OMCA

Nature play for ages 2 to 5 inside the natural sciences gallery, included with museum admission, free for kids 12 and under.

A Chinatown restaurant known for family-style plates served on lazy susans.

An open-air garden of Mexican food and margaritas where kids are welcome, with room for them to move while you eat.

The country's oldest wildlife refuge, with a path all the way around, and Children's Fairyland and free gardens on its banks.

A fenced tot lot with a gate that latches for toddlers, and the bigger helix-shaped climbers just outside it for school-age kids.

Downtown Oakland's big full-service hotel with an outdoor pool, direct BART access, and suites that fit a travel crib. Walkable to Old Oakland restaurants.