Kid-friendly places in Alameda

An all-abilities remodel with wheelchair-wide structures, sensory play pieces and supported swings, including a double swing an adult can share with a baby.

Alameda's newest big park: a car-free bike path running its length, a zip line, a huge metal slide, nature play with giant logs, and separate toddler and big-kid zones.

Two jungle-themed playgrounds from the 2022 renovation: a toddler zone with bucket swings and sand, and a big-kid zone with covered slides and climbing walls.

Alameda's flagship park: side-by-side toddler and school-age structures (covered sandbox, dual tall slides), shade trees, and Crab Cove tide pools an easy walk away.

Dim sum on Webster Street where carts keep the food arriving, with pineapple buns at the end and big round tables that fit the whole crew.

Piadine, pizzas, and pasta at South Shore Center with a kids menu and a Thursday kids-eat-free deal after 4pm, near the Alameda waterfront.

The East Bay brewery most set up for kids: outdoor seating, sandboxes, arcade games, slushies, and food trucks on rotation at Alameda Point, with a real beer list.

A massive expanse of shallow water on the bay, with paddleboarding for anyone older.

Built in honor of Allie, the humpback who swam into Seaplane Lagoon: a climbing whale, a two-seat platform swing and ping-pong tables.

An 800-gallon aquarium of bay creatures and a station where kids build a crab from the inside out, on California's first estuarine marine reserve.

About 45 cabinets of '80s games, all on free play with a wristband, including a hand-built Oregon Trail machine and step stools for small players.

Around a hundred playable machines on one admission, going back to the 1940s. No coins needed once you are in.

Pop-in playtime on Monday and Friday mornings, no class to sign up for. Good for the weekday stretch before nap.

Nineteen holes, each built around an Alameda landmark. Short enough to finish.

A preschool in a Victorian house that opens up for play, with a crawlers' room, a tea party corner, and a garden with a slide and a sand area.

First-run films with kids' deals and a discount day.

Indoor warm-water pool for babies, kids and teens, with open family swim time alongside year-round swim lessons.

An extensive children's section and frequent author events.

Paint-your-own pottery, where a family can paint a plate together or each do a mug, with kids' clay workshops too.

Taproom on the old naval air station with views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge, and food trucks on some days.

Mexican place with big burritos and margaritas by the pitcher.

Modern bowling alley, good for the age where everyone wants to be doing the same thing at once.

Designed by an occupational therapist, with a ball pit, a bounce house in the back room, swings and a zipline, for babies up to age eight.

A takeout spot known for excellent BBQ pork wonton soup.

The aircraft carrier that recovered the Apollo 11 and 12 astronauts, with old Navy planes and an Apollo test capsule in the hangar bay.