Pizzasaurus Rex

A 1950s-style Midtown diner with glass cases full of cakes and pies made from scratch. Letting a kid pick one slice from that case is harder than it sounds.

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 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.

A Midtown taproom with Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizza and a real kids' menu, so the brewery stop works for everybody.

A Midtown Italian and pizza place that local parent guides keep naming, with plenty of pizza and pasta a kid will actually eat.

Suites at the edge of Capitol Park, so dinner can be mac and cheese in your room after a day on your feet.