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.
The one with the secret staircases. Rock formations to scramble on and enough tucked-away corners that older kids will disappear for a while.
Miles of flat path right on the water at the Berkeley Marina, and it's the kite spot, thanks to the wind.
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.
An enclosed toddler area and a play pad for bigger kids, under big oaks with a seasonal creek running through and old stone fireplaces at the picnic spots.
A scaled-down steam train that loops along the ridge in Tilden, $4 a ride or five for $16. Weekends and holidays year round, 11 to 6, closing at nightfall in winter.
Two playgrounds cover different ages, including a fenced tot lot with water play and a bigger climber with a long tube slide.
A restored Herschell-Spillman carousel with hand-carved animals, with a snack stand, a restroom and parking right there.
A giant children's section downtown with storytime and artist-led sessions, and it costs nothing.
Small play space for kids 6 months to 4 years, with a climbing structure and climbing wall, ride-on toys, a little swing, and shelves of books and puzzles.
Seven custom-built game rooms you play through in teams of two to six, a bit like an escape room, recommended for ages 10 and up.
Cultural center founded in 1975 behind a big painted mural, with Puerto Rican bomba and plena drum and dance workshops open to all ages.
Under-6s get in free, and the draw for that age is not the plants so much as the lizards and spiders they will find along the paths. Lots of climbing up and down.
A big lawn, two tennis courts, and an enclosed playground with a tire swing, talk tubes in the ground and a tree deck for toddlers and older kids.
Classes for children and family performances, with dancing at the front encouraged.
Art museum and film archive where kids 13 and under get into the galleries free, with exhibitions that change regularly and a drop-in art lab.
Game store stocked with games, puzzles, D&D and miniatures, plus open gaming and rooms to rent for a group to play.
