Crowne Plaza Cabana Palo Alto

Old-school Palo Alto motor inn with koi lagoons, waterfalls, and a heated outdoor pool, plus a poolside restaurant on site. The gardens make it feel like a small resort rather than an El Camino hotel.

A large former orchard park with open space and shady trees, featuring slides, climbing stones, a water table, and a train for kids.

The donkey park: two resident donkeys in a pasture along the Matadero Creek trail, a compact playground, and a paved path perfect for first bike rides. Kids who discover the donkeys mid-walk are absolutely delighted.

A fully accessible playground with a wheelchair-accessible treehouse, merry-go-round, and tactile surfaces for kids of all abilities.

The original Magical Bridge that started the movement: engineered from scratch so kids with autism, sensory sensitivities, and mobility differences play on the SAME equipment as everyone else. Families drive across the Bay Area just for this one. Mitchell Park around it adds water play, tennis, and a dog park.