Pump It Up

Separate gated areas for babies and for 6 to 12, with drums, rain-sound pieces and puzzles between the climbing ropes and swings.

Woodsy ravine park along a creek in the middle of Belmont: playground, picnic areas and BBQs under the trees, and home of the city's summer concerts.

A trampoline park with freestyle jump, a zip line, an iWall climbing wall, dodgeball courts, a foam zone and SkyJoust for bigger kids.

Bay Area breakfast-and-comfort-food chain that has hosted families for decades; the Belmont location runs a Wednesday kids-eat-free night. Famous blueberry coffeecake buys goodwill with all ages.

A value base on the mid-Peninsula with a free breakfast buffet and a lobby fireplace, close to Hiller Aviation Museum (a great kid museum) and downtown.

Persian cooking from owners who've been at it since the nineties: saffron rice, kebabs and slow stews. Plain rice and grilled meat give a picky eater a way in.