20 Things To Do with Kids in San Francisco
With miles of green space, hands-on museums, and quirky shops and restaurants, the city has something for every age.
Internationally regarded for its hilltop beauty, charming architecture, and coveted dining scene, San Francisco also has the distinction of having the fewest children per capita of any major U.S. city. But don’t let the statistic fool you: If you know where to look, you’ll discover innumerable activities, attractions, and restaurants that are sure to delight all the kiddos in your group. Whether you’re visiting the city with a toddler, teen or both, here are the best kid-friendly spots in San Francisco.
Parks for Days
With its verdant gardens and picnic blanket-dotted lawns, you’d never guess that Presidio Tunnel Tops—opened in July 2022 and designed by one of the firms behind The High Line in New York—is literally built atop Highway 101. After enjoying the park’s knockout views of San Francisco Bay, meander down toward the waterfront, where you’ll discover the nature-themed Outpost play area, the largest playground in the city.
Salesforce Park is another urban oasis, with gardens set 70 feet in the air atop downtown’s Salesforce Transit Center. Amidst over five acres of greenery, kids will delight in a free gondola ride, an arts and craft station, and playing chicken with a fountain activated by passing buses.
Spanning over 1,000 acres, Golden Gate Park offers limitless diversions for kids. Families with younger children should make a beeline for the Koret Children’s Quarter, where kids can barrel down a cement slide on a cardboard sheet and ride an ornate ostrich at the 1914 Herschell-Spillman carousel. Or head to Blue Heron Lake to rent a boat and leisurely paddle alongside ducks and the 110-foot cascades of Huntington Falls.
Family-Friendly Museums
With hands-on arts and science exhibits and regular youth programming, San Francisco’s museums should be the first stop for curious kids. Start at the Exploratorium (from $29.95) where over 700 interactive, science-based displays fill a hangar-sized waterfront building. Kids can create a stop-motion animation, tinker and play with kinetic sculptures and circuit boards, and strike a wacky, silhouetted pose in the all-popular Shadow Box.
In Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences (from $39; children ages 2 and under free) transcends the traditional natural history museum with a four-story mist-filled rainforest, floor-to-ceiling aquariums that lend an underwater peek of the California coast, and a planetarium that transports viewers to the cosmos. Guests are welcome to bring their own food, but you’ll likely ditch the brown bag for the smorgasbord-style cafe, which serves everything from hoisin chicken bánh mìs to mac and cheese.
In the Presidio, the Walt Disney Family Museum (from $15; children ages 5 and under are free) may not have a flying Dumbo ride, but little ones won’t notice while they’re clanging instruments to score a classic Disney cartoon and gawking at a wondrous 12-foot-wide model of the Disneyland that Walt first envisioned.
Kids needn’t know a Haring from a Hockney to appreciate the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (from $23), whose seven floors of galleries offer plenty for families, including Olafur Eliasson’s prism-like color tunnel, a living wall comprised of over 19,000 plants, and monthly Second Sundays for Families events with kid-focused art programming. Plus, visitors 18 and under always get into this downtown museum for free.
A 15-minute stroll away, the architecturally striking, admission-free Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco is home to all-ages art activities inspired by the artwork on view.
And, while it’s located just outside of San Francisco, at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, the picturesque Bay Area Discovery Museum (from $15) is a must for younger kids. The sprawling indoor-outdoor space in Sausalito offers 7.5 acres of opportunities to bounce, drum, splash, craft, and dig for buried treasure.
Places to Play
A quarter’s throw from Golden Gate Park, Free Gold Watch buzzes and bleeps with retro arcade and pinball games, plus four different ways to win a prize plushie.
At the seaside Musée Mécanique, over 300 antique coin-operated machines enliven a Fisherman’s Wharf warehouse with humorous, animated displays and automated music boxes.
And over in the Mission, housed in a restored 1916 movie palace, the Alamo Drafthouse (from $11.75) pairs the latest blockbusters with bottomless popcorn and a menu of kids’ favorites, including lemon-pepper chicken tenders and pepperoni pizza delivered to your table-equipped seats. Discounted kid-friendly showtimes welcome families with a relaxed noise policy.
One-of-a-Kind Shops
In the Mission, stock up on peg legs and scurvy deterrents at 826 Valencia’s Pirate Supply Store, where the sales of tongue-in-cheek, seafaring items support author Dave Eggers’ nonprofit youth writing programs. Don’t leave without requesting a surprise “mopping” for an unsuspecting member of your group.
A few blocks away, the nostalgic team behind designer toy shop Super 7 mines the TV shows, movies, and music of their youth to produce action figures and apparel featuring characters such as Godzilla, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the members of Run DMC.
Beyond the Kids’ Menu
A happy child equals a happy family, especially around mealtime, and everyone gets what they want at Yank Sing, a dim sum mainstay where roaming carts tempt diners with dumplings, steamed buns, and custardy egg tarts.
In Japantown, Hikari Sushi Bar should delight any young railroad enthusiasts, as Cali rolls and chicken karaage are sped to your table via a miniature bullet train.
At PizzaHacker, you’ll hang with local families who pack the laid-back Bernal Heights eatery for blistered sourdough-crust pies and a giant chalkboard wall that’s bustling with doodling kids.
Restless eaters have room to roam at SPARK Social SF, a pet-friendly, outdoor food truck park lined with picnic tables, fire pits, and limitless food options. After a smashburger or bowl of ramen, head to Stagecoach Greens (from $13 for children ages 12 and under), a San Francisco-themed outdoor mini golf course across the street.
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