Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Hayward

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

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

Visit
Sulphur Creek Nature Center

Sulphur Creek Nature Center

Wildlife rehabilitations & education. This wildlife rehabilitation facility offers educational programs & a discovery center for kids.

Visit
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.

Visit
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.

Visit
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.

Visit
Dublin Historic Park and Museums

Dublin Historic Park and Museums

Local history & 1850s-era buildings. A 10-acre park with preserved buildings from the 1850s tells the story of the city's early settlers.

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Coyote Hills Vista Point

Coyote Hills Vista Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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California Nursery Historical Park

California Nursery Historical Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Forest Home Farms Historic Park

Forest Home Farms Historic Park

Scenic park with a Victorian-era house. Farmland featuring a Victorian house museum & public events on its lush, 16-acres.

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Train of Lights

Train of Lights

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

Silent film museum with movie screenings. Museum in an historic former cinema devoted to silent pictures, with guided tours & a film series.

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Secret Sidewalk

Secret Sidewalk

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Zscape Games

Zscape Games

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Dream Time Sculpture

Dream Time Sculpture

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Children in Tree Sculpture

Children in Tree Sculpture

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Swings and Wings

Swings and Wings

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Busy Bee Activity Center

The Busy Bee Activity Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Aqua Adventure Water Park

Aqua Adventure Water Park

Family-friendly waterslides & pools. Recreational facility featuring waterslides, pools, swimming lessons & an on-site eatery.

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MuseumSRV

MuseumSRV

Local history in a former railway depot. Quaint exhibits dedicated to local history in a restored 1891 railway depot, with a gift shop.

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The Meyers House and Garden

The Meyers House and Garden

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Mission Hills Park

Mission Hills Park

Green space with a 50-ft. slide. Neighborhood park featuring grassy open space, a playground, a BBQ pit & a 50-ft. slide.

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Niles Canyon Railway

Niles Canyon Railway

Vintage train rides & history exhibits. Living history museum providing rides on vintage trains (1910-1960) & exhibits on railroad history.

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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.

Visit
Dreamland Art & Play

Dreamland Art & Play

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pacific Pinball Museum

Pacific Pinball Museum

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

Visit
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve

Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve

Hiking & native plants in a wooded area. This 241-acre wooded preserve features a self-guided, botanic interpretive trail & restrooms.

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The Gardens at Lake Merritt

The Gardens at Lake Merritt

Destination known for its scenic gardens. Tranquil destination with 7 acres of scenic, themed gardens plus occasional gardening workshops.

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Washington Township Museum of Local History

Washington Township Museum of Local History

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Jack London's Cabin

Jack London's Cabin

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Children's Fairyland

Children's Fairyland

Storybook-themed amusement park standby. Vibrant, longtime amusement park pairing a storybook motif with rides & theatrical performances.

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The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment - (The MADE)

The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment - (The MADE)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pardee Home Museum

Pardee Home Museum

Museum in a 19th-century Italianate home. Built in 1869, this Italianate mansion houses a museum with period furnishings & decor.

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CuriOdyssey

CuriOdyssey

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

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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.

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Sugarloaf Open Space

Sugarloaf Open Space

Natural area with picnic spots & trails. More than 3,000 acres of woodlands, grasslands & chaparral with picnic areas & multi-use trails.

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Magic Mountain Playground

Magic Mountain Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center

Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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California Kids Fun Puppet and Magic Shows

California Kids Fun Puppet and Magic Shows

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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The Lace Museum

The Lace Museum

Modest showcase of lace & lace history. Stalwart museum exhibiting lace, and describing its historical use & the art of lacemaking.

Visit
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.

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Imagination City

Imagination City

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt

Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt

Playground & creek amid redwood groves. Urban greenbelt offers a playground, climbing wall & creek amid butterfly gardens & redwood groves.

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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.

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Bay Play

Bay Play

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pinstripes

Pinstripes

Bowling, bocce & Italian-American fare. Italian-American fare, bowling & bocce in a sprawling space with indoor & outdoor seating & a bar.

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Diablo Escapes

Diablo Escapes

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Old Borges Ranch

Old Borges Ranch

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area

Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area

Woodlands, fields, a pool & picnic site. Scenic land along Pine Creek with a pool, volleyball courts, a softball field & a large picnic area.

Visit
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.

Visit
Mission Peak Regional Preserve

Mission Peak Regional Preserve

3,000 mountain acres for recreation. Vast mountain preserve popular for biking, hiking, horseback riding, R/C flying and hang-gliding.

Visit
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.

Visit
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.

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Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in the city.