Playgrounds and things to do with kids in Sacramento

A solar-system playground built so kids of every ability can use it, with ramps, spinners and separate areas for babies, preschoolers and big kids. There's a pond with fishing piers too.

A big art museum that actually plans for kids: Tot Land downstairs is for play, books and making things, and there are loaner strollers at the door. Do the galleries first and save Tot Land for the reward.

Sacramento's big old park, with duck ponds, a rock garden, an adventure playground and a wading pool in summer. The zoo, Fairytale Town and Funderland are all on its edges.

Natomas's big park, with a lake, a baseball-themed spray park and a playground that's shaded all the way over (a big deal in July).

East Sacramento's favorite park (everyone just says McKinley), with an adventure playground, a separate tot lot and a rose garden next door. Summer brings a wading pool.

A Natomas neighborhood park with a little duck-and-frog spray pad that's just right for toddlers, and ranch-themed playgrounds under big shade covers.

Free tours of the Capitol itself, open on weekdays only. Expect a security line and no toy weapons, then let the kids run it off on the lawns outside.

A free adventure playground run by Fairytale Town, for school-age kids who like to get messy. After school it's a drop-off program you register for; once a month there's a Community Day anyone can walk into (wear shoes you don't love).

A small, walkable zoo tucked into Land Park, with giraffes you can feed from a raised deck and a carousel your kid will ask to ride twice. Fairytale Town and Funderland are right across the street, so it's easy to make a whole day of it.

A hands-on science museum in an old riverside power plant, with a planetarium upstairs for kids four and up. Everyone calls it MOSAC.

Huge restored locomotives you can walk right up to (and into), in Old Sacramento. Train-obsessed kids lose their minds here, and on weekends a real excursion train runs along the river.

Forty acres of lawn and huge old trees around the Capitol, with a rose garden and plenty of squirrels to chase. No playground, so think picnic and a run on the grass after a Capitol tour.

Downtown's main library, with the Kid's Place downstairs and maker spaces with 3D printers for older kids. A good cool-off stop between downtown sights.

The space-themed Enchanted, with rocket ships to climb and room for kids up to eight. Story time and toddler art come with entry, like the others.

A storybook play park where the nursery rhymes are things to climb on, with farm animals and kids' theater in between. Grown-ups only get in with a kid (as it should be).

Gold Rush Sacramento in Old Sacramento, and the people who run the Underground Tours of the buried streets below it. The tour is the part school-age kids remember.

Old-school mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats and batting cages, with junior rides for little kids. Height rules vary ride by ride, so know your kid's number before you go.

A small state museum about California Indian life, with hands-on things for kids, on the same block as Sutter's Fort. Do both in one morning.

A tiny old-school amusement park in Land Park, sized for little kids: a two-year-old can ride most of it, from the teacups to the train. It closes for the winter, so check it's open before you promise anyone the carousel.

Gold Rush streets on the river with wooden boardwalks and old-fashioned candy shops, a block from the railroad and history museums. Start at the visitor center on 2nd Street and just wander.

A big indoor trampoline park with a ninja course and climbing walls, plus a separate indoor playground for kids seven and under that you can go into with them.

A rebuilt 1840s adobe fort in Midtown where kids can poke through the old rooms at their own pace. It's a quick visit, which makes it a pretty good one with school-age kids.

More than a hundred cars from the very first ones to now, and on some days you can go for a ride in one. It's a warehouse, so dress for the weather outside.

The bigger of the local Sky Zones, with a foam pit, a ninja course, a trapeze and a toddler zone. Plan on a tired kid afterward (you're welcome).

Trampolines, a ropes course, an indoor zip line and climbing walls across from Arden Fair, with a separate area for kids seven and under. Grip socks required.