Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Santa Ana
Downtown Santa Ana Historic District
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bowers Museum
Global art, lectures & a restaurant. Mission Revival-style museum for global art (permanent & temporary), lectures & an eatery, Tangata.
Discovery Cube
Rotating displays & interactive exhibits. Educational museum with a focus on kids offers over 100 hands-on exhibits, plus special programs.
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.
Santiago Creek Wildlife & Watershed Center, Santiago Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Thrill It Fun Center
Ropes course & laser tag at a mall. Outlet-mall stop featuring an indoor ropes course, rock climbing, laser tag & an arcade.
Mile Square Regional Park
Large urban park with many facilities. City park offering 3 golf courses, soccer fields & baseball diamonds as well as picknicking & lakes.
Flightdeck + Rogue Racing
Interactive flying experience for groups. Flight simulator for ages 11 & up replicates the feeling of being in a cockpit & flying a plane.
Disney California Adventure Park
Modern theme park with dining & shows. Contemporary theme park with innovative attractions, multiple dining options & live entertainment.
Paradise Gardens Park
Lakeside garden with rides & food stands. Landscaped lakeshore park with classic carousels & kids' rides, plus a bandstand & hot-dog stalls.
Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Atlantis Play Center
Unique playground with splash pads. Outdoor, underwater-themed children's center featuring whimsical play structures & splash pads.
Cedar Grove Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
Tranquil wetlands with birds & trails. Wetlands cover 300 acres at this tranquil preserve that has 12 miles of trails & 200+ bird species.
Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center
Unique art exhibits for kids & adults. This contemporary museum hosts three inventive art exhibits a year & caters to all ages.
Eisenhower Park
Sizable green space with a duck pond. Large park featuring a pond filled with fish & ducks, plus walking paths, playgrounds & BBQ grills.
Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve
Birding, biking & an interpretive center. Home to many bird species, this 135-acre park offers an interpretive center & hiking/biking trails.
Pearson Park
Vast outdoor space with paths & ponds. Family-friendly park for all ages offers trails for bike riding & walking, playgrounds & ponds.
Anaheim Founders' Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Irvine Regional Park
Park, playground, rides & rentals. Park offers train & pony rides, plus paddle boat rentals, the Orange County Zoo & picnic areas.
Irvine Park Railroad
Recreation area with train & pony rides. Outdoor park featuring family activities including train rides, pony rides & paddle boat rentals.
Tanaka Farms
Big farm with a market & U-pick options. Long-running interactive farm with a market stand, U-pick fruit, seasonal pumpkin patch & animals.
Orange County Zoo
8 acres of native Southwestern animals. 8-acre city park zoo features native Southwestern animals & plants, plus regular programs & events.
Adventure Playground
Outdoor play area for rafting & climbing. Playground offers a small pond for rafting, rope for climbing plus a mudslide & fort-building area.
Huntington Beach Central Park East
Idyllic park great for bird-watching. Full of open fields, trees & flowers, this sprawling 350-acre park is great for picnics & strolling.
Adventure City
Amusement park for children. Children's amusement park for family fun via rides, a petting zoo, an arcade & more.
Seascape Kids Fun
Indoor playground & fun center for kids. Children's indoor amusement center for parties includes playground, ball pen & more.
Great Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Turtle Rock Nature Center
Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.
Fullerton Train Museum
Vintage train cars & cabooses on display. Historic train cars & cabooses with period decor, open the first & third Saturday of every month.
Oak Canyon Nature Center
Nature park with an interpretive center. Nature park featuring oak forests, scrubland & canyons, plus wildlife & an interpretive center.
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.
Parasol Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Great Park Balloon Ride
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Wild Goose Escape Rooms - Fullerton
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Knott's Soak City
Seasonal spot with aquatic attractions. Waterslide park with multi-person raft slides, lazy river & toddler areas as well as shops & snacks.
Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton
26-acre botanical garden. A sprawling, 26-acre greenspace featuring 4,000+ types of plants, walking trails & a museum.
Knott's Berry Farm Independence Hall
Replica of a famous historic building. Reproduction of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, including a copy of the Liberty Bell.
Knott's Berry Farm
Old-school theme park with rides & charm. Classic theme park boasts fast rides, old-fashioned charm & famous fried chicken.
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.
Irvine Spectrum Center Carousel
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Newport Beach Pier
Oceanfront scenery & fishing. Scenic pier popular for fishing & ocean views, convenient to beach & nearby shops & restaurants.
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.
Newport Beach Balboa Pier
Iconic landmark with fishing & an eatery. Built in 1906, this pier offers a retro-themed diner & is popular for fishing & watching the sunset.
Lookout Point
Scenic vista with bay & ocean views. Scenic destination in peaceful surrounds known for its beaches, water fountains, bay & ocean views.
Craig Regional Park
Recreation on 124 acres with a lake. 124-acre recreational park with biking, hiking & picnicking, plus hills, a rose garden & a lake.
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Protected coastal estuary & bird habitat. 1300 acre ecological preserve with over 200 avian species spread around the coastal wetlands.
Vista Del Verde Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Seabridge Park
Playground & picnicking with water views. 3.9-acre neighborhood park offering a playground, facilities & picnic tables with water vistas.
Ralph B Clark Park
104-acre park at foot of Coyote Hills. Sprawling park covering more than 100 acres includes a softball complex & plenty of open fields.
Carbon Canyon Regional Park
Redwood trees, sports facilities & more. Sprawling, 124-acre park showcasing various redwood trees, sports complexes & other features.
Mountain View Park
Urban green space with amenities. City recreational site with a playground, tennis courts, a walking trail, picnic tables & restrooms.
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.
Susanna Bixby Bryant Museum and Botanic Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
El Dorado Nature Center
Wide-ranging park for flora & fauna. 105-acre park featuring a visitor center, flora & fauna, lakes, a stream & walking trails.
The Children's Museum at La Habra
7 galleries & 14 hands-on exhibits. Kids' museum with exhibits including a hand-carved carousel & guided tour of a 1942 railroad car.
Canyon View Park
Grassy areas, a playground & paths. 12-acre park with big grassy areas, a sand-covered playground & path overlooking the canyon.
Seal Beach Pier Playground
Beachfront, kids' playground & sandbox. Fenced beachfront playground offering children's play equipment, a sandbox & benches.
Sheep Hills Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Dinosaur Park
Fields & a dinosaur-themed playground. Large park offering athletic fields as well as a playground with dinosaur- & fossil-themed elements.
Grand Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife preserve & science center. University-run wildlife sanctuary in a canyon with a science center, amphitheater & 3 trails.
Long Beach Lifeguard Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
ROOTS the Beauty Underground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Laguna Beach, California
Oceanfront park for sports & walks. A beachfront park with a boardwalk, volleyball & basketball courts, a playground & a tide-pool area.
Bluebird Park
City park for activities & summer music. City park featuring sports courts, a children's play area, picnic tables & a summer concert series.
Sproul Museum
Museum of local & Sproul family history. A notable local family's home, now housing a collection of local historical & family artifacts.
Carolyn Rosas County Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Laguna Niguel Regional Park
Lakefront fishing, sports & amphitheater. Surrounding a fishing lake, this park offers trails, sports courts, picnic space & an amphitheater.
Pavion Park
Public park with kids' facilities. A modern playground with interactive games is the highlight at this public park for families.
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