Best Family-Friendly Attractions

Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Gilroy

Esplanade Park

Esplanade Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Capitola Historical Museum

Capitola Historical Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Sherwood Park

Sherwood Park

Public park with sports facilities. Outdoor recreation space with a playground & gardens, plus a swim club, tennis courts & theater.

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Tatum's Garden

Tatum's Garden

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Chanticleer Ave County Park

Chanticleer Ave County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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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.

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Walton Lighthouse

Walton Lighthouse

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Brigadoon Park

Brigadoon Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Ocean View Park

Ocean View Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Sky Glider

Sky Glider

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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San Lorenzo Park

San Lorenzo Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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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.

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Lighthouse Point

Lighthouse Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Neary Lagoon Park

Neary Lagoon Park

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

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Harvey West Park

Harvey West Park

Park with pools, ball fields & play area. Sporty park with swimming pools, baseball fields, a bike pump track, playground & picnic areas.

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Japanese Friendship Garden

Japanese Friendship Garden

Spacious & tranquil traditional garden. Covering 5.5 acres, this serene Japanese garden features a koi pond & a quaint red arch bridge.

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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.

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Kelley Park

Kelley Park

172-acre green space with lawn bowling. This park, which contains a zoo & living history museum, offers picnic spots & lawn bowling greens.

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Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Animals, activities & conservation focus. Small zoo with an array of animals & rides, plus an education center, petting zoo & puppet theater.

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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.

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Roaring Camp

Roaring Camp

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

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Emma Prusch Farm Park

Emma Prusch Farm Park

Community farm with orchards & gardens. Compact community farm features heirloom vegetable gardens, orchards, chickens & a fair.

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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.

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Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Shows, workshops & interactive exhibits. Children of all ages explore more than 150 interactive exhibits including a full-size fire truck.

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Discovery Meadow

Discovery Meadow

Children's museum & sizable green space. Children's museum situated atop a sprawling green lawn used for summer festivals.

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Monopoly in the Park

Monopoly in the Park

Green space with a giant monopoly board. Tiny park featuring a larger-than-life monopoly board, plus animal statues & benches.

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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.

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Jack Fischer Park

Jack Fischer Park

Green play space geared to young kids. Outdoor area with picnic tables, playgrounds & an interactive water feature designed for young kids.

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Rotary PlayGarden

Rotary PlayGarden

Accessible children's playground. Interactive & accessible children's playground with slides, climbing equipment & seating areas.

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Guadalupe River Park

Guadalupe River Park

Riverside park with running trails. Small city park offering a visitor's center, a playground, a community garden & 2.6 miles of trails.

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Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Exhibits featuring mummies & artifacts. Museum with displays on Egyptian burial practices, plus artifacts including jewelry & bronze tools.

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Municipal Rose Garden

Municipal Rose Garden

Extensive plantings of colorful blooms. 180+ rose varieties typically blooming April-November in a colorful 5.5-acre garden with a fountain.

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Winchester Mystery House

Winchester Mystery House

Quirky mansion with odd design details. Sprawling landmark with a staircase leading nowhere & other odd features designed to confuse ghosts.

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Alum Rock Park

Alum Rock Park

Large park with mineral springs & trails. Spacious park featuring hiking & biking trails, mineral springs & several picnic areas.

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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.

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Central Park

Central Park

Picnicking, a pool & recreational sports. 52-acre park with 2 playgrounds & athletic courts/fields, plus a swimming pool, picnic area & BBQs.

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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.

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Lovers Point Park

Lovers Point Park

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

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Creekside Park

Creekside Park

Landscaped hub with soccer & play areas. Soccer fields, a playground & a community room make up this urban green space with walking paths.

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Treasure Hunt: The Ride

Treasure Hunt: The Ride

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Cannery Row

Cannery Row

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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San Carlos Beach Park

San Carlos Beach Park

Tranquil spot with bayside vistas. 2.87-acre city park offering footpaths, benches, landscaped turf & scenic bay views.

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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.

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Lower Presidio Historic Park

Lower Presidio Historic Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Monterey Sea Lions

Monterey Sea Lions

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Monterey State Historic Park

Monterey State Historic Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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El Estero Park

El Estero Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Monterey County Youth Museum

Monterey County Youth Museum

Children's museum with hands-on exhibits. This colorful museum for toddlers & bigger kids features interactive exhibits with a local theme.

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LEGOLAND Discovery Center Bay Area

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Bay Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Cupertino Memorial Park

Cupertino Memorial Park

Vibrant park with a baseball diamond. Big, popular park featuring a baseball field, tennis courts & amphitheater, plus various festivals.

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Linda Vista Park

Linda Vista Park

Small park with 2 playgrounds & lawns. Small recreation space with grassy fields, children's play equipment & a picnic area.

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Ulistac Natural Area

Ulistac Natural Area

Rustic park with native plantings. Rustic riverside park boasting trails, bird-watching & a range of native plants on 40 acres.

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Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

Center promoting local history & culture. Local-history museum with rotating exhibits in a replica home of the area's founding family.

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Serra Park

Serra Park

Tennis courts, ball fields & open lawns. Nature area with tennis courts, ball fields, playground & picnic areas, plus manicured & open space.

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California's Great America

California's Great America

Thrill rides & waterslides. Family-friendly theme park with thrill rides, water attractions, live entertainment & food options.

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Hidden Lake Park

Hidden Lake Park

Scenic green space with a lake. Picturesque destination with a relaxing vibe featuring a lake with ducks & turtles.

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Jose Higuera Adobe Park

Jose Higuera Adobe Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Seven Seas Park

Seven Seas Park

Family-friendly recreation & a dog park. Neighborhood gathering place offering a dog park & lots of kid activities including a spray pool.

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Baylands Park

Baylands Park

Wetlands, trails & recreation areas. Developed park of 70+ acres on San Francisco Bay with playgrounds, trails & a wetlands preserve.

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