Best Family-Friendly Attractions
Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Rancho Santa Margarita
Pittsford Park
Hilly site of play, picnics & concerts. Pet-friendly nature spot with a big playground, picnic shelter, tennis courts & summer concerts.
Lake Forest Heritage Hill Historic Park
Calm park hosting 4 historic buildings. Petite park featuring heritage landscaping & guided tours of 4 restored buildings erected 1863-1908.
Dinosaur Park
Fields & a dinosaur-themed playground. Large park offering athletic fields as well as a playground with dinosaur- & fossil-themed elements.
Pretend City Children's Museum
Imaginary town & exhibits for kids. Set up as a pretend city, this kids' museum has a post office, cafe, farm & other interactive areas.
Irvine Spectrum Center Carousel
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Irvine Spectrum Center Giant Wheel
Family-friendly ride with city views. Day or night attraction with 52,000 LED lights & panoramic city views from the top.
Parasol Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Beacon Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Grand Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Great Park Balloon Ride
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Great Park
Park known for its giant helium balloon. Public space popular for a huge helium balloon tethered to the ground offering views from up high.
Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
Huge wildlife preserve with streams. Wildlife sanctuary across 4,500 acres featuring rolling hills with trails & several types of trees.
Niguel Botanical Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
River Street Ranch
Petting zoo & kid-friendly activities. Popular spot for families offers a petting zoo, train rides, panning for gold & more.
Blue Gum Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Tom's Farms
Old-time attraction with restaurants. Family-friendly park with restaurants & a farmer's market, plus a steam train, pony rides & more.
Turtle Rock Nature Center
Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.
Bluebird Park
City park for activities & summer music. City park featuring sports courts, a children's play area, picnic tables & a summer concert series.
Sea Canyon Park
Picnic & play area with a dog run. Open green space with a playground & picnic areas, a dog run & a lit, paved path.
Citrus Ranch Park
Orchard, playground & hilltop views. Park with a lemon orchard, a playground, picnic areas with grills & a hilltop gazebo with views.
Pirate Tower
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Crystal Cove State Park
Beach, hiking trails, coves & tide pools. Park has 3.2-mile beach with sandy coves & tide pools, plus 2,400 acres of land for hiking & biking.
Laguna Beaches
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Laguna Art Museum
Waterfront gallery with contemporary art. Contemporary art museum with a permanent collection of over 3,500 works & a waterfront setting.
Heisler Park
Seaside tide pools & sculptures. This beach area offers artsy park benches, sculptures, ocean views, rocky shores & tide pools.
Victory Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Crescent Bay Point Park
Blufftop retreat with water views. This green space sits on a bluff that provides panoramic views of the ocean and a tide pool.
Orange County Zoo
8 acres of native Southwestern animals. 8-acre city park zoo features native Southwestern animals & plants, plus regular programs & events.
Corona Heritage Park & Museum
Historical exhibits & gardens. Park with vintage buildings, city heritage displays, gardens, an arts colony & event space.
Irvine Park Railroad
Recreation area with train & pony rides. Outdoor park featuring family activities including train rides, pony rides & paddle boat rentals.
Citrus Park
Play equipment, splash pad & lawns. Public green space with 2 playgrounds, a splash pad, picnic tables & grassy areas for sports.
Irvine Regional Park
Park, playground, rides & rentals. Park offers train & pony rides, plus paddle boat rentals, the Orange County Zoo & picnic areas.
Lakepoint Park
Scenic retreat for sports & lake views. Open recreational area offering a children's playground, trails, sports fields & views of the water.
Santa Ana Zoo
Home to over 350 animals. Zoo attracts animal lovers of all ages with 350+ animals, a petting barnyard & a mini-train ride.
Summerly Community Park - City of Lake Elsinore
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oak Canyon Nature Center
Nature park with an interpretive center. Nature park featuring oak forests, scrubland & canyons, plus wildlife & an interpretive center.
TeWinkle Park
Park for recreation & picnicking. This 49-acre park with a lake offers play areas, ball fields, tennis courts & picnic shelters.
Discovery Cube
Rotating displays & interactive exhibits. Educational museum with a focus on kids offers over 100 hands-on exhibits, plus special programs.
Yorba Regional Park
Picnicking, fishing, hiking & biking. Mile-wide park adjacent to the Santa Ana River has 140 acres of picnic tables, lakes, trails & more.
Lions Park
Park with playground & community center. Small park featuring a playground, picnic tables, baseball field & community center.
Heritage Museum of Orange County
Restored buildings from the 1890s. Attraction featuring restored homes & buildings from the 1890s set amid extensive floral gardens.
Castle Park
Carnival-style rides, shows & food. Compact carnival-style amusement park with live entertainment, arcade games & American fare.
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve
Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.
Buccaneer Cove at Castle Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Canyon Hills Community Park
Park with fields, courts & shelters. 18-acre park featuring a splash pad, baseball fields, soccer pitch & basketball courts.
California Citrus State Historic Park
Park dedicated to CA's citrus history. Park dedicated to preserving the history of California's great citrus boom of the 20th century.
Doty Trust Park
Water park, hiking trails & playground. Nature site with a water park, playground, picnicking with grills & trails with an exercise course.
Pikes Peak Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Riverwalk Park
Green space for disc golf & picnics. Neighborhood recreation area with a disc golf course, playground, walking paths & a picnic pavilion.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum
Library, museum, birthplace, burial site. President Nixon's dedicated library has artifacts, a Watergate gallery, his birthplace & gravesite.
Mountain Pride Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Enchanted Hills Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Glen Arbor Park
Busy park with off-leash dog areas. Tree-filled, grassy park & popular local haunt for dogs to run around off-leash.
Ancient Sanctum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Spirit Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Disney California Adventure Park
Modern theme park with dining & shows. Contemporary theme park with innovative attractions, multiple dining options & live entertainment.
Jessie's Critter Carousel
Pixar-themed attraction for kids. Gentle, kid-friendly carousel ride featuring brightly painted animals from the Pixar universe.
Pixar Pier
Themed waterfront spot with rides. Waterfront, Pixar-themed place in Disneyland featuring a boardwalk, rides, characters & eateries.
Paradise Gardens Park
Lakeside garden with rides & food stands. Landscaped lakeshore park with classic carousels & kids' rides, plus a bandstand & hot-dog stalls.
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Boat ride amid mini fairytale scenes. Gentle outdoor boat ride through a whale's mouth & past miniature replicas of storybook settings.
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
Fanciful, fairy-tale castle replica. Disney family attraction built to mimic the castle of the renowned fairy-tale character.
King Arthur Carrousel
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Mini railway through fairytale scenery. Children's railway passing miniature landscapes from Frozen, Peter Pan, Cinderella & more.
Southern California Railway Museum
Historic train cars & weekend rides. Sprawling educational museum with historic railway cars & locomotives, plus weekend rides.
Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Secret island from Mark Twain stories. Open since 1956, an island with caves, rope bridges & hideaways inspired by Tom Sawyer's adventures.
Minnie's House
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Hidden Valley Wildlife Area
Park with hiking & equestrian trails. Natural area featuring walking & riding trails, plus a picnic area, bird walks & seasonal events.
Riverside Heritage House
Furnished 19th-century house & gardens. Museum in a grand Victorian residence with period furnishings & decor, plus landscaped gardens.
Town Square Park and Amphitheater
Public green space & event venue. Grassy outdoor area with paved walkways & shade trees, plus a stage for concerts & other events.
Explore More Activities
Discover more events and activities happening in Rancho Santa Margarita.