Family Activities in San Francisco
San Francisco is filled to the brim with educational, exciting and unique activities for the entire family.
Low Budget Fun: As any kid can tell you, some of the most memorable vacation activities cost very little money. When well armed with information, any San Francisco visitor can find plenty of low-budget ways to entertain kids and parents alike.
The best place to start is Golden Gate Park, San Francisco’s largest park area. The park’s main road, Kennedy Drive, is closed off to traffic every Sunday to allow a safe, open space for bikes, rollerblades or scooters. Bring the family’s gear along and enjoy the fresh park air and beautiful scenery as you get some exercise. Stow Lake in the park is also a great spot for kids, with pedal boats and canoes, as well as plenty of ducks to feed.
Another pocket of the park holds the newly improved Koret Children’s Quarter, a giant playground that was once known as the Children’s Playground. Tucked away in a hidden meadow, the playground features inventive play equipment as well as the famous cement slides, which are ridden using scraps of cardboard boxes.
Another completely free and active event is the iconic walk across Golden Gate Bridge, one of the city’s most famous landmarks. Bikers and pedestrians are allowed on the bridge walkways, but be sure to check in to see opening and closing hours. There are several bike rental companies that operate out of the Fisherman’s Wharf area that allow you to take the bikes across the bridge and into Marin County, where there are several beautiful roads and small, quaint towns.
Mid-Priced Adventures: Many of the city’s museums and educational activities are aware of kid-conscious budgets and offer reasonable fees. The newly opened Academy of Sciences, also in Golden Gate Park, is the city’s hottest attraction right now. After years of renovations and expansions, the museum is now home to jaw-dropping rainforest exhibits, scores of cute penguins and other amazing sights. While adults have to pay $24 for entry, kids under six get in free, and the academy offers student discounts as well.
Another longtime favorite is the Exploratorium, located in the heart of the Marina district at the Palace of Fine Arts. The learning center gives kids a hands-on, unorthodox education in the way science works. Those who like to plan ahead should schedule an appointment at the Tactile Dome, where kids and adults work their way through a maze in complete darkness, relying on their senses of touch.
Fun Splurges: For many, a trip to San Francisco is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so it’s worth it to drop some extra money on truly exciting activities. Alcatraz Island, one of San Francisco’s icons, offers tours of its historic prison. Creepy and educational at the same time, the tour is great when led by a tour guide or with the audio tour option, which offers scary sound effects and fascinating interviews. For the truly brave-hearted, there are also nighttime tours. The tickets run between $16 and $24, but there are family discounts available for most tours.
For a way to see the sights of the city and give the old feet a rest, there are Go Cars, tiny yellow cars for two that zip around San Francisco’s most famous sights, from the Presidio to Lombard, the world’s most crooked street. Kids and parents alike will have a blast strapping on the silly helmets and blasting music from the built-in CD player as the audio tour guide leads them. The tours start at $46 for the first hour.