A community-built tot lot, fully fenced, with a wooden play structure, a mural-covered clubhouse and a steady rotation of shared sand toys.
A staff-run playground where kids get real hammers, saws and paint to build forts out of scrap lumber, earning tools by turning in stray nails first.
Home of the 40-foot concrete slide big kids bomb down on cardboard, plus a creek, a fenced toddler area, and a tunnel under Euclid to the rose garden.
West Berkeley's go-to: a long hillside slide, a restored creek older kids migrate to, and the Hidden Cafe right in the park. Basketball and tennis at the south end.
A bright, gated, accessible playground at Berkeley's Aquatic Park with structures sized for little kids, then lagoon paths and duck-watching when the structure loses its grip. Good wind-sheltered picnic spots nearby.
Seafood restaurant on the water at the Berkeley Marina since 1984, with a raw bar for shellfish and sushi and big Bay views.
Festive Fourth Street taqueria where the decor absorbs kid noise and outdoor tables let sound escape, plus trainspotting on the adjacent tracks.
Wood-fired pizza on a big two-level garden patio that forgives kid volume, with downtown Berkeley bustle all around. The grown-ups get good beer; the kids get room to be kids.
A Berkeley brewpub since 1986 with a rooftop deck and a Sunday Family Day deal: kids 12 and under eat free with each adult meal.
Jambalaya, mac and cheese, and beignets drenched in powdered sugar, at a downtown Berkeley staple.
Design Quest for building and testing things, an Animal Discovery Room, and one of the best views of the bay from the terrace. Open Wednesday to Sunday; $20 covers everyone from three upwards.
A vast, cafeteria-style Indian institution where kids point at what looks good and food lands fast. An Indian market is attached for browsing after the meal.
Cultural center founded in 1975 behind a big painted mural, with Puerto Rican bomba and plena drum and dance workshops open to all ages.
