Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Foster City

Imagination City

Imagination City

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Mateo Japanese Garden

San Mateo Japanese Garden

Asian-inspired gardens with a koi pond. Spring blossoming Japanese gardens with a koi pond, pagoda & teahouse in a 16.3-acre city park.

San Mateo Central Park

San Mateo Central Park

Japanese gardens & an ice-skating rink. Vibrant, 16-acre park featuring Japanese gardens, a mini train ride, playground & ice-skating rink.

Safari Run, San Mateo

Safari Run, San Mateo

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Coyote Point Recreation Area

Coyote Point Recreation Area

Large playground, trails & picnic areas. Bayside park offering a sizable playground with 6 slides, as well as trails & picnic areas.

CuriOdyssey

CuriOdyssey

Science & wildlife center for kids. Museum for kids focusing on environmental science & wildlife with indoor exhibits & an outdoor zoo.

Aardvark Beach

Aardvark Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Washington Park

Washington Park

Playground, ball fields & courts. City park with baseball & soccer fields, tennis & basketball courts, plus a playground.

Pershing Park

Pershing Park

Neighborhood park with a playground. Tree-dotted neighborhood open space with a playground, basketball courts & a picnic area.

Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail

Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary

City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Pulgas Water Temple

Pulgas Water Temple

Scenic beaux arts monument with a pool. Beaux arts monument with a reflecting pool celebrating the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct completed in 1934.

Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve

Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve

Woodland hiking & grassland wildflowers. 467 acres of woodlands & grasslands known for its hiking, wildflowers, bird-watching & scenic views.

Village Park

Village Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Red Morton Park

Red Morton Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park

Waterside park for airport watching. Small bayside park next to the airport, with a walking trail & benches for watching the planes land.

Bedwell Bayfront Park

Bedwell Bayfront Park

Oceanside park with trails & fields. Large bayside park with expansive open spaces for flying kites & several hiking trails.

Central Park

Central Park

Sports field, tennis courts & playground. This 13-acre recreational area features tennis courts, a playing field, picnic spots & a playground.

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

Ecology center with exhibits & events. Ecology center offering exhibits, programs & activities relating to the region's estuary.

Huddart Park

Huddart Park

Forested area with trails & picnic spots. This 900-acre, forested park offers hiking & riding trails, plus picnic areas & an archery range.

San Bruno City Park

San Bruno City Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Coyote Hills Regional Park

Coyote Hills Regional Park

Picnicking, hiking & biking trails. 1,266 acres of rolling hills for picnicking, bird-watching, biking, hiking & nature exploration.

The Museum of American Heritage

The Museum of American Heritage

Exhibitions on inventions & technology. Charming museum in a 1907 home showcasing technology & inventions from the 1750s to the 1950s.

Marina Park

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.

Arizona Garden

Arizona Garden

Stanford University's cacti garden. Historical cacti garden with artful views & unusual plants on Stanford University grounds.

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

Fine art museum with a sculpture garden. Classic & contemporary art museum with an outdoor sculpture garden featuring Rodin bronzes.

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

Hands-on science & nature exhibits. Child-oriented venue with animals like birds & turtles, plus interactive educational exhibits.

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden

Public garden & historic home. A 2.5-acre plot encompassing herb & rose gardens, a historic home, a carriage house & a tearoom.

Frontierland Park

Frontierland Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Kennedy Park

Kennedy Park

Green space with many amenities for kids. Big, popular park with a playground, petting zoo & train, plus greenery, trails & picnic areas.

Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall

Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Habitat for native & migrating animals. Large nature preserve housing various migrating birds, as well as native flora & fauna.

Baylands Observation Deck and Boardwalk

Baylands Observation Deck and Boardwalk

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Washington Manor Park

Washington Manor Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Baylands Nature Preserve

Baylands Nature Preserve

Marshland with trails & bird-watching. Vast marshland with 15 mi. of trails for walking, running & biking, plus bird-watching & kayaking.

Surfers Beach

Surfers Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets

Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Meek Park

Meek Park

Mansion grounds with gardens & play area. Landscaped grounds of a historic mansion with play structures, picnic space with grills & open lawn.

Ardenwood Historic Farm

Ardenwood Historic Farm

Living museum with horse-powered farming. A working farm with a train & crops grown using historic methods, plus volunteers in period attire.

Tennyson Park

Tennyson Park

Play area, skate park & baseball field. Public green space with amenities such as a playground, skate park, lawn & baseball field.

