San Francisco, California is a place you can easily fall in love with at first glance. This first-rate destination is home to a huge number of expatriates who couldn’t resist the city’s charming Victorian houses, beaches, shopping centers, business district, and entertainment hubs. One might be overwhelmed with all the possible activities you can do over the weekend or during the holidays. Likewise, if you have kids with you, there really is no reason to fret as San Francisco has everything your kids would want. From unique adventure places to parks and edutainment centers, San Francisco is one huge paradise for the children. Plus, transportation here is so accessible that you won’t have a problem going to a certain attraction. Come with us, as we run down the most recommended things to do in San Francisco with kids.
Cost: $17.95 to $27.95
We know you’ve been expecting to see an aquarium on this list, so here we go. Actually, this is really our most recommended activity for the young ones in San Francisco. The Aquarium of the Bay in Pier 39 is an interesting place to allow the kids to explore life in the ocean. In this aquarium, kids can encounter more than 20,000 marine creatures, including the large Pacific octopus, jellyfish, rays, sharks, and river otters. Another activity the kids would love inside the Aquarium of the Pacific is the chance to touch sea creatures, such as a baby shark, a sting ray, and a starfish. A few hours inside this aquarium will keep your kids in a jolly mood for the rest of the day.
Cost: $19 to $21
Another activity in San Francisco sure to make the kids cheer up is jumping at the trampolines in the House of Air. Located in San Francisco’s Crissy Field, this indoor park boasts of huge trampolines for the kids and teens to jump as long as they want. The House of Air is situated in a converted airplane hangar and has high ceilings. There is also a trampoline dodgeball court, a rock climbing area, foam pits, and even a mini trampoline area for the little ones. For sure, the kids will be exhausted after a fun adrenaline-pumping adventure at the House of Air.
Cost: $19.95 to $29.95
If you rather have a productive day out with the kids, take them somewhere to give them new knowledge, such as to the Exploratorium. An educational museum suitable for kids of all ages, the Exploratorium features hands-on and interactive exhibits to make the students learn concepts, particularly in the field of science and technology. Inside the Exploratorium, kids can take on a journey of discovery and awe as they are treated to various experiences, including but not limited to learning how electricity works, what causes an earthquake, how to check weather patterns and temperatures from all parts of the globe, what it feels inside a tornado, and how to count the rings of an old tree. The kids also have the chance to build and create things, like a bridge or an electric circuit. They can also enjoy exploring all about optical illusions, workings of a clock, and pinball machines. Scientific experiments, multimedia presentations, awesome experiences, artworks, and baffling scientific displays – these are just few of the treats waiting for your kids inside the Exploratorium. What are you waiting for?
Cost: $6 to $12
Technology often leaves us in awe of the magical adventures it can let us experience. At the 7D Experience located at Pier 39 in San Francisco, you and the kids will be treated to a unique and fun-filled activity. The 7D Experience consists of two parts. For the initial part of the experience, you will find yourself strapped into a seat which moves in accordance to the video game you will be playing. During the experience, you can use your laser gun to score points. Your family can play as a team or individually. Your kids really have to try the 7D Experience to understand why we’ve put this on our list.
Cost: $12.95
Another edutainment adventure you can take the kids to in San Francisco is a visit to the Children’s Creativity Museum. Similar with the Exploratorium, this museum features hands-on activities for the children. Inside the museum, your kids can allow their imaginations to go free as they are treated to a bunch of motion animations, musical paraphernalia, and invention spaces. You’ll be surprised at how far and wide a kid’s imagination can reach. At the Children’s Creativity Museum, the kids can invent a new machine, create their own clay characters and animate them, pretend to sing in front of a global audience, learn how to code, make robots solve puzzles, or act in their own music video. In essence, the Children’s Creativity Museum is the perfect avenue for kids to discover their skills to create and imagine.
Last one on our list is a woodworking experience at the Butterfly Joint. This activity is best for kids from ages 2 and above. At the Butterfly Joint, kids can learn all about woodworking and design. They will be taught how to work with clocks, name boards, tables, stools, wooden spoons, keepsake boxes, and other stuff. It’ll be a lot of fun, and kids can take pride in something they have meticulously created.
Cost: $14 to $20
If you think you won’t see a zoo in this list, you have to think again. Who doesn’t include a trip to the zoo in kiddie adventures anyway? In San Francisco, a zoo you can visit with the children is the SF Zoo which has more than 2,000 animals of about 250 different species. Kids can see a snow leopard, a black rhinoceros, polar bears, penguins, tigers, gorillas, and giraffes, among others. With 100 acres of space, the San Francisco Zoo features seven different animal exhibits: South America, Exploration Zone, African Region, Cat Kingdom, Primate Discovery Center, Outback Trail, and the Bear Country. Kids can even touch some animals. Moreover, they can ride the carousel and the little puffer steam train while listening to animal stories. Likewise, you can chance upon the feeding schedule of animals, like sea lions, penguins, giraffes, and grizzly bears. You can visit the San Francisco Zoo at any day of the week, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. starting mid-March to October, and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from November to mid-March.
Cost: $29.95 to $39.95
Another must-visit museum in San Francisco is the California Academy of Sciences. Beautifully engineered and designed, this museum features stunning planetariums, rainforests, and an aquarium. Inside the California Academy of Sciences, kids can walk through the four-story Osher Rainforest, watch lovely butterflies, see a show at the Morrison Planetarium, check out the exhibits at the Kimball Natural History Museum, and be captivated with marine life at the Steinhart Aquarium. The California Academy of Sciences is open daily, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays until Saturdays, and from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.
An interactive art and immersive entertainment venue in San Francisco where you have to take your kids, Onedome features a unique experience of witnessing the integration of art and technology within a 20,000-square feet space. Onedome has two immersive locations: the Unreal Garden and LMNL. The Unreal Garden (as shown in the photo above) will let you into a mixed reality art experience. This is where kids can see plants, rocks, rivers, and waterfalls come to life through augmented reality and projections. The LMNL, on the other hand, provides you and the kids a fascinating immersive adventure beyond the limits of the imagination. There are 14 interactive rooms and installations at the LMNL to satisfy your sense of wonder and curiosities. The Onedome is open daily, from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Mondays until Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, and 10:00 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, and from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Cost: Free
Did you know that the well-loved fortune cookies did not originate in China? It actually came from the US. If you want to treat the kids to see how these cookies are made, take them to Chinatown in San Francisco and look for the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory just off jackson Street. They do not charge an entrance fee, except if you’re going to take photos inside ($1 charge). They will welcome you warmly inside the factory and even give you a complimentary cookie upon leaving. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is open daily, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Did we miss other adventures you think are interesting for kids in San Francisco? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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