Things to do in Oakland with kids
Written September 2026
The outings worth the drive, the parks worth the afternoon, and lunch and a bed near each of them.
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The best things to do in Oakland with kids are the Oakland Zoo, Children's Fairyland and the rest of Lakeside Park at Lake Merritt, the Oakland Museum's Nature Playspace, and Chabot Space & Science Center up in the hills; for a free afternoon, Roberts Regional's giant play structure, the beach at Lake Temescal and the creek at Dimond Park. Most families will get two of those into a day, three with a car and an early start.
Oakland has good lists of things to do already. What they tend to leave out is the part you find out at the gate: that the zoo wants a reservation and charges for parking, that Fairyland will not let an adult in without a child, that the tot lot at Dimond is not fenced and the sinks do not run. The table puts restrooms, changing tables, bookings and ages next to each other, and the entries say plainly who each place does not suit.
Each part of town also gets somewhere to eat nearby and somewhere to sleep, because a day out ends in a meal and, for visitors, a hotel.
Side by side
24 places. Tap a chip to narrow them down.
How we picked
These are the places we would send a friend with a four-year-old and a car seat. The yes and no answers in the table come from each place's own site, its visitor and accessibility pages, and its Play Day listing; a blank means we could not confirm it either way, not that the answer is no.
We kept the list short on purpose. Anything that only works for teenagers, needs a membership to be worth it, or is mostly a car park with a view is not here, and neither are the chain play-places you can find in any town.
The big days out
The zoo and Chabot are in the hills and want a car. Fairyland, the museum and the lake are a cluster you can walk between, and MOCHA and Jack London Square work off BART or the ferry.
Oakland Zoo
Oakland hills
The gondola is the thing. It is included in admission and lifts you up to the California Trail, where the condors, bears, wolves and jaguars live, and the line for it grows as the morning goes on. Go up first and work your way down.
It is a morning outing, not an after-nap one: entry closes early in the afternoon. General admission needs a reservation, tickets are priced by date so a quiet weekday costs less than a sunny Saturday, and under-2s are free. Parking is on top, and cheaper if you book it with the tickets than at the gate.
Some of the paths are steep. Bring your own single stroller; the gift shop only rents doubles.
Adventure Landing, the little ride area, has its own tickets. Route around it if you have not budgeted for it; a toddler who sees it will ask.
- Free entry
- No
- Reservations
- Yes
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
- Ages
- All ages
Children's Fairyland
Lake Merritt
A storybook park on the edge of Lake Merritt with small rides, a petting area, the Jolly Trolly train and the Open Storybook Puppet Theater, which says it is the oldest puppet theater in the country still running. The shows are original, with handmade puppets. Plan the day around a showtime and the rest falls into place.
The rule at the gate: no adults without a child, no children without an adult. Grandparents on their own get turned away. It is at its best from about 3 to 7; by 8 most children find it babyish. With open paths and the lake close by, one adult with two runners is hard work.
The train is packed around lunch, so ride it early or late.
Buy a Magic Key at the front window. Children turn it in the yellow storybook boxes to hear a story or song, in English or Spanish, and it works again next visit.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Fenced
- Yes
- Shade
- Yes
- Water play
- No
- Swings
- No
- Accessible play
- No
- Ages
- All ages
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt
Lakeside Park, on the north shore, is where the children's things are: Fairyland, the East Bay Creative Lab, and the Rotary Nature Center with a playground just east of it. The islands out in the lake are the oldest wildlife refuge in North America, and the nature center has windows onto the birds and specimens to handle.
For a boat, the Lake Merritt Boating Center on Bellevue rents pedal boats, kayaks and canoes by the hour. Pedal boats are what the staff steer families with small children towards; canoes are a slog once the afternoon wind comes up. Life jackets are provided and the children's ones have whistles. Rental and deposit are cash only, which catches people out.
It is a 15 to 20 minute walk from 19th Street BART, so the whole day can be done without a car.
- Restroom
- Yes
Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)
Lake Merritt
Children 12 and under are free every day, and everyone is free on the first Sunday of the month. That changes the arithmetic: you can come for an hour and leave without feeling you wasted a ticket.
The reason toddler parents come is the Nature Playspace in the natural sciences gallery, built for ages 2 to 5 and whoever brought them. The big galleries are wordy for small children, so do the Playspace and then go up to the terraced rooftop gardens, which are free during opening hours and have a lawn made for rolling down. Picnics go out there; there is no food in the galleries, and the cafe is inside.
Friday Nights bring food trucks and live music, which is a good first evening out with a stroller.
Two blocks from Lake Merritt BART. Stroller parking is in the garage.
