Best Family-Friendly Attractions
Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Oakland
Children's Fairyland
Storybook-themed amusement park standby. Vibrant, longtime amusement park pairing a storybook motif with rides & theatrical performances.
Union Point Park
Waterfront playground with harbor views. Green space with a nautical-themed playground & walking paths overlooking Alameda Harbor.
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.
Shorebird Park
Picturesque setting with a nature center. Scenic marina park offers picnic sites, play areas & a nature center with fish & wildlife displays.
Adventure Playground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Joaquin Miller Park
500-acre park & trails through the trees. Dog-friendly woodland park on 500 acres boasting rustic trails, meadows & picnic sites.
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.
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.
The Lawrence Hall of Science
A planetarium & an interactive museum. Science center at the University of California, Berkeley, with hands-on exhibits & a planetarium.
Cesar Chavez Park
Kite flying, a dog run & bay views. Popular, 90-acre park featuring kite flying opportunities, a dog run, bay vistas & more.
Berkeley Rose Garden
Historic garden with thousands of roses. Huge garden with thousands of rose bushes plus views of San Francisco Bay & the Golden Gate Bridge.
Codornices Park
Rose garden, views, picnicking & hiking. Comprising the Berkeley Rose Garden plus areas for ball playing & hiking, picnicking & kids' play.
Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
Vast woodlands with trails & campgrounds. Sprawling forest featuring redwood groves & rare wildlife, plus trails, picnic areas & campsites.
Oakland Aviation Museum
Display aircraft & historical exhibits. Museum housing an extensive aircraft collection & various aviation exhibits in a historic hangar.
Indian Rock Park
Rock climbing areas & panoramic views. This rock park offers scenic views of the San Francisco Bay & climbing areas of varying difficulty.
Tilden Regional Park
2,000+ acres & recreational activities. A 2,000+ acre park with a carousel, botanic garden, lake swimming, picnic areas & steam train ride.
Tilden Park Merry Go Round
Old-school carousel at a public park. Located at Tilden Regional Park, this classic ride built in 1911 features whimsical animals.
Exploratorium
Hands-on science museum. Hundreds of interactive, educational exhibits & activities illustrating scientific principles.
Mission Bay Kids Park
Purpose-built activity center for kids. Interactive play zones, climbing structures & sandboxes in a modern kids' park with picnic benches.
Tilden Nature Area
Site for scenic hikes & wildlife views. Nature preserve featuring easy & challenging hiking trails with scenic views & wildlife sightings.
Yerba Buena Gardens
Public park & cultural space. Several gardens share space with dramatic outdoor public art pieces, including a memorial waterfall.
Children's Creativity Museum
Interactive arts & technology museum. A place for kids to explore arts & technology by making music videos, animating short films & more.
Coit Tower
Landmark offering 360-degree city views. Storied 1930s-era building known for its WPA murals, 360-degree views & resident flock of parrots.
Aquarium of the Bay
Waterfront museum with aquatic animals. Aquarium with creatures from local waters, including otters, sharks & jellyfish, plus a touch tank.
PIER 39
Scenic pier with food & activities. Bustling bayside pier featuring scenic views, sea lion sightings, eateries, shops & entertainment.
San Francisco Carousel at Pier 39
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Cable Car Museum
Vintage cable cars & mechanical displays. Antique cable cars on exhibit in the historic building that houses the cable-pulling equipment.
Ina Coolbrith Park
Compact green space with urban views. This pint-sized, unassuming tract features a steep path & views of the city & bay.
Oakland Zoo
850+ native & exotic animals on display. Long-standing zoo features 850+ native & exotic animals, a wildlife theater & educational programs.
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Museum for unusual & bizarre artifacts. Museum with kitschy oddities on display, including shrunken human heads & rare animal skeletons.
Tenderloin Museum
Museum of this famous district. This museum tells the story of this area peopled by immigrants & iconoclasts, artists & activists.
Knowland Park
Undeveloped area with diverse wildlife. This open, largely undeveloped park is the habitat for many native plants & animals.
Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park
Exhibits on civilians' role in WWII. Visitor center focused on women & men on the WWII home front, plus the Rosie the Riveter Memorial.
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.
Billy Goat Hill
Hilltop natural area with views & trails. This modest neighborhood green space offers a small trail network & wildlife viewing opportunities.
Tank Hill Park
Small hilltop park with city & bay views. Intimate spot with flower-lined paths & rocky outcroppings offering views of the city & the bay.
The Walt Disney Family Museum
Exhibits on the life of Disney's founder. Presidio museum exploring the life of Walt Disney featuring hands-on exhibits & original artwork.
Crissy Field
Scenic field, beach & restored marsh. Grass field & sandy beach offering trails, a restored marsh & picturesque views of the Golden Gate.
Pogo Park #1 - Elm Playlot
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Discovery Museum Lookout Tower
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Old St. Hilary's Preserve
Natural area with rare wildflowers. Windswept 122-acre natural area with rare wildflowers, a historic church & bay views.
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Interactive kids' museum. Indoor/outdoor museum inspiring kid creativity via interactive exhibits, a play space & art classes.
Golden Gate Park
Gardens, trails, museums & festivals. The city's 1,017-acre oasis draws hikers, bikers, art lovers & music fans, plus gardens & museums.
Briones Regional Park
Rolling hills, wildlife sightings & more. Pastoral, 6,255-acre park with rolling hills, wildlife viewing, campgrounds & other features.
Meek Park
Mansion grounds with gardens & play area. Landscaped grounds of a historic mansion with play structures, picnic space with grills & open lawn.
Dunphy Park
Oceanside park with a gazebo & courts. Waterfront space featuring sand volleyball & bocce courts, plus a gazebo & benches.
Kennedy Park
Green space with many amenities for kids. Big, popular park with a playground, petting zoo & train, plus greenery, trails & picnic areas.
Sign Hill Park
Open space with short hiking trails. A 30-acre hilltop preserve featuring several short hiking trails & habitat for birds & butterflies.
Lands End Lookout
Hiking, shipwrecks & Sutro Baths access. Waterfront hiking through wildflowers, with shipwreck views & access to the Sutro Baths ruins.
Carlos Bee Park
Secluded spot for play & picnics. Small, tucked away park offering a playground, barbecue & picnic shelter with many tables.
Dinosaur Hill Park
Hills, hiking & views of Mount Diablo. Hilly, 13-acre expanse featuring hiking trails & panoramic views of the valley & Mount Diablo.
Civic Park
Green space with native gardens & gazebo. 10-acre park with gardens, picturesque views & a community center & gazebo used for weddings.
Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Education center with 50+ animal species. Environmental education center housing 50+ species of live, nonreleasable California wildlife.
Hearst Grizzly Gulch
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Japanese Gardens
Tranquil botanical garden with teahouse. This 3+-acre botanical garden features traditional Japanese arrangements, a teahouse & a koi pond.
San Francisco Zoo
100 acres of animals & more. Families come for the more than 2,000 animals, kids' zoo, steam train, carousel & special exhibits.
Alta Loma Park
Park with tennis & basketball courts. Open city park with a basketball & tennis court, playing fields & a playground.
Refugio Valley Park
Play equipment, a pond & picnic areas. Park featuring a walking path around a duck pond, picnic tables, restrooms & 2 play structures.
Explore More Activities
Discover more events and activities happening in Oakland.