Best Family-Friendly Attractions

Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Seaside

Laguna Grande Regional Park, Monterey side

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.

Visit
El Estero Park

El Estero Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Dennis The Menace Playground

Dennis The Menace Playground

Sizable kids' playground & park. Spacious kids' playground & park featuring activities such as a maze & a rock climbing wall.

Visit
Monterey Sea Lions

Monterey Sea Lions

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Old Fisherman's Wharf

Old Fisherman's Wharf

Quaint landmark with dining & shopping. Iconic waterside complex & event site featuring seafood eateries, shops & water-sports activities.

Visit
Monterey County Youth Museum

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.

Visit
Monterey State Historic Park

Monterey State Historic Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Lower Presidio Historic Park

Lower Presidio Historic Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
San Carlos Beach Park

San Carlos Beach Park

Tranquil spot with bayside vistas. 2.87-acre city park offering footpaths, benches, landscaped turf & scenic bay views.

Visit
Treasure Hunt: The Ride

Treasure Hunt: The Ride

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Cannery Row

Cannery Row

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Sprawling marine life attraction. Well-known aquarium on a rocky coastline with exhibits ranging from otter habitats to touch pools.

Visit
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Free exhibitions on regional wildlife. Nature museum offering exhibits on birds, insects, plants & other wildlife, plus free admission.

Visit
Lovers Point Park

Lovers Point Park

Small beachside recreation spot. Petite beach park with swimming, surfing & other water recreation, plus kayak & bike rentals & more.

Visit
Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)

Point Pinos Lighthouse (1855)

Historic light tower from 1850s. Oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Pacific, offering tours of Victorian-era building.

Visit
Cypress Point Lookout

Cypress Point Lookout

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Whalers Cabin Museum

Whalers Cabin Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Sherwood Park

Sherwood Park

Public park with sports facilities. Outdoor recreation space with a playground & gardens, plus a swim club, tennis courts & theater.

Visit
Tatum's Garden

Tatum's Garden

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Esplanade Park

Esplanade Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Lighthouse Point

Lighthouse Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Exhibits exploring wave-riding culture. Rotating exhibits on surfing culture & local history housed in a historic, preserved lighthouse.

Visit
Walton Lighthouse

Walton Lighthouse

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Capitola Historical Museum

Capitola Historical Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Wildlife, plant & archaeology exhibits. Galleries & interactive programs exploring flora, fauna, geology & peoples native to the Bay Area.

Visit
The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

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.

Visit
Sky Glider

Sky Glider

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Theater & interactive exhibit gallery. Educational multimedia exhibits include theater, touch pools & a remotely operated underwater robot.

Visit
Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Aquarium & interactive science museum. Interactive marine science museum & aquarium, with hands-on exhibits, a touch pool & a gift shop.

Visit
Chanticleer Ave County Park

Chanticleer Ave County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Ocean View Park

Ocean View Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Neary Lagoon Park

Neary Lagoon Park

Wildlife habitat with floating walkways. Wildlife refuge with trails & floating walkways, bird-watching areas, tennis courts & a playground.

Visit
San Lorenzo Park

San Lorenzo Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

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.

Visit
Wilder Ranch State Park

Wilder Ranch State Park

Picnic areas, trails & horseback riding. Natural landscape with diverse activities including hiking trails, picnic areas & horseback riding.

Visit
Harvey West Park

Harvey West Park

Park with pools, ball fields & play area. Sporty park with swimming pools, baseball fields, a bike pump track, playground & picnic areas.

Visit
UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

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.

Visit
The Mystery Spot

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.

Visit
Roaring Camp

Roaring Camp

Train rides & all-ages special events. Family-friendly park offers train rides amid natural landscapes, seasonal routes & special events.

Visit
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Vast state park with hiking & camping. 1,000-acre state park offers a wide variety of hiking trails, wildlife, campgrounds & a guest lodge.

Visit
Monolith

Monolith

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Vasona Lake County Park

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.

Visit
Jack Fischer Park

Jack Fischer Park

Green play space geared to young kids. Outdoor area with picnic tables, playgrounds & an interactive water feature designed for young kids.

Visit
Hellyer County Park

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.

Visit
Brigadoon Park

Brigadoon Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Japanese Friendship Garden

Japanese Friendship Garden

Spacious & tranquil traditional garden. Covering 5.5 acres, this serene Japanese garden features a koi pond & a quaint red arch bridge.

Visit
Winchester Mystery House

Winchester Mystery House

Quirky mansion with odd design details. Sprawling landmark with a staircase leading nowhere & other odd features designed to confuse ghosts.

Visit
Kelley Park

Kelley Park

172-acre green space with lawn bowling. This park, which contains a zoo & living history museum, offers picnic spots & lawn bowling greens.

Visit
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Animals, activities & conservation focus. Small zoo with an array of animals & rides, plus an education center, petting zoo & puppet theater.

Visit
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

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.

Visit
Discovery Meadow

Discovery Meadow

Children's museum & sizable green space. Children's museum situated atop a sprawling green lawn used for summer festivals.

Visit
Monopoly in the Park

Monopoly in the Park

Green space with a giant monopoly board. Tiny park featuring a larger-than-life monopoly board, plus animal statues & benches.

Visit
Linda Vista Park

Linda Vista Park

Small park with 2 playgrounds & lawns. Small recreation space with grassy fields, children's play equipment & a picnic area.

Visit
Creekside Park

Creekside Park

Landscaped hub with soccer & play areas. Soccer fields, a playground & a community room make up this urban green space with walking paths.

Visit
Municipal Rose Garden

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.

Visit
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Exhibits featuring mummies & artifacts. Museum with displays on Egyptian burial practices, plus artifacts including jewelry & bronze tools.

Visit

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in the city.