Golden Gate Heights Park

Best for climbers, with a tall rope structure, rock wall and play bridges rather than a ton of little kid equipment.

A neighborhood playground attached to fields, tennis, picnic space and a rec clubhouse, easy to turn into a longer outing.

The indoor room at the West Portal playground: drop-in play, a gym, and somewhere to go when the fog wins.

A tiny tot playground with a slide, swings and seven benches, good when you want something mellow and easy to supervise.

Calm Noe Valley bakery where a cookie keeps babies through school-age kids happy.