Kid-friendly places in Sunnyvale

Tropical-themed Sunnyvale hotel with a pool, hot tub, and free daily continental breakfast.

Sunnyvale's nautical-themed neighborhood park: a ship-play structure little captains climb all over, plus open lawn and picnic spots in north Sunnyvale.

A Victorian-themed park with a big playground, a separate tot lot and picnic sites with power outlets. The gazebo and lawns are a birthday-party staple.

A Magical Bridge where wheelchair users and runners share the same swings, carousel, laser harp and water play. There's a two-story structure and quiet sensory nooks.

70 acres of parkland at the edge of the bay: playground, big picnic grounds, permanent restrooms, and Bay Trail levees where planes float into Moffett.

A recently rebuilt neighborhood park with a modern playground, a separate tot lot for under-5s and sports fields. Clean, new and rarely mobbed.

Moroccan-courtyard motel with a pool, spa, and free hot breakfast, consistently the top-rated budget stay in Sunnyvale.

Sunnyvale hotel with a heated pool, cabana seating, and a free full American breakfast.

Sunnyvale suite hotel with full kitchens and free hot breakfast, a base for Magical Bridge, with Fair Oaks park minutes away.

Hotel with a heated outdoor pool, connecting family rooms, and a family package with crafts, board games, milk and cookies and in-room camping.

The Peninsula breakfast-and-lunch institution (since 1974) where the kids' menu doubles as a coloring sheet and the coffee cake is famous.

50s-themed diner with jukebox vibes, milkshakes, and burgers: the nostalgia place where kids get a kick out of the decor and everyone leaves full.

Old-school Sunnyvale pizza parlor: big-screen sports, casual counter pizza for kids, and zero pretension, the post-soccer-game institution.

Separate spaces for 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, a rubber mound to climb and a water-play area.

Family-owned since 1986: healthy-ish American food, counter order, table delivery, and a pace that doesn't rush anyone.

Fast-casual Middle Eastern that kids actually eat: chicken shawarma, falafel, and rice plates at counter speed, on Mathilda.

The Murphy Avenue Middle Eastern favorite (grills, mezze, fresh bread) that handles families and big groups well, and is busy and buzzy.

Bombay street food in a space with an actual bus and car built inside the restaurant for kids to climb in.

Sunnyvale hotel with a shallow heated pool and one-bedroom suites with a separate sitting area.

The classic two-course mini-golf plus arcade on El Camino, running since the 1960s.

Premium Korean BBQ for a special occasion, where kids are mesmerized by the tabletop grill and staff actively help families cook.