Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

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

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.

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.

Visit
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.

Visit
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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Bishop Ranch Open Space Regional Preserve

Bishop Ranch Open Space Regional Preserve

Basic park for hiking & animal-watching. Park featuring numerous hiking trails is home to deer, red-tailed hawks & turkey vultures.

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California Nursery Historical Park

California Nursery Historical Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Central Park

Central Park

Community park with sports facilities. Grassy park with a playground, community center, sports fields, skate park & seasonal splash pad.

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Always Dream PlayPark

Always Dream PlayPark

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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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.

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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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Washington Township Museum of Local History

Washington Township Museum of Local History

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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Children's Natural History Museum

Children's Natural History Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Tennyson Park

Tennyson Park

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

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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.

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Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens

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

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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.

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Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets

Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall

Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Visit
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.

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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.

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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.

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Round Valley Regional Preserve

Round Valley Regional Preserve

Hiking & camping in a historic setting. Once home to Native Americans, this 1,911-acre wildlife habitat offers camping, hiking & cycling.

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Washington Manor Park

Washington Manor Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Mount Diablo Summit Visitor Center

Mount Diablo Summit Visitor Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Knowland Park

Knowland Park

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

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Oakland Zoo

Oakland Zoo

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

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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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Alviso Marina County Park

Alviso Marina County Park

Popular hiking & bird-watching site. Hiking, biking & bird-watching are popular activities at this bayside park with paths & boardwalks.

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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.

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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.

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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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Baylands Grove

Baylands Grove

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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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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Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Grass field surrounding a playground. Park grounds with a large grassy area surrounding a sand-floor playground set well off the street.

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Baylands Observation Deck and Boardwalk

Baylands Observation Deck and Boardwalk

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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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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Oakland Aviation Museum

Oakland Aviation Museum

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

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Roberts Regional Recreation Area

Roberts Regional Recreation Area

Sports & picnicking amid redwoods. An 82-acre park in a stand of second-growth redwoods, popular for picnics & recreational sports.

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Balfour-Guthrie Park

Balfour-Guthrie Park

Recreation spot for sports & picnics. 6-acre green space with sport courts & lighted fields, picnic tables with grills & a playground.

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Civic Park

Civic Park

Green space with native gardens & gazebo. 10-acre park with gardens, picturesque views & a community center & gazebo used for weddings.

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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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Chabot Space & Science Center

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.

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Joaquin Miller Park

Joaquin Miller Park

500-acre park & trails through the trees. Dog-friendly woodland park on 500 acres boasting rustic trails, meadows & picnic sites.

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Shadelands Ranch Museum

Shadelands Ranch Museum

Elegant 1902 house with guided tours. Genteel, historic 1902 house museum featuring period furniture, local artifacts & tours.

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Bedwell Bayfront Park

Bedwell Bayfront Park

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

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The Gardens at Heather Farm

The Gardens at Heather Farm

Botanical gardens & classes. This 6-acre destination with botanical gardens hosts special events & offers classes.

Visit
Heather Farm Park

Heather Farm Park

Swimming, skateboarding & a dog park. This 102-acre preserve offers a swimming complex, dog park, sports fields & a skate park.

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Pyramid to Moses

Pyramid to Moses

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Safari Run, Sunnyvale

Safari Run, Sunnyvale

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Greathouse Visitor Center

Greathouse Visitor Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

Historic area with hiking trails. Former coal mining site featuring expansive green space, underground tours & hiking trails.

Visit
Lime Ridge Open Space

Lime Ridge Open Space

Natural area with hiking & biking trails. Undeveloped ridgeline offering hiking & biking trails amid diverse wildlife & chaparral vegetation.

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.

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Mitchell Park

Mitchell Park

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

Visit
Magical Bridge Playground

Magical Bridge Playground

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

Visit
The Playhouse, Brentwood

The Playhouse, Brentwood

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Lindsay Wildlife Experience

Lindsay Wildlife Experience

Education center with 50+ animal species. Environmental education center housing 50+ species of live, nonreleasable California wildlife.

Visit
Monarch Park

Monarch Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

Visit
Ygnacio Valley Park

Ygnacio Valley Park

Community park with standard amenities. Basic neighborhood park with ball fields, a jogging path, picnic facilities & a kids' play area.

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Brentwood City Park

Brentwood City Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Brazil Quarry Park

Brazil Quarry Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in the city.