The Broad

Kids check in to a welcome backpack with binoculars, an activity book and snacks, plus milk and cookies delivered on the first night. The heated outdoor pool is on the fourth floor.

A two-minute ride on the world's shortest railway, two orange 1901 funicular cars climbing Bunker Hill between Hill Street and Grand Avenue.

A 1917 food hall with dozens of stalls from tacos to ramen to pupusas, so everyone picks their own lunch and meets back at the long communal tables.

A splash pad with inch-deep water and a playground with a soft, wavy rubber surface and climbing structures, right by City Hall. There's a Starbucks inside the park for the grown-ups.

Kids love the glass elevators riding the outside of the six-story atrium, and there's an outdoor pool deck for downtime between downtown sights.

A nature-themed playground with a slide built into the hillside, plus easy trails, a stream and meadows with one of the best downtown skyline views around.