Pier 39 Sea Lions
Kid essentials
About this place
Dozens of sea lions hauled out on the floating docks, barking and shoving each other off. Free, visible from the walkway, and most reliable in winter.
How kid-friendly is it?
Nearby places
A mirrored maze on Pier 39 that takes about fifteen minutes to get lost in. Dim and disorienting, so it suits school-age kids more than toddlers.
Public steps wired to play notes as you climb them. Free, outdoors, and kids will do the same eight stairs twenty times.
Two decks of shops and food built out over the water, with a carousel at the end and the sea lions barking off the far side. Loud, flat and easy to push a stroller round.
An observation wheel by the wharf with enclosed gondolas. Twelve minutes up top with the bay laid out, and no scary bits.
Small aquarium at the foot of Pier 39 where glass tunnels put sharks and rays overhead. About an hour, which is the right length for little kids, and the sea lions are outside afterwards.
Painted rooms built for photographs where you look like you are falling or shrinking. Silly, quick, and made for a phone camera.