Best Family-Friendly Attractions
Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in San Rafael
Gerstle Park
Elegant historic estate on 2 acres. Historic estate with 12 ornate rooms & cottages in a 2-acre park setting used for community events.
Imagination Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Lagoon Park
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Memorial Park
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China Camp State Park
Campgrounds with hiking & biking trails. Park with reservable picnic & camp sites, plus 15 mi. of hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Muir Woods National Monument
Picturesque, redwood tree-filled park. Scenic, forested park featuring giant redwood trees, long hiking trails, a visitor center & more.
Old St. Hilary's Preserve
Natural area with rare wildflowers. Windswept 122-acre natural area with rare wildflowers, a historic church & bay views.
Dunphy Park
Oceanside park with a gazebo & courts. Waterfront space featuring sand volleyball & bocce courts, plus a gazebo & benches.
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.
Pogo Park #1 - Elm Playlot
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Interactive kids' museum. Indoor/outdoor museum inspiring kid creativity via interactive exhibits, a play space & art classes.
Discovery Museum Lookout Tower
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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.
Crissy Field
Scenic field, beach & restored marsh. Grass field & sandy beach offering trails, a restored marsh & picturesque views of the Golden Gate.
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.
San Francisco Carousel at Pier 39
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Museum for unusual & bizarre artifacts. Museum with kitschy oddities on display, including shrunken human heads & rare animal skeletons.
PIER 39
Scenic pier with food & activities. Bustling bayside pier featuring scenic views, sea lion sightings, eateries, shops & entertainment.
Aquarium of the Bay
Waterfront museum with aquatic animals. Aquarium with creatures from local waters, including otters, sharks & jellyfish, plus a touch tank.
Lands End Lookout
Hiking, shipwrecks & Sutro Baths access. Waterfront hiking through wildflowers, with shipwreck views & access to the Sutro Baths ruins.
Cesar Chavez Park
Kite flying, a dog run & bay views. Popular, 90-acre park featuring kite flying opportunities, a dog run, bay vistas & 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.
Ina Coolbrith Park
Compact green space with urban views. This pint-sized, unassuming tract features a steep path & views of the city & bay.
Exploratorium
Hands-on science museum. Hundreds of interactive, educational exhibits & activities illustrating scientific principles.
Cable Car Museum
Vintage cable cars & mechanical displays. Antique cable cars on exhibit in the historic building that houses the cable-pulling equipment.
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!
Golden Gate Park
Gardens, trails, museums & festivals. The city's 1,017-acre oasis draws hikers, bikers, art lovers & music fans, plus gardens & museums.
Refugio Valley Park
Play equipment, a pond & picnic areas. Park featuring a walking path around a duck pond, picnic tables, restrooms & 2 play structures.
Tenderloin Museum
Museum of this famous district. This museum tells the story of this area peopled by immigrants & iconoclasts, artists & activists.
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.
Tilden Nature Area
Site for scenic hikes & wildlife views. Nature preserve featuring easy & challenging hiking trails with scenic views & wildlife sightings.
Indian Rock Park
Rock climbing areas & panoramic views. This rock park offers scenic views of the San Francisco Bay & climbing areas of varying difficulty.
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.
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.
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.
Mission Bay Kids Park
Purpose-built activity center for kids. Interactive play zones, climbing structures & sandboxes in a modern kids' park with picnic benches.
Codornices Park
Rose garden, views, picnicking & hiking. Comprising the Berkeley Rose Garden plus areas for ball playing & hiking, picnicking & kids' play.
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.
Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve
Nature preserve with hiking trails. Nature preserve overlooking Carquinez Bay featuring stunning landscape with native grasses & views.
San Francisco Zoo
100 acres of animals & more. Families come for the more than 2,000 animals, kids' zoo, steam train, carousel & special exhibits.
Hearst Grizzly Gulch
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Lawrence Hall of Science
A planetarium & an interactive museum. Science center at the University of California, Berkeley, with hands-on exhibits & a planetarium.
Billy Goat Hill
Hilltop natural area with views & trails. This modest neighborhood green space offers a small trail network & wildlife viewing opportunities.
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.
Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt
Playground & creek amid redwood groves. Urban greenbelt offers a playground, climbing wall & creek amid butterfly gardens & redwood groves.
Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum
History of Vallejo & Mare Island. Museum with 5 galleries exploring the history of Vallejo & the U.S. naval base at Mare Island.
Children's Wonderland Park
Many whimsical playscapes for kids. Park featuring children's play structures in unique shapes, such as a castle, teapot & fire truck.
Temescal Regional Recreation Area
Oasis for picnicking, swimming & more. Urban, lakeside retreat offering swim & picnic areas, a fishing dock, trails & playgrounds.
Children's Fairyland
Storybook-themed amusement park standby. Vibrant, longtime amusement park pairing a storybook motif with rides & theatrical performances.
Glen Cove Waterfront Park
Spot for hiking, fishing & picnics. This green space where visitors can hike, fish & bike has picnic facilities & water views.
Petaluma Wildlife Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Walnut Park
Playground & a farmers' market. Community park with play equipment for different ages, picnic areas & a regular farmers' market.
Dan Foley Park
Fishing, sporting, picnics & playground. A community center shares grounds with fishing, natural & artificial fields, play & picnic areas.
Arroyo Park
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Hanns Park
Leafy spot with trails & picnic areas. Wooded park with shaded picnic/BBQ areas, hiking trails, an outdoor amphitheater & open fields.
Butterfly Habitat
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Shark Experience
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Odin's Temple of the Tiger
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Amusement park with wildlife encounters. Enormous amusement park filled with high-speed roller coasters & rides, plus wildlife attractions.
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
Home of preserved building from 1800s. Site of historic adobe building, ranch & creek, with educational tours & special events offered.
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