50 California family activities — theme parks, zoos, aquariums, children's museums, redwood walks, u-pick farms and free city playgrounds from San Diego to Sacramento, filtered by city and type.
This is brand-new — we are adding listings across California week by week. Know a great one (or run one yourself)? Tell us and we will add it.
Suggest a listing →Theme parks (Disneyland, LEGOLAND, Knott's, Universal), world-class zoos and aquariums (San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific), hands-on museums (Exploratorium, California Academy of Sciences, Kidspace) and outdoor icons like Muir Woods, Yosemite and Balboa Park. Each listing shows ages and a link to plan.
Griffith Observatory, Travel Town Museum, Berkeley's Adventure Playground, Golden Gate Park's Koret Children's Quarter, Balboa Park grounds and the Santa Monica Pier are free; California Science Center and the Getty have free admission; many museums run free days for kids.
Most families find ages 4–10 the sweet spot — tall enough for many rides and old enough to remember it. Under-3s are free but toddler-friendly rides are limited; LEGOLAND California and Children's Fairyland are gentler options for ages 2–7.