Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

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

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.

Visit
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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Washington Manor Park

Washington Manor Park

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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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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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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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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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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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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Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall

Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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Pyramid to Moses

Pyramid to Moses

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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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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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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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
Pacific Pinball Museum

Pacific Pinball Museum

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

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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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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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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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Temescal Regional Recreation Area

Temescal Regional Recreation Area

Oasis for picnicking, swimming & more. Urban, lakeside retreat offering swim & picnic areas, a fishing dock, trails & playgrounds.

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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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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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Habitot Children's Museum

Habitot Children's Museum

Hands-on learning lab for kids. Museum engaging kids ages 1-5 with interactive exhibits like a wind tunnel & face-painting table.

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Doyle Hollis Park

Doyle Hollis Park

Park with a playground & an amphitheater. Park featuring a playground & basketball, plus a fountain, picnic areas & an amphitheater.

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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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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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University of California Botanical Garden

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.

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Berkeley Natural History Museums

Berkeley Natural History Museums

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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 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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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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Virginia-McGee Totland

Virginia-McGee Totland

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Codornices Park

Codornices Park

Rose garden, views, picnicking & hiking. Comprising the Berkeley Rose Garden plus areas for ball playing & hiking, picnicking & kids' play.

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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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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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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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Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets

Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Shorebird Park

Shorebird Park

Picturesque setting with a nature center. Scenic marina park offers picnic sites, play areas & a nature center with fish & wildlife displays.

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Adventure Playground

Adventure Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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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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Mission Bay Kids Park

Mission Bay Kids Park

Purpose-built activity center for kids. Interactive play zones, climbing structures & sandboxes in a modern kids' park with picnic benches.

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Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point

Scenic overlook at a nature park. Observation area with sweeping views & interpretive plaques, plus a parking lot & trail access.

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California Nursery Historical Park

California Nursery Historical Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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Aardvark Beach

Aardvark Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Safari Run, San Mateo

Safari Run, San Mateo

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Train of Lights

Train of Lights

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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Old Borges Ranch

Old Borges Ranch

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Leroy King Carousel

Leroy King Carousel

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Children's Creativity Museum

Children's Creativity Museum

Interactive arts & technology museum. A place for kids to explore arts & technology by making music videos, animating short films & more.

Visit
Tilden Nature Area

Tilden Nature Area

Site for scenic hikes & wildlife views. Nature preserve featuring easy & challenging hiking trails with scenic views & wildlife sightings.

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Tilden Nature Area Environmental Education Center

Tilden Nature Area Environmental Education Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Washington Park

Washington Park

Playground, ball fields & courts. City park with baseball & soccer fields, tennis & basketball courts, plus a playground.

Visit
Exploratorium

Exploratorium

Hands-on science museum. Hundreds of interactive, educational exhibits & activities illustrating scientific principles.

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
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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Heart of San Francisco Series

Heart of San Francisco Series

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary

City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

Visit
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
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.

Visit
Chinatown San Francisco

Chinatown San Francisco

Famous neighborhood for Chinese culture. Iconic area with the largest assembly of Chinese eateries, shops & cultural events outside of Asia.

Visit
Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park

Waterside park for airport watching. Small bayside park next to the airport, with a walking trail & benches for watching the planes land.

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Children's Natural History Museum

Children's Natural History Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
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
Helen Diller Civic Center Playground

Helen Diller Civic Center Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

Visit
Tenderloin Playground

Tenderloin Playground

Indoor/outdoor recreational hub for kids. City-run recreational center & children's playground offering special events & classes.

Visit
Pershing Park

Pershing Park

Neighborhood park with a playground. Tree-dotted neighborhood open space with a playground, basketball courts & a picnic area.

Visit
Blake Garden UC Berkeley

Blake Garden UC Berkeley

Artful UC Berekely park for scenic views. UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design's green space with scenic views & diverse plant life.

Visit
Helen Diller Playground

Helen Diller Playground

Play area with a climbing wall & slides. Climbing structures, sand boxes & swings in an adventure playground with a long, twisting slide.

Visit
Aquarium of the Bay

Aquarium of the Bay

Waterfront museum with aquatic animals. Aquarium with creatures from local waters, including otters, sharks & jellyfish, plus a touch tank.

Visit
Village Park

Village Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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