Play Day

Playgrounds and things to do with kids in San Diego

65 places.

4S Ranch Community Park

Kids can use the playground and grassy space before a picnic.

Fanuel Street Park

Kids can try the new inclusive bayfront climbing and play equipment.

Kate Sessions Memorial Park

Kids can use the playground and roam a flat patch of grass with bay views.

Maruta Gardner Playground at Bonita Cove

A bayfront tot lot and rope-climbing play area provide separate options for younger and older kids.

Open until 10:00 pm
Mission Point Park Tot Lot

Kids can use the little playground before a bayfront picnic.

Pepper Grove Playground

Two play areas serve younger and older kids, with a sandbox, slides and picnic tables.

Open until 10:00 pm
San Diego Children’s Park

Kids can use the renovated wood-themed play structures in the Marina District.

Tecolote Shores North Playground

Two large bayfront play areas give kids climbing, swings, slides and room to run.

Open until 2:00 am
Tecolote Shores South Playground

Kids can try the inclusive zipline, swings, climbing coves and a shaded sand area beside the bay.

Waterfront Park South Playground

Waterfront play zone pairs a playground and lawn with nearby interactive splash fountains.

Open until 10:00 pm
Bill Cleator Community Park

A tot lot and swings give younger kids a park stop near the fields.

Bird Park at Morley Field

A tot lot, slides, swings and grass give kids room to play at the east edge of Morley Field.

Dusty Rhodes Park

Kids can play on swings and slides before running on the lawn.

Four Gee County Park

Kids can climb under shade and play lawn games nearby.

Montclair Park

Kids can use the tot lot, swings and slides beside an open lawn.

Morley Field Playground

Slides, swings and a climbing wall give kids a play stop by the sports fields.

North Park Community Park

A frog sculpture, tot lot and climbing structures give kids several ways to play.

NTC Park

Two tot lots and open fields give kids varied play at Liberty Station.

Ocean Beach

Wide sand gives kids space for beach play with lifeguards on duty.

Ocean Beach Park at the Recreation Center

Swings, slides and monkey bars give kids a neighborhood playground.

Pioneer Park

Kids can play on a playground next to the big Mission Hills lawn.

Rancho Bernardo Community Park

Kids can play on slides and sand structures beside broad lawns.

Robb Athletic Field

A small sandy tot playground gives kids a break from the surrounding sports fields.

Shelter Island Park South Playground

Kids can climb and swing by the bayfront promenade.

Shelter Island Shoreline Park

Kids can watch boats from the pier and explore the long waterfront path.

Open until 10:30 pm
Sixth Avenue Playground

Fire-engine-themed play for under-fives and climbing obstacles for older kids.

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Kids can watch waves and look for migrating whales from safely back on the bluff.

Tweet Street Park

Kids can try a small playground and spot the colorful birdhouses.

Fiesta de Reyes

Kids can watch weekend mariachi and folklórico dancers in the courtyard.

Little Italy Mercato Farmers’ Market

Kids can sample market treats and listen to street musicians.

Closed · opens Wed 9:30 am
Mason Street Schoolhouse

Kids can see the desks and stove in an 1865 one-room schoolhouse.

Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library

Dedicated young-kids and teen areas make reading time easy to fit into a Hillcrest walk.

Mormon Battalion Historic Site at San Diego

An interactive video tour followed by gold-panning and brickmaking demonstrations gives school-age kids a hands-on Old Town stop.

Open until 7:00 pm
North Park Thursday Farmers Market

Kids can browse produce and snack stands on a neighborhood market walk.

Ocean Beach Farmers Market

Kids can choose produce or snacks and meet growers at a busy street market.

Point Loma/Hervey Library

A sailboat reading nook and working periscope make books an outing for kids.

Closed · opens Tue 11:30 am
Seeley Stable Museum

Kids who love vehicles can inspect historic stagecoaches, wagons and carts.

Balboa Park Carousel

A 1910 carousel offers animal rides and a brass-ring game beside the zoo.

Balboa Park Miniature Train

Kids can ride a short loop on the miniature railroad outside the zoo.

Belmont Park

Oceanfront rides include a carousel, rides for younger kids, mini golf and an arcade.

Belmont Park Arcade

Kids can play arcade games for a break from the beach.

Bud Kearns Memorial Pool

A swim gives kids another active outing at Morley Field.

Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center

Kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge while learning about Point Loma.

Open until 4:00 pm
Cabrillo Tidepools

At a suitable low tide, kids can watch crabs and anemones in the rocky pools.

Open until 4:30 pm
Fleet Science Center

Hands-on science galleries include Kid City and the giant-dome theater.

Open until 5:00 pm
G3Kids Point Loma

Gymnastics equipment and a foam pit let kids burn energy indoors.

Junípero Serra Museum

Kids curious about local history can see the early San Diego exhibits and hilltop view.

Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater

Kids can watch a live puppet show inside Balboa Park.

Maritime Museum of San Diego

Kids can climb aboard historic ships with you.

Open until 5:00 pm
North Park Recreation Center

Kids can combine a recreation-center visit with the adjacent frog-themed park.

Ocean Beach Recreation Center

Kids can try scheduled art, cooking or pee-wee sports classes.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Historic lighthouse rooms let kids imagine life beside the old beacon.

Open until 5:00 pm
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Free restored buildings, a broad plaza and living-history activities make local history tactile for kids.

San Diego Air & Space Museum

Kids can explore aircraft and space history with you.

San Diego Automotive Museum

Kids who like cars can see rotating displays of classic vehicles.

Open until 5:00 pm
San Diego Firehouse Museum

Kids can see old fire engines and firefighting gear in a former station.

Closed · opens Thu 10:00 am
San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Kids can follow miniature trains through detailed landscapes.

Closed · opens Wed 11:00 am
San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)

The Backyard gives kids five and under a protected space to climb, explore and learn about nature.

Open until 5:00 pm
The Hot Spot Studios - Liberty Station

Kids can paint pottery or make a take-home craft.

THE LOT Liberty Station

A movie and seat-side meal can make an indoor break for older kids.

The New Children’s Museum

Three floors of hands-on art installations and a museum park built for play.

Open until 4:00 pm
Tiki Town Adventure Golf

Kids can putt through a Tiki-themed mini-golf course.

Toby’s Candle & Soap Shop

Kids can hand-dip a candle in layers and take their work home.

USS Midway Museum

Kids can follow a junior-pilot audio tour through an aircraft carrier.

Whaley House Museum

Older kids who like spooky history can tour this 1856 house with you.

Nearby locations