Arizona Garden
Kid essentials
About this place
A free, slightly wild 1880s cactus and succulent garden on the Stanford campus - genuinely weird plants kids love. Keep toddlers close: everything here is spiky and paths are rough.
How kid-friendly is it?
Nearby places
Stanford's art museum is always free: Rodin bronzes (including the Gates of Hell), galleries kids can handle in 90 minutes, and a sculpture garden outside. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
The all-inclusive luxury splurge: every meal, snack, and drink included in the rate, a rooftop pool, and suites across from Stanford - for the special-occasion family stay.
Outdoor pool and a location next to Stanford's campus and the Palo Alto Caltrain station. The handy car-free option: train to the door, walk to campus.
Cal-Mex tacos and guacamole with a heated parklet and sidewalk tables - outdoor seating is the kid-pressure valve. Early dinner (5-6pm) is the family sweet spot.
Palo Alto's old-school fountain diner since 1923: grilled cheese, real milkshakes, and counter seats - the classic treat-lunch downtown.
An old-school diner with a working soda fountain - milkshakes, burgers, pies - that's always full of families, so yours won't be the loud table. Weekday lunch is the quiet window.