Best Family-Friendly Attractions
Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Hands-on exhibitions & special programs. Expansive venue with hands-on art & history exhibitions, plus special programs good for all ages.
San Lorenzo Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center
Theater & interactive exhibit gallery. Educational multimedia exhibits include theater, touch pools & a remotely operated underwater robot.
Ocean View Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Neary Lagoon Park
Wildlife habitat with floating walkways. Wildlife refuge with trails & floating walkways, bird-watching areas, tennis courts & a playground.
Sky Glider
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Iconic amusement park on the beach. Amusement park offers a variety of games & rides right on a mile-long stretch of sandy beach.
Harvey West Park
Park with pools, ball fields & play area. Sporty park with swimming pools, baseball fields, a bike pump track, playground & picnic areas.
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Wildlife, plant & archaeology exhibits. Galleries & interactive programs exploring flora, fauna, geology & peoples native to the Bay Area.
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
Exhibits exploring wave-riding culture. Rotating exhibits on surfing culture & local history housed in a historic, preserved lighthouse.
Lighthouse Point
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Walton Lighthouse
Visit this great place for kids and families!
UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Rare plants & a butterfly garden. Vast collection of rare plants with a succulent garden, a butterfly area & a eucalyptus grove.
Chanticleer Ave County Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Aquarium & interactive science museum. Interactive marine science museum & aquarium, with hands-on exhibits, a touch pool & a gift shop.
Wilder Ranch State Park
Picnic areas, trails & horseback riding. Natural landscape with diverse activities including hiking trails, picnic areas & horseback riding.
The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Mystery Spot
Iconic gravity hill offering tours. Opened in 1941, this roadside landmark is a tilt-induced visual illusion with tours & a gift shop.
Capitola Historical Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Esplanade Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Roaring Camp
Train rides & all-ages special events. Family-friendly park offers train rides amid natural landscapes, seasonal routes & special events.
Vasona Lake County Park
Site with a sprawling lawn, trail & lake. Public green space with 45 acres of lawn, a multi-use trail & picnic areas plus a lake with fishing.
Jack Fischer Park
Green play space geared to young kids. Outdoor area with picnic tables, playgrounds & an interactive water feature designed for young kids.
Linda Vista Park
Small park with 2 playgrounds & lawns. Small recreation space with grassy fields, children's play equipment & a picnic area.
Creekside Park
Landscaped hub with soccer & play areas. Soccer fields, a playground & a community room make up this urban green space with walking paths.
Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)
Historic light tower from 1850s. Oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Pacific, offering tours of Victorian-era building.
Winchester Mystery House
Quirky mansion with odd design details. Sprawling landmark with a staircase leading nowhere & other odd features designed to confuse ghosts.
Cupertino Memorial Park
Vibrant park with a baseball diamond. Big, popular park featuring a baseball field, tennis courts & amphitheater, plus various festivals.
Hellyer County Park
Urban park with a multi-use, paved trail. Green space featuring a 15-mile paved trail, plus picnicking, disc golf, a dog park & a velodrome.
Lovers Point Park
Small beachside recreation spot. Petite beach park with swimming, surfing & other water recreation, plus kayak & bike rentals & more.
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Free exhibitions on regional wildlife. Nature museum offering exhibits on birds, insects, plants & other wildlife, plus free admission.
Municipal Rose Garden
Extensive plantings of colorful blooms. 180+ rose varieties typically blooming April-November in a colorful 5.5-acre garden with a fountain.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Sprawling marine life attraction. Well-known aquarium on a rocky coastline with exhibits ranging from otter habitats to touch pools.
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Exhibits featuring mummies & artifacts. Museum with displays on Egyptian burial practices, plus artifacts including jewelry & bronze tools.
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Shows, workshops & interactive exhibits. Children of all ages explore more than 150 interactive exhibits including a full-size fire truck.
Discovery Meadow
Children's museum & sizable green space. Children's museum situated atop a sprawling green lawn used for summer festivals.
Serra Park
Tennis courts, ball fields & open lawns. Nature area with tennis courts, ball fields, playground & picnic areas, plus manicured & open space.
Monopoly in the Park
Green space with a giant monopoly board. Tiny park featuring a larger-than-life monopoly board, plus animal statues & benches.
Central Park
Picnicking, a pool & recreational sports. 52-acre park with 2 playgrounds & athletic courts/fields, plus a swimming pool, picnic area & BBQs.
Treasure Hunt: The Ride
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Cannery Row
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Japanese Friendship Garden
Spacious & tranquil traditional garden. Covering 5.5 acres, this serene Japanese garden features a koi pond & a quaint red arch bridge.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Animals, activities & conservation focus. Small zoo with an array of animals & rides, plus an education center, petting zoo & puppet theater.
Kelley Park
172-acre green space with lawn bowling. This park, which contains a zoo & living history museum, offers picnic spots & lawn bowling greens.
San Carlos Beach Park
Tranquil spot with bayside vistas. 2.87-acre city park offering footpaths, benches, landscaped turf & scenic bay views.
Brigadoon Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Rotary PlayGarden
Accessible children's playground. Interactive & accessible children's playground with slides, climbing equipment & seating areas.
Lower Presidio Historic Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Guadalupe River Park
Riverside park with running trails. Small city park offering a visitor's center, a playground, a community garden & 2.6 miles of trails.
Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum
Center promoting local history & culture. Local-history museum with rotating exhibits in a replica home of the area's founding family.
Old Fisherman's Wharf
Quaint landmark with dining & shopping. Iconic waterside complex & event site featuring seafood eateries, shops & water-sports activities.
Monterey Sea Lions
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Monterey State Historic Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Monterey County Youth Museum
Children's museum with hands-on exhibits. This colorful museum for toddlers & bigger kids features interactive exhibits with a local theme.
Dennis The Menace Playground
Sizable kids' playground & park. Spacious kids' playground & park featuring activities such as a maze & a rock climbing wall.
El Estero Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Emma Prusch Farm Park
Community farm with orchards & gardens. Compact community farm features heirloom vegetable gardens, orchards, chickens & a fair.
Laguna Grande Regional Park, Monterey side
Waterfront area with picnic tables. Green space on the water offering a volleyball court, play area, picnic tables & public barbecues.
Cuesta Park
Public green space for active locals. With wide-open spaces & shaded parts, this park has a playground, tennis courts & BBQ facilities.
Cypress Point Lookout
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Shoup Park
Play areas, a teen center & event spaces. This 4-acre community gathering place features a playground, drop-in teen center & rentable venues.
Sherwood Park
Public park with sports facilities. Outdoor recreation space with a playground & gardens, plus a swim club, tennis courts & theater.
Tatum's Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Pioneer Memorial Park
Quaint green space with benches & paths. Small, serene park located next to the library featuring ample benches, walkways & shaded areas.
Mariposa Park
Neighborhood park with a playground. Compact, butterfly-themed park with a playground, seasonal water-play sandbox & picnic tables.
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