A 12-acre Dimond District park with three play structures from tot-lot to big-kid, Sausal Creek to stomp in, paved paths for scooters, and trails toward Joaquin Miller.
An Oakland neighborhood park with a fenced playground, big trees for shade, and restrooms on site.
Redwoods in the Oakland hills with a heated outdoor pool in summer, a playground and picnic areas under the trees.
A volunteer-built Temescal classic: a sprawling wooden fortress structure, a big sand pit, and a shallow creek kids wade in on warm days. The Temescal strip's coffee and food are a block away for the grown-ups.
America's first storybook theme park, open since 1950, with talking Magic Key storybook boxes and the country's oldest continuously running puppet theater.
Wide open paths for bikes and scooters, with the container cranes right there across the water. Kids who like big machines will stand and watch.
Planetarium shows under a 241-seat dome, hands-on exhibits, and research telescopes open on clear evenings, up in the Oakland hills, with free covered parking.
California art, history and natural sciences under one roof, with touch-friendly areas for small kids and a garden that's free to enjoy.
Two playgrounds, green space to run or picnic on, and a lake for fishing and wading. Enough different things that mixed ages all get something.
Nature play for ages 2 to 5 inside the natural sciences gallery, included with museum admission, free for kids 12 and under.
A working food-sustainability project with room to play, where the growing is the point.
Four levels of playground with zip lines and look-out domes, a two-story ninja course, a bouldering wall that drops onto an air bag, and an arcade.
A hands-on art studio and gallery near 12th Street BART, open for drop-in on weekends.
A creekside neighborhood park with a playground and open lawn, easy to pair with a walk through the nearby village.
Indoor playground packed with inflatables, with open jump and preschool jump sessions for kids 34 inches and up.
150-foot coast redwoods along the Stream Trail, with a children's play structure about a quarter mile in.
A fenced tot lot with a gate that latches for toddlers, and the bigger helix-shaped climbers just outside it for school-age kids.
The country's oldest wildlife refuge, with a path all the way around, and Children's Fairyland and free gardens on its banks.
Thousands of roses, tall garden walls with flights of stairs, a cascading fountain kids can touch, and wild turkeys that live in the garden.
Historic planes, including a Short Solent flying boat you can tour and a replica of the Wright brothers' Vin Fiz, with open cockpit days.
Movie theater with its own café, so kids can eat a real meal during the film, and couches to sprawl on.
A playable video game museum with thousands of games on their original hardware, plus kids' classes.
An open-air garden of Mexican food and margaritas where kids are welcome, with room for them to move while you eat.
