A super slide about 45 feet long set into the hillside, a shipwrecked boat to climb, a sand table with a water channel, and its own area for ages 2 to 5.
Thought to be the country's first public playground, with the old concrete slides, a wave-shaped climbing wall and a 1914 carousel of 62 painted animals.
Two acres of wood, stone and sand, with a giant fallen tree to explore inside, the Woodland Wall to climb and water features based on old water channels.
Built to feel like the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, with a wet sand sculpture, separate toddler and big-kid structures and a field for pickup games.
Fenced and on several levels under the trees, with a structure each for big and small kids, a sandbox and a peek at the Painted Ladies.
Conveyor-belt sushi that keeps toddlers through school-age kids watching the plates go by.
Ocean Beach restaurant with a kids' menu, a lawn out front, and room for strollers; lively and easy.
Café across from the park's playground and butterfly garden, with patio tables in sight of the play and room for strollers.
Two play areas popular with local daycares and school groups, a rec center running programs, and basketball and tennis courts.
Rainforest dome, planetarium, aquarium and a penguin colony under one Golden Gate Park roof. The one to spend a whole wet day in.
Wood sculptures line the little trails all around, with BART trains rolling past.
Calm Presidio restaurant with outdoor seating, best with preschool and school-age kids who can sit a while.
Colorful slides, swings and climbing ropes sit on top of a hill with picnic areas and one of the better views around.
Renovated playground beside a clubhouse with two Islamic tile murals by Laurey Finneran on its outside walls.
Dozens of picnic spots near McNab Lake, where you can watch ducks, plus a playground, tennis and basketball courts, a soccer pitch and two ball fields.
Separate play areas for tots and older kids, beside fields, courts and a library.
Logs, boulders, earth mounds and a willow hut make up most of this playground, with a fenced area for climbing, swinging and sliding.
Free parkland over the tunnels with the Outpost, a two-acre natural playground of slides, tunnels and a giant birds' nest built for two to twelve, with water features.
A two-level playground with colorful climbers, a big sandpit and a hardtop game area, beside a renovated rec center.
Fully renovated two-level playground with an indoor pool, two baseball diamonds and bocce in the same park.
A tree-lined oval garden with two fenced play areas, sand pits and climbing structures for small kids, and a hummingbird garden.
Nob Hill crepes with a kids' menu, high chairs, a changing table, and crayons.
A playground beside a ball field, basketball court and community garden, with room for a group of mixed ages.
A fenced playground with a ship for toddlers and a big slide for older kids, across from the Ferry Building.
Structures spanning toddler to school age, with bathrooms right there and the pool and tennis courts a short walk off; parking takes a little patience.
Free museum with live animals in their habitats, a model railroad, and hands-on labs and studios.
Up about five sets of stairs at the top of a terraced hill, a playground with a view across the city.
There is room to spread out here, with a little kids structure, tennis, a baseball diamond and a huge open play area.
An easy energy burn between museum stops, with blue play structures right near the big cultural attractions in the park.
Five lighted soccer fields, a skate park, bocce courts and a community garden, with a playground among them.
A gated play area on soft rubber flooring for young kids, a sandbox and bigger structures next to it, and a clubhouse with programs in several languages.
A pier full of things to pull, spin and stand inside. Nothing is behind glass, nobody minds the noise, and a five-year-old can lead the whole visit. Closed Mondays; Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday noon-5pm, with members and donors admitted from 10am; Thursday evenings 6-10pm are for adults 18 and up only.
Mission Thai with big shareable plates that work for preschoolers and older kids.
Sheltered sand play area, courts and picnic tables, and a clubhouse running tiny-tot classes, after-school programs and teen nights.
Ferry Building burgers and shakes with a kids' menu and outdoor tables by the bay.
A play structure next to full basketball and tennis courts, with blacktop for soccer and baseball and classes at the clubhouse.
A playground, tennis court, ball diamond and full basketball court, tucked along Euclid Avenue.
Two age zones make this easier with siblings, including a toddler area and a bigger climber with a long tunnel slide.
Boulders and wood to climb under eucalyptus and elm trees, and a sandbox with treasures built into it.
Usually a strong all ages option with separate play zones and a water feature, but the playground is closed for work through late November 2026.
A rec center playground, with ball fields, tennis and basketball for older siblings, and picnic tables.
Bright modern equipment, a huge sandbox, a merry-go-round and a fountain, with a wide lawn for picnics and Frisbee.
A neighborhood playground with a slide and open lawn, renamed to honor a grandmother and community advocate.
Coffman Pool sits on the grounds for swim lessons and Tiny Tots sessions, beside a sand-floor playground, ball fields and a clubhouse.
A sweet little playground with swings right beside the library, for when the kids need to move after story time.
Bright modern play structures work for both little kids and bigger ones, with tennis, basketball and picnic tables nearby.
Wide, quiet galleries near Civic Center. Doable as one floor and out again, and there is room to push a stroller through every room.
Free, and fun for machine-obsessed kids: you can watch the giant wheels pulling the real cables under the streets.
Studios in Yerba Buena Gardens where kids make claymation, music and art with their hands. Built for ages 2 to 12, and the old carousel is right outside.