Oakland Aviation Museum

Oakland Aviation Museum

Display aircraft & historical exhibits. Museum housing an extensive aircraft collection & various aviation exhibits in a historic hangar.

Sánchez Adobe Park

Sánchez Adobe Park

Adobe home on a former mission outpost. This 19th-century adobe home on a former mission outpost offers tours & living-history programs.

Mitchell Park

Mitchell Park

Recreational activities for all ages. Grassy park with tennis/handball courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, splash pad & a fenced dog run.

Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Magical Bridge Playground

Magical Bridge Playground

Play structures around a grassy mound. Slides, swings & climbing frames around an artificial hill, plus a treehouse & bridge.

Pacifica State Beach

Pacifica State Beach

Crescent-shaped beach known for surfing. Known for being a popular surfing locale, this crescent-shaped beach also offers trails & restrooms.

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

Tranquil botanical garden with teahouse. This 3+-acre botanical garden features traditional Japanese arrangements, a teahouse & a koi pond.

Jumpity Bumpity Daly City

Jumpity Bumpity Daly City

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Gray Whale Cove State Beach

Gray Whale Cove State Beach

Sheltered cove surrounded by cliffs. Cliffs surround this sandy beach, where whales are often spotted close to the shore.

Lake Chabot Regional Park

Lake Chabot Regional Park

Scenic park for hikes, boating & fishing. Parkland featuring a 315-acre reservoir for canoeing & fishing, plus trails, picnic areas & a cafe.

Chabot Park

Chabot Park

Disc golf, fishing & forested hikes. Leafy nature area with a big lake, hiking trails & a disc golf course, popular for fishing & biking.

Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove

Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove

Aquarium & marine life exhibits. Bayfront education center with an 800-gallon aquarium & interactive exhibits about marine life.

Mussel Rock Park

Mussel Rock Park

Coastal park with scenic vistas & trails. Known for its rocky coastline, this park boasts sandy beaches, scenic ocean vistas & hiking trails.

Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area

Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area

Lakefront park offering water activities. Lakefront park offers 471 acres of space for picnicking, swimming, fishing & non-motorized boating.

Oakland Zoo

Oakland Zoo

850+ native & exotic animals on display. Long-standing zoo features 850+ native & exotic animals, a wildlife theater & educational programs.

Pacific Pinball Museum

Pacific Pinball Museum

Historic & playable pinball machines. Museum displaying rare & vintage pinball machines, which are also playable, amid colorful local art.

Foothills Nature Preserve

Foothills Nature Preserve

1,400-acre nature preserve with trails. Miles of trails guide visitors through woodlands & fields, past streams & lakes in this vast park.

Children's Natural History Museum

Children's Natural History Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mariposa Park

Mariposa Park

Neighborhood park with a playground. Compact, butterfly-themed park with a playground, seasonal water-play sandbox & picnic tables.

California Nursery Historical Park

California Nursery Historical Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Redwood Grove Nature Preserve

Redwood Grove Nature Preserve

Redwood forest with a boardwalk. This 6-acre Redwood forest features a boardwalk, observation decks, picnic tables & a rose garden.

Knowland Park

Knowland Park

Undeveloped area with diverse wildlife. This open, largely undeveloped park is the habitat for many native plants & animals.

Eagle Park

Eagle Park

Grassy field, outdoor pool & playground. Community hub featuring a huge grassy field, a playground & an outdoor pool with swimming lessons.

Pioneer Memorial Park

Pioneer Memorial Park

Quaint green space with benches & paths. Small, serene park located next to the library featuring ample benches, walkways & shaded areas.

Train of Lights

Train of Lights

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Shinn Historical Park and Arboretum

Shinn Historical Park and Arboretum

Park with gardens & a historic house. Small green space featuring scenic gardens & a 19th-century house open for occasional group tours.

Mission Bay Kids Park

Mission Bay Kids Park

Purpose-built activity center for kids. Interactive play zones, climbing structures & sandboxes in a modern kids' park with picnic benches.

Helen Diller Playground

Helen Diller Playground

Play area with a climbing wall & slides. Climbing structures, sand boxes & swings in an adventure playground with a long, twisting slide.

Central Park

Central Park

Land & water activities in a scenic spot. Lakeside park with a golf course, 4 playgrounds, boat rentals, a fishing area, picnic sites & paths.

Always Dream PlayPark

Always Dream PlayPark

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Randall Museum

Randall Museum

Children's museum on 16-acre park. Museum with wild-animal exhibits & hands-on experiences for exploring science & the arts.

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in Foster City.