- Free entry
- No
- Restroom
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
- Ages
- Toddlers, School-age kids
East Bay Creative Lab
Lake Merritt
Still the Junior Center of Art & Science to most Oakland parents, now renamed East Bay Creative Lab. It sits on Bellevue in Lakeside Park, a short walk from Fairyland, and it is the cheap half of a lake day.
Inside there is a maker space, an art room with a teacher on hand, an animal room with a tortoise of about forty, and a toddler play room looking out over the lake. Saturdays are free drop-in, with reptile feeding around midday; other days ask for a small donation. There is a deck outside for snacks.
It is small, and the classes and camps it is built around are for 6 and up. For visitors, drop-in is the part that matters.
- Ages
- All ages
Chabot Space & Science Center
Oakland hills
The daytime museum is fine, and parking is free in the garage next door, which almost never happens at a big Bay Area museum. EBT cardholders get in for a dollar through Museums for All.
The better visit is at night. On Friday and Saturday evenings the big telescopes open to the public for free, weather permitting, and a clear night at the eyepiece with a seven-year-old beats any gallery. The hills fog in, though, so it is a gamble; have a plan B.
Weekday mornings belong to school trips. It suits preschool and up more than toddlers, and Roberts Regional is just down Skyline Boulevard for the playground afterwards.
- Free entry
- No
- Restroom
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
- Ages
- Ages 5 and up
MOCHA, Museum of Children's Art
Downtown
A drop-in art studio on the lower level of City Center, next to 12th Street BART. You walk in and the children make things, with paint and glue and whatever else is out that day; no booking.
It is the rainy-day answer when the zoo and Fairyland are washed out. The catch is the timing: open studio runs on weekdays and only two Saturdays a month, and it finishes early in the afternoon, so it does not stretch into a whole day.
Dress them for paint.
- Free entry
- No
- Reservations
- No
- Ages
- All ages
Jack London Square
Jack London Square
The waterfront and marina, with boats to watch, a farmers market on Sundays, patios for lunch, a cinema and an arcade. It is a stroll-and-eat stop rather than a full day, and quieter on weekdays than people expect.
The best thing here for a boat-mad child is the San Francisco ferry, which leaves from the square: the ride across the bay is the outing, and the city at the other end is a bonus. Ben & Jerry's on the square is how you get everyone back to the car.
Two of the hotels below are here or close by, which makes it the natural base for a family staying over.
- Ages
- All ages
Little Farm at Tilden Regional Park
Berkeley
Just over the line in Berkeley, and the one out-of-town trip every Oakland family makes. Cows, goats, pigs, sheep and chickens, free, every day the park is open.
You can no longer feed the animals, so leave the lettuce and celery at home. The Environmental Education Center next door has dioramas and live-animal talks from the rangers.
The farm on its own is about an hour. Make a Tilden day of it with the Redwood Valley Railway steam train and the old merry-go-round, both a short drive away.
Weekend parking at Canon Drive is full by late morning. Arrive early or come on a weekday.
- Free entry
- Yes
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
- Ages
- All ages
Parks and playgrounds
All free to walk into, though the regional parks charge for parking. The hills are cooler and foggier than the flats, so bring a layer even in July.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area
Oakland hills
One of the biggest play structures in the East Bay, with five slides (tube, spiral, sidewinder, double and a short one for the smallest), climbing walls, bridges and a barrier-free play area. The bathrooms are clean, which up here is worth mentioning.
In summer there is a heated 25-yard pool with a 3-foot shallow end. The rest of the year it is the playground and a redwood grove for picnics, with short trails straight off the car park. Parking is a flat fee even if you only come for the slides.
Pair it with Chabot, just up Skyline Boulevard, and eat in Montclair Village on the way down.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Fenced
- No
- Shade
- Yes
- Water play
- No
- Swings
- Yes
- Accessible play
- Yes
- Ages
- Ages 5 and up
Lake Temescal
Oakland hills
One of the few places in Oakland to swim in a lake. There is a sandy beach with shallow water a toddler can sit in, lifeguards through the summer, free life jackets to borrow when the lifeguards are on, and no charge for the swim area itself. Parking costs a few dollars in the warmer months.
There are two playgrounds, one at each entrance. The south one is wheelchair accessible and the north one is not, so park at the south if you are pushing a stroller. The paved trail round the lake takes a jogging stroller, and it is a good first place to try fishing.
Some summers the swim area closes for blue-green algae. Do not promise a beach day until you know it is open.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Ages
- All ages
Dimond Park
Dimond
Three play structures from tot to big kid, the small one space-themed, and Sausal Creek running through the park with several easy spots to wade in. Bring water shoes and a change of clothes; the creek is why you came.
The tot lot is not fenced and the creek is close, so a runner needs an adult nearby. The single-stall restrooms are there but the sinks do not work: pack hand sanitizer.
