewing, campgrounds & other features.
Pyramid to Moses
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Blackie's Pasture
Bayside park with trails & fields. Scenic waterfront park featuring grassy fields, a playground & paths for walking & biking.
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.
Chinatown San Francisco
Famous neighborhood for Chinese culture. Iconic area with the largest assembly of Chinese eateries, shops & cultural events outside of Asia.
Pacific Pinball Museum
Historic & playable pinball machines. Museum displaying rare & vintage pinball machines, which are also playable, amid colorful local art.
Sausalito Boardwalk
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Heart of San Francisco Series
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove
Aquarium & marine life exhibits. Bayfront education center with an 800-gallon aquarium & interactive exhibits about marine life.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area
Sports & picnicking amid redwoods. An 82-acre park in a stand of second-growth redwoods, popular for picnics & recreational sports.
Dunphy Park
Oceanside park with a gazebo & courts. Waterfront space featuring sand volleyball & bocce courts, plus a gazebo & benches.
Leroy King Carousel
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.
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Interactive kids' museum. Indoor/outdoor museum inspiring kid creativity via interactive exhibits, a play space & art classes.
Tenderloin Playground
Indoor/outdoor recreational hub for kids. City-run recreational center & children's playground offering special events & classes.
Mission Bay Kids Park
Purpose-built activity center for kids. Interactive play zones, climbing structures & sandboxes in a modern kids' park with picnic benches.
Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline
Waterside park with trails & wildlife. Spacious park along the water featuring nature trails & opportunities for bird & animal viewing.
Helen Diller Civic Center Playground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
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.
Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve
Nature preserve with hiking trails. Nature preserve overlooking Carquinez Bay featuring stunning landscape with native grasses & views.
Martinez Museum
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.
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park
Former state capitol building with tours. 1853-1854 state capitol building with a period interior, educational information & guided tours.
Randall Museum
Children's museum on 16-acre park. Museum with wild-animal exhibits & hands-on experiences for exploring science & the arts.
Helen Diller Playground
Play area with a climbing wall & slides. Climbing structures, sand boxes & swings in an adventure playground with a long, twisting slide.
Benicia State Recreation Area
Scenic hillside coastal park. Marshes, grassy hillsides & rocky beaches attract hikers, birders, fishers & cyclists to this park.
Gerstle Park
Elegant historic estate on 2 acres. Historic estate with 12 ornate rooms & cottages in a 2-acre park setting used for community events.
Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Education center with 50+ animal species. Environmental education center housing 50+ species of live, nonreleasable California wildlife.
Koret Children's Playground
Large vibrant playground with a carousel. Lively playground featuring a variety of equipment, an old-fashioned carousel & ample grassy lawns.
Osher Rainforest at the California Academy of Sciences
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Lagoon Park
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.
Huntington Falls
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Museum of History, Benicia - Arsenal Galleries
All about Benicia & military history too. Unusual museum with exhibits highlighting the history of Benicia & the military presence there.
Children's Wonderland Park
Many whimsical playscapes for kids. Park featuring children's play structures in unique shapes, such as a castle, teapot & fire truck.
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