A big Walnut Creek park with two playgrounds, a duck pond, wide lawns and restrooms. Easy parking, and shade in the right spots.
Tot and big-kid playgrounds plus a gated spray ground with a small water slide and a lifeguard. Lindsay Wildlife Experience and the model railroad share the grounds.
Downtown Walnut Creek's playground: a train play structure, roller slide, climbing 'rocks', four baby swings, and a sand-and-water play area, steps from the library, Creek Walk, and Iron Horse Trail. The natural pairing with a downtown errands-and-lunch day.
26 quiet Northgate acres with dual playgrounds: a truck-shaped structure and twisty slide for littles, a roller slide and multilevel climber for big kids, plus an orchard 'jungle' trail behind it all that older kids turn into a fort-building adventure.
The toddler-and-preschool playground of Walnut Creek: small structures close together, shaded benches under three big oaks, and paved loops for trikes and scooters.
The fenced-in Walnut Creek playground for runners and toddlers: the whole play area is enclosed, mostly shaded, with a tot-safe structure, a two-story slide for bigger kids, a multi-seat teeter totter, and a 'secret caves' rock hill next door for young explorers.
Brewery with lots of picnic tables in a big blocked-off lot, food trucks on weekends, and Calicraft Upstairs, a rooftop bar.
VR escape rooms with themes from a pirate plague and ninja trials to a runaway Old West train and a dragon tower.
Wildlife hospital and museum with live owls, a porcupine, snakes and turtles, an interactive raptor exhibit and the Hive Alive bees.
Cacti and succulents from around the world, planted on an old orchard, with a children's tour book and garden bingo, and a nursery to take plants home from.
A big children's wing with its own patio, and a café in the building.
Plenty of family shows on the stage, the Summer Sounds concert series, and art exhibitions in the Bedford Gallery.
A mini-golf course in downtown Walnut Creek.
Year-round market on Locust Street with fresh fruit and vegetables, coffee and pastries, local vendors and live music.
The huge model railroad has thousands of feet of track and an hourly night scene show. Go on a public open house weekend.