Parking is rarely a problem. There is more on Lyman Road and a small lot by the tot lot, and the Dimond District is right there for pizza or an Italian ice after.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Fenced
- No
- Shade
- Yes
- Water play
- No
- Swings
- Yes
- Accessible play
- No
- Ages
- Ages 5 and up
Frog Park (Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt)
Temescal
Wooden play structures built by neighbourhood volunteers under a stand of redwoods, one side for big kids and one for tots, with a sandbox and a creek for splashing. The path along the creek has frogs drawn along it and leads to the Temescal farmers market on Sundays, which is the best way to do both.
It is fenced along busy Claremont Avenue and nowhere else. Upkeep is patchy, with overflowing bins and graffiti some weeks, and the restroom is a last resort.
Street parking is free but tight on market mornings. Cholita Linda, Homeroom and Monster Pho are all within a few minutes.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Fenced
- No
- Shade
- Yes
- Water play
- No
- Swings
- Yes
- Accessible play
- No
- Ages
- Ages 5 and up
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
West Oakland
The one for children who love big machines. The Port's container cranes load ships right across the water, and the observation tower and Point Arnold have free binoculars for a closer look.
Over two miles of wide, flat path loop the basin, which makes it good ground for a first bike or a scooter. There is a small sandy beach with no lifeguards, and restrooms with changing tables.
There is no playground and almost no shade, it is exposed to the wind, and there is nothing to buy, so pack snacks and a jacket. The bus that used to come here has stopped, so it is a drive.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
- Ages
- All ages
Where to eat nearby
Temescal has the most within a few blocks of a playground. Fentons is its own trip.
Fentons Creamery
Piedmont Avenue
The Piedmont Avenue ice cream parlour that turns up in Pixar's Up: Russell mentions it, and it matters to the plot, which older children will want to hear before they go in.
The sundaes are enormous. Order the banana split deconstructed so it can be shared among small eaters, rather than watching one child fail at a whole one. There is a proper diner menu too, grilled sandwiches and burgers, and the crab salad sandwich is the grown-up order.
Booths fit a family. Expect a line on weekend evenings, and a sugar crash on the way home.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Outdoor space
Homeroom
Temescal
A menu that is almost entirely mac and cheese, on 40th Street, with gluten-free and vegan versions of most of it and a Kids' Table section of small portions. The homemade giant Oreo is what people remember.
Ask for a booth or a small table; the big communal table is too high for small children. It closes between lunch and dinner and all day Monday, so a mid-afternoon plan does not work. It is busy at the peaks and the kitchen can be slow on crowded nights, so come early.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
Monster Pho
Temescal
Rolling robot servers bring the water and then the bowls, and staff sometimes let children steer them. Clean plates earn monster pho coins for the claw machine, and there is a refurbished robot ride from the eighties by the door.
Noodle soup is toddler food by nature, and there are vegetarian and nut-free options. It is on 40th Street near Homeroom, and closed Monday and Tuesday.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- No
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Arcade games
Cholita Linda
Temescal
It started as a farmers-market stand and is now a bright counter spot on Telegraph, a few blocks from Frog Park. Fish tacos, Peruvian-style chicken and aguas frescas.
Counter service is the point with a hungry child: you order, you sit, food comes. Chips and guacamole buy the adults ten quiet minutes. It is small inside and the lunch line is real, so go before noon or after the rush.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Outdoor space
Drake's Dealership
Uptown
An old Dodge dealership on Broadway's Auto Row turned into an open-air beer garden, with fire pits, Adirondack chairs and communal tables that take a big group. Wood-fired pizza is the children's order.
It is a bar at heart. Children are welcome with a grown-up, and the house rule is that they stay within arm's reach, so go in daylight or early evening. Dogs come too. It is a short hop from the lake and the museum for dinner after a Lakeside Park day.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- No
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Outdoor space
Park Burger
Glenview
Glenview's neighbourhood burger place on Park Boulevard, with a kids' menu, high chairs and a patio where a wet, tired child can sit without anyone minding. Nothing clever, and that is the appeal after an afternoon in a creek.
Order the onion rings. It is about ten minutes from Dimond Park, which makes it the easy dinner at the end of a day there.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Outdoor space
Where to stay
Stay by the water for the ferry, downtown for BART, or in the hills if you want a pool and someone else minding the children for an hour.
Waterfront Hotel, JdV by Hyatt
Jack London Square
Right on Jack London Square, with boats docking outside, the Sunday farmers market on the doorstep and the San Francisco ferry a few steps away. That makes it the easiest base for a trip that does Oakland one day and the city the next without a car.