Lively Richmond dim sum and hot pot with room for strollers; small plates keep every age fed.
Lively Wharf sundae stop with outdoor seating and room for strollers; every age gets a scoop.
Small and relaxed, with a playground, basketball court, lawn, benches and barbecue grills.
A hilltop playground with multiple slides and little ride on cars, plus big views and the famously twisty street next door.
There are play structures for both little kids and bigger ones, plus a hillside slide and picnic tables close by.
A busy neighborhood playground beside the city's outdoor public pool, with basketball, tennis and lots of room for active kids.
The slide is the whole attraction here, good for a short burst of play, with wheelchair-accessible toilets on site.
Fully remodeled playground with soft rubber flooring next to a turf field, and after-school and sports programs at the clubhouse.
Outer Sunset Mexican with a changing table and room for strollers.
The play garden is part of a six block greenway with fruit trees, public art and gardens.
Dim sum carts that keep babies through school-age kids busy; room for strollers.
A neighborhood rec center playground with ball fields and an indoor kids activity space when the weather turns.
A simple play stop beside an athletic field, outdoor fitness equipment and picnic space.
Indian kitchen on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond with a changing table and room for strollers.
Trails through cypress and eucalyptus along the cliffs, down to the ruins of Sutro Baths, with the Golden Gate in view and old shipwrecks below.
A renovated tot playground beside a community garden, sized for younger kids who don't need a huge structure.
A free room at the wharf packed with working penny arcade machines, from a hand-cranked carnival to old strength testers.
Three floors of art and history off Yerba Buena Gardens. Compact, calm, and stronger with school-age kids than with toddlers.
Food-truck yard with open turf for younger kids to run about while you eat, and a mini golf course for older ones.
Three quiet acres of green ringed by huge eucalyptus trees, with a playground, near Stonestown.
A big fenced playground with towers, climbing routes and a long tube slide. The rec center and bathrooms are up the hill.
A market hall of food stalls with the ferries going out the back. Good for grazing lunch with kids, and the Saturday farmers' market spills onto the plaza.
Mission Bay food-truck park with lawn games and room for strollers; every age finds something.
A full rec center stop with a children's play area, tennis, basketball, a baseball field and bathrooms close by.
A small aquarium at the foot of Pier 39 where glass tunnels put sharks and rays overhead. About an hour with little kids, and the sea lions are just outside.
A little playground with one slide and a full basketball court, plus benches and trees around the edges.
A freshly redone little park with a play area, basketball court and picnic space, easy for a short neighborhood outing.
A free art-deco building shaped like a ship at the end of Aquatic Park, with WPA murals inside and sand right outside the door.
Seven floors of modern and contemporary art, far more than a kid will finish; pick two floors and go. Tickets required, and strollers roll through fine.
A free single room opposite the Ferry Building with a streetcar cab kids can sit in and work the controls, right on the F line.
Taqueria with high chairs and room for strollers.
Inner Sunset Tartine with a changing table and stroller room.
Belgian bakery with a changing table and room for strollers.
Outer Sunset coffee stop with room for strollers and a quick pastry before the beach.
Original comic strip and animation art in one small gallery near the wharf. Quick to walk, and a fair trade for a kid who draws.
A contemporary art space inside the art college, with shows that change and talks for grown-ups; strollers get in, but nothing here is built for kids.
One-floor Chinatown museum in a Julia Morgan building. Small enough for a rainy half hour, and better with school-age kids than toddlers.
A small museum about Beats, hippies, protest movements and music, right where that history actually happened.
Sunset District Italian with room for strollers and a family crowd most evenings.
A brick fort tucked directly under the Golden Gate Bridge. Free, echoing spiral staircases, cannons to climb near, and the bridge roaring overhead.
There is no permanent museum building now. Exhibitions pop up in changing spaces around the Bay Area.
Small arcade of Japanese claw machines and rhythm games. Cheap, indoors, and a reliable twenty minutes when the weather turns.
Mediterranean on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond with high chairs and room for strollers.
Bowling alley off Union Square with bumpers and light lane food.
Oddities and optical tricks along the wharf. Pricey for what it is, but it holds a school-age kid for an hour on a wet afternoon.
A free gondola up to the rooftop park three stories above the street.
Team virtual reality in a booked room with full body tracking. There's a minimum age, so it's a big-kid outing.
A small contemporary gallery with rotating shows and a real youth arts program, best for older kids who already like art.
Big, bright Mission bakery-restaurant with stroller room and plenty of space.
The story of how the films got made, in a Presidio barracks, with early drawings, the multiplane camera and a model of Disneyland as first imagined.
The pointed tower on the skyline. The redwood grove and fountain in the park beside it are the part worth stopping at with kids.
Mission bakery with room for strollers; a morning bun makes the line worth it.
Neighborhood coffee roaster with space for strollers and a relaxed morning crowd.
Divisadero seafood bar that welcomes strollers; better for calm eaters than for wigglers.
The 1.7 mile bridge that opened in 1937, with a free walkway on the east sidewalk and a vista point at either end.
Modern art museum that is free for kids 18 and under, with a free education center on the second floor and hands-on activities in the Co-Lab.
Tea shop with room for strollers and a quick treat for older kids.
