Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Seaside

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.

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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.

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Cooper-Molera Adobe

Cooper-Molera Adobe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Monterey Moon Tree

Monterey Moon Tree

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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McAbee Beach

McAbee Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Colton Hall Museum and Jail

Colton Hall Museum and Jail

Exhibits dedicated to California history. Built 1847–1849, this museum in an old government building has exhibits on the history of Monterey.

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Treasure Hunt: The Ride

Treasure Hunt: The Ride

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Oscar's Playground

Oscar's Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Monterey Mirror Maze and Laser Challenge

Monterey Mirror Maze and Laser Challenge

Mirror maze with a vibrant setup. Walk-through mirror maze with a psychedelic vibe & activities for team-building & parties.

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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.

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Lovers Point Park

Lovers Point Park

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

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Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Nature reserve for seasonal butterflies. Preserve with pine, cypress & eucalyptus trees sheltering thousands of monarch butterflies Oct–Mar.

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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.

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Handcar Tours

Handcar Tours

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Point Joe Vista Point

Point Joe Vista Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Carmel Beach

Carmel Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Cypress Point Lookout

Cypress Point Lookout

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Monastery Beach

Monastery Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Whalers Cove

Whalers Cove

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Whalers Cabin Museum

Whalers Cabin Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lighthouse Point

Lighthouse Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane

Iconic surf spot with a surfing museum. Famous cliffside surfing spot since the 1930s, featuring a surfing museum inside a lighthouse.

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Walton Lighthouse

Walton Lighthouse

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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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.

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Blue Whale Skeleton

Blue Whale Skeleton

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Chanticleer Ave County Park

Chanticleer Ave County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Ocean View Park

Ocean View Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Neary Lagoon Pier

Neary Lagoon Pier

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Neary Lagoon Park

Neary Lagoon Park

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

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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.

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Westlake Park

Westlake Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Pogonip Open Space

Pogonip Open Space

Scenic sloped park with hiking & biking. Scenic open space offering a hiking & biking trail network amid redwood & oak forests & slopes.

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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.

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Haven Play Lounge and Events

Haven Play Lounge and Events

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Roaring Camp

Roaring Camp

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

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Highlands County Park

Highlands County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Reservoir park for fishing & boating. Scenic 175-acre reservoir park for fishing, boating & hiking (seasonal & can be closed by drought).

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New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum

New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lost Worlds Funtropolous

Lost Worlds Funtropolous

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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San Lorenzo County Park

San Lorenzo County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

Year-round hiking & biking with vistas. Scenic spread on 739 acres with rolling views & trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding.

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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.

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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.

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Bill's Backyard

Bill's Backyard

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Discovery Meadow

Discovery Meadow

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

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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.

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The Escape Game San Jose

The Escape Game San Jose

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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McClellan Ranch Preserve

McClellan Ranch Preserve

Former horse ranch with a nature museum. Former horse ranch from the 1930s featuring a nature museum, community garden & historic buildings.

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Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

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

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