Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in San Ramon
Central Park
Community park with sports facilities. Grassy park with a playground, community center, sports fields, skate park & seasonal splash pad.
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.
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.
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.
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.
California Kids Fun Puppet and Magic Shows
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.
Mount Diablo Summit Visitor Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sugarloaf Open Space
Natural area with picnic spots & trails. More than 3,000 acres of woodlands, grasslands & chaparral with picnic areas & multi-use trails.
Old Borges Ranch
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
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.
Chabot Park
Disc golf, fishing & forested hikes. Leafy nature area with a big lake, hiking trails & a disc golf course, popular for fishing & biking.
Knowland Park
Undeveloped area with diverse wildlife. This open, largely undeveloped park is the habitat for many native plants & animals.
Meek Park
Mansion grounds with gardens & play area. Landscaped grounds of a historic mansion with play structures, picnic space with grills & open lawn.
Oakland Zoo
850+ native & exotic animals on display. Long-standing zoo features 850+ native & exotic animals, a wildlife theater & educational programs.
Tennyson Park
Play area, skate park & baseball field. Public green space with amenities such as a playground, skate park, lawn & baseball field.
Kennedy Park
Green space with many amenities for kids. Big, popular park with a playground, petting zoo & train, plus greenery, trails & picnic areas.
Round1 Bowling & Arcade Southland Mall
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Washington Manor Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Civic Park
Green space with native gardens & gazebo. 10-acre park with gardens, picturesque views & a community center & gazebo used for weddings.
The Gardens at Heather Farm
Botanical gardens & classes. This 6-acre destination with botanical gardens hosts special events & offers classes.
Shadelands Ranch Museum
Elegant 1902 house with guided tours. Genteel, historic 1902 house museum featuring period furniture, local artifacts & tours.
Heather Farm Park
Swimming, skateboarding & a dog park. This 102-acre preserve offers a swimming complex, dog park, sports fields & a skate park.
Niles Canyon Railway
Vintage train rides & history exhibits. Living history museum providing rides on vintage trains (1910-1960) & exhibits on railroad history.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area
Sports & picnicking amid redwoods. An 82-acre park in a stand of second-growth redwoods, popular for picnics & recreational sports.
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.
Lime Ridge Open Space
Natural area with hiking & biking trails. Undeveloped ridgeline offering hiking & biking trails amid diverse wildlife & chaparral vegetation.
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.
California Nursery Historical Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Train of Lights
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.
Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area
Lakefront park offering water activities. Lakefront park offers 471 acres of space for picnicking, swimming, fishing & non-motorized boating.
Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Education center with 50+ animal species. Environmental education center housing 50+ species of live, nonreleasable California wildlife.
Pyramid to Moses
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Ygnacio Valley Park
Community park with standard amenities. Basic neighborhood park with ball fields, a jogging path, picnic facilities & a kids' play area.
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.
Len Hester Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
Ecology center with exhibits & events. Ecology center offering exhibits, programs & activities relating to the region's estuary.
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.
Brazil Quarry Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oakland Aviation Museum
Display aircraft & historical exhibits. Museum housing an extensive aircraft collection & various aviation exhibits in a historic hangar.
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
Hiking & native plants in a wooded area. This 241-acre wooded preserve features a self-guided, botanic interpretive trail & restrooms.
Markham Regional Arboretum
Lush nursery & garden with walking tours. Serene oasis featuring 16 acres of native & adapted floral & tree gardens, with self-guided tours.
Markham Nature Area
Small nature park & arboretum. Compact, tree-topped park with winding trails, open lawns, gardens & an arboretum.
Always Dream PlayPark
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Greathouse Visitor Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Children's Natural History Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
Historic area with hiking trails. Former coal mining site featuring expansive green space, underground tours & hiking trails.
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.
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.
Ardenwood Entrance and Tickets
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Aqua Adventure Water Park
Family-friendly waterslides & pools. Recreational facility featuring waterslides, pools, swimming lessons & an on-site eatery.
Coyote Hills Regional Park
Picnicking, hiking & biking trails. 1,266 acres of rolling hills for picnicking, bird-watching, biking, hiking & nature exploration.
Briones Regional Park
Rolling hills, wildlife sightings & more. Pastoral, 6,255-acre park with rolling hills, wildlife viewing, campgrounds & other features.
Balfour-Guthrie Park
Recreation spot for sports & picnics. 6-acre green space with sport courts & lighted fields, picnic tables with grills & a playground.
Temescal Regional Recreation Area
Oasis for picnicking, swimming & more. Urban, lakeside retreat offering swim & picnic areas, a fishing dock, trails & playgrounds.
Pixieland Amusement Park
Whimsical park with rides for young kids. Whimsical amusement park offers a range of carnival rides for young kids, party space & casual fare.
Washington Township Museum of Local History
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Contra Loma Regional Park
Neighborhood space for tennis & play. Community lawn covering 2 blocks & surrounded by trees, featuring 2 tennis courts & a playground.
Children's Fairyland
Storybook-themed amusement park standby. Vibrant, longtime amusement park pairing a storybook motif with rides & theatrical performances.
Buchanan Park
Green space with picnic areas & a pond. This 16-acre community park has shaded picnic areas with BBQ pits, a duck pond & bocce courts.
Matteo's Dream Playground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Highlands Ranch Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Pacific Pinball Museum
Historic & playable pinball machines. Museum displaying rare & vintage pinball machines, which are also playable, amid colorful local art.
Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove
Aquarium & marine life exhibits. Bayfront education center with an 800-gallon aquarium & interactive exhibits about marine life.
Antioch Water Park
City park with pools, slides, waterfalls. Seasonal city water park with pools, slides & waterfalls, plus a floating bridge, amid big rocks.
Small World Park
Amusement center with train & carousel. Intimate family amusement park with a train, carousel, pond, boat, nature activities & playgrounds.
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