There is a heated outdoor pool, and the rooms have a fridge for milk and leftovers. Guests on Booking.com rate it well, and the location is most of the reason.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Kids' activities
- No
Oakland Marriott City Center
Downtown
Across the street from 12th Street BART, which is the whole case: San Francisco one way and Lake Merritt one stop the other, with no parking to think about. MOCHA is in the City Center complex next door, and the museum and the lake are a short walk.
It is a convention hotel, big and businesslike rather than built for families, but it has an outdoor pool and guests rate it highly, mostly for the BART location. Stay here if you are coming without a car.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Kids' activities
- No
Homewood Suites by Hilton Oakland-Waterfront
Embarcadero
Every room is a suite with a kitchen, a full-size fridge and a dishwasher, and the two-bedroom suites sleep five or six, so the children can go down while you sit up. Breakfast is free and hot, with waffles, and cribs are provided.
It is on the estuary along the Embarcadero, a short drive from Jack London Square rather than on it. Some rooms hear I-880, so mention light sleepers when you book. Reviews are middling; it is here for the space and the kitchen, and on those it delivers. The pool and hot tub are seasonal.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Free breakfast
- Yes
- Kids' activities
- No
Claremont Resort & Club
Berkeley
The big white hotel on the Oakland-Berkeley line, up in the hills and close to Tilden and Lake Temescal. It is the splurge, and it earns it with children in a way most grand hotels do not.
The pools are heated all year, including a children's pool with a water feature. Hotel guests get up to three hours of free Kids' Club childcare per stay, and some Friday nights are movie nights with dinner and popcorn, which is an evening out for the adults. Children 5 and under eat free at Limewood and the Lobby Lounge, one per adult main.
It is priced as a resort, and parking comes on top.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
Put a day together
Lake day, no car: BART to 19th Street, Fairyland in the morning, a pedal boat or the East Bay Creative Lab after lunch, the museum's rooftop gardens to finish, and dinner at Drake's. Hills day: the zoo when it opens, Roberts Regional for the slides after lunch, and Chabot's telescopes if the night is clear. Sunday in Temescal: Frog Park, the farmers market along the creek path, then Cholita Linda or Homeroom.
If it rains
MOCHA on a weekday, the Nature Playspace at the Oakland Museum, Chabot, and the toddler room at the East Bay Creative Lab. The zoo, Fairyland and every park on this page are outdoors.
Questions
Can adults visit Children's Fairyland without kids?
No. Fairyland does not admit adults without a child, or children without an adult, so grandparents on their own or a parent scouting ahead will be turned away. Adults pay slightly more than children, and babies under one are free.
Do you need reservations for the Oakland Zoo?
Yes. General admission needs an advance reservation, and prices change by date, so weekdays are cheaper. Children under 2 are free and the gondola is included. Parking is extra, and cheaper booked ahead than at the gate.
What is free to do in Oakland with kids?
The Oakland Museum is free for children 12 and under every day and for everyone on the first Sunday, and its rooftop gardens are free. Chabot opens its telescopes free on Friday and Saturday nights, the East Bay Creative Lab has free drop-in on Saturdays, and the Little Farm in Tilden is free. Dimond Park, Frog Park, Middle Harbor and the Lake Temescal swim area cost nothing, though Temescal charges for parking in the warmer months.
Where can kids swim in Oakland?
Lake Temescal has a sandy beach with shallow water, lifeguards through the summer and free life jackets to borrow, though blue-green algae closes it some summers. Roberts Regional in the hills has a heated summer pool with a 3-foot shallow end.
What can you do in Oakland with kids on a rainy day?
MOCHA's drop-in art studio downtown by 12th Street BART, the Nature Playspace at the Oakland Museum for ages 2 to 5, Chabot Space & Science Center, and the toddler room and animals at the East Bay Creative Lab by Lake Merritt.
Where is the best place to stay in Oakland with kids?
Jack London Square, at the Waterfront Hotel, if you want the ferry to San Francisco on the doorstep, or the Marriott City Center across from 12th Street BART for car-free days. Homewood Suites has kitchens and free breakfast, and the Claremont in the hills is the splurge, with heated pools and a free Kids' Club.
Photos
Oakland Zoo: D Coetzee from San Mateo, CA, USA (CC0) · Children's Fairyland: E mln e (CC BY 4.0) · Lake Merritt: Darin Marshall from Oakland, United States (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Chabot Space & Science Center: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA (CC BY 2.0) · Little Farm at Tilden Regional Park: Harmonywriter (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Roberts Regional Recreation Area: Jesper Jurcenoks (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Frog Park (Temescal Creek Park): Al83tito (CC0) · Fentons Creamery: Mx. Granger (CC0) · Homeroom: Akos Kokai (CC BY 2.0) · Oakland Marriott City Center: Mx. Granger (CC0)
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