Playgrounds and things to do with kids in El Cerrito

Five winding El Cerrito acres split by a creek: a tot structure with bridges and four bucket swings on one side, two tall tunnel slides and big-kid swings on the other, plus a duck-and-turtle pond up the hill. Paved paths are made for scooters and strollers.

A clean, quiet El Cerrito hills park with woodland-themed tot and big-kid structures (swirly slides, fish-shaped climbing steps), spinning chairs, and a huge grass field. Weekday afternoons are reliably uncrowded.

Bouldering gym with 8,000 square feet of walls and 18-foot boulders you top out on, plus a kids climbing club, camps and a parents' night out.