We’ve been up to San Francisco with kids many times and each time we’ve been successful with doing something different to change things up.
Coit Tower
Let’s start things off with a climb. Coit Tower stands 13 stories tall on top of Telegraph Hill. If you’re like us and planning to walk up, the base of Coit Tower will feel like the halfway point. Getting to the base is free and will already afford you pretty decent views of the bay. If you want to go up further, expect to pay $10/adult or up to $7/child.
Your visit starts off at the base, where you’ll find nice murals and art. Just around the corner from here is where you’ll pay if you want to go up. Inside is a narrow staircase that spirals up to the top. The elevator wasn’t operational on our visit, so consider it unreliable.
The views of the city (and specifically the San Francisco Bay) are nice. In particular, the kids enjoyed looking around at Alcatraz in the distance. That spawned all sorts of questions about prisons.
According to Alex, who counted the steps we took up from Montgomery St. and both up and down Coit Tower, he counted a total of 1,000 steps. I didn’t make the effort to validate his count (and I certainly wasn’t looking to do it again). But he seemed pretty proud of it.
Joe DiMaggio Playground Park
From Coit Tower, we walked over to Joe DiMaggio Playground Park, which was a fairly simple walk downhill for about 10 minutes.
Quite simply, this is an excellent park in the middle of the city. It’s a nice, safe and protected area for kids to play. There’s a pretty fun play structure at the top.
From there, two long slides lead down to a giant jungle gym.
The park extends further than that in the other direction with a plenty of motion toys that will get kids dizzy.
And plenty of swings with ample room to run around.
If you have some extra time to kill, the park is immediately adjacent to the San Francisco Public Library. Give a hoot! Read a book.
Portsmouth Square (Chinatown)
If you’re in the mood for a playground in a different part of town, there is one at Portsmouth Square in Chinatown. This one is much smaller than at Joe DiMaggio, but still is plenty to entertain the kids if you need a pitstop. There’s an area at the top of the steps for bigger kids.
And there is a smaller area for smaller children too.
Despite it being a smaller park, it was a good stop for us for about 20 minutes. If you happen to be eating dinner in the area, it offers the kids a chance to work off their energy after the meal ends.
The Presidio National Park
The Presidio is an expansive area to the northwest that has a playground, nature center, hotels and camping, restaurants, and a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re looking to come here via public transportation, your best options are to take the bus or ride the free Presidio GO shuttle.
There are plenty of maps found around the area that will assist you with finding where you want to go.
One fun thing that the kids loved seeing is a statue of Yoda on top of a fountain. If you want to also find the statue, it’s right in front of the Letterman Center’s Building B by Letterman Drive.
Presidio Tunnel Tops
If the kids want to go to the playground or see the Golden Gate Bridge, head over to the Presidio Tunnel Tops. It’s an outdoor area that’s worth an afternoon visit (though there isn’t much shade in the play area).
Once in the area, you’ll easily find the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Head further along the path and you’ll find a fun outdoor playground.
There’s plenty of stuff to do, including some water toys like the one Char is demonstrating below. The water goes into the sand, making mud, so kids might get a little dirty from it. You could consider bringing a change of clothes if your kids like to get messy.
Aside from that, expect plenty of outdoor structures to climb, like this log cabin (?) that Alex is demonstrating.
Your kids could also pretend they’re king of the hill by scaling these vertically-placed logs.
Nature Center
Also within the Presidio Tunnel Tops is the Nature Center. There are plenty of helpful employees and fun activities just inside those doors.
More specifically, you’ll find plenty of information on the area, like this pelt of coyotes that once called the area home. The kids were astonished at how soft their fur can be.
There’s also a large map showcasing the terrain, with plenty of information and a magnifying glass to help the discovery.
If your child (or you) are into reading and discovery, it’s easy to get lost in here. There are plenty of chances to read up on the area, including a mini library (not pictured). We didn’t have enough time to fully explore it. Maybe next time!
If you’re a local, you can also get an adventure passport by stopping by this area. It’s listed as a thing for locals but no one checks for proof. Instead, it’s merely intended for locals because it can’t be done in a day. I suppose if you’re staying at the Presidio and will be here often, it might also work for you.
The passport is essentially a large scavenger hunt. If you’ve done geocaching, this is pretty much the same thing. There are some hidden items around the Presidio that you need to track down. This is why it’s going to take some time to do it.
There’s a map that gives a general idea of where to find the answers. The packet also has some clues inside to guide you along your way.
California Academy of Science
I took the kids to the California Academy of Science one day while Jenn worked in the hotel. The museum is open daily from 9:30AM (except Sundays when it opens at 11AM) until 5PM. Tickets cost $49/adult and up to $45/child. We came here taking the bus, but there is free street parking if you come by car.
Once inside, you’ll find all sorts of areas, including a planetarium, an aquarium, and an earthquake simulator, among other things.
The aquarium is downstairs and has plenty of exhibits and fish. It’s good enough as an aquarium on its own, so in some ways you can think of the price of admission as covering both an interactive museum and an aquarium.
On the main level, the kids spent a lot of time exploring the interactive exhibits. Their favorite was the earthquake simulator and walking through the dense fog–both things that come to mind when you think of San Francisco.
On top of that, there are live shows you can watch, like this interactive story about a dinosaur. The speaker provided a scenario for the kids to ponder (like if the dinosaur should eat the mysterious plant it found). The crowd then shouted out an answer, which affected how the story progressed. That’s a much more interesting way to tell a story than to just repeat out the same story every time.
The kids also got some outdoors time. There are some structures and exhibits for them to explore outside, but our kids decided to hang out by some statues.
We enjoyed our visit and would absolutely consider coming back. The price can be on the higher side, but if you’re staying at a hotel that reduces the cost, it’s an extra bonus.
Riding the cable cars
One of the more iconic symbols of San Francisco is the cable car. There are three routes to consider, but lines can be quite lengthy for those that touch Powell. I find that’s because the Powell/Market intersection is full of people from the nearby BART station and it heads towards the Fisherman’s Wharf area. If you just want to get on it without too much delay, the California Street cable car is likely the best option. Single rides will cost $9/passenger.
The kids enjoyed being on the cable car, though the Powell-Mason line was pretty darn crowded. If you don’t mind standing, you might have a faster time getting on at the first stop, right by the Westin St. Francis.
Don’t forget there’s also a cable car museum, which is totally free to visit. You’ll find it at the corner of Washington and Mason, which is about halfway through the Powell-Mason line. If you want to see the history of the cable cars and perhaps don’t want to wait in line to ride the cable car, come here instead.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Another classic option is to come visit Fisherman’s Wharf. But be advised: it has a very touristy vibe to it. As such, it’s good to come by here if you want to live out your SF tourist fantasies and see the same sights that everyone sees. You’ll be able to see Alcatraz easily from the area.
And you’ll see–and hear–the famous sealions lounging around and fighting for a spot to sunbathe.
Boudin is an institution up here (along with Ghirardelli). There is a window where you can see bakers shaping loaves of bread into creative designs like these turtles. You can either buy them from the store or dine in their restaurant. (Boudin does have locations throughout California so that might be a better option for you if you want to avoid the lines here.)
And we caved to our kids’ demands for ice cream. Just be aware that this particular location had the most expensive ice cream I can recall seeing at the time. I don’t have the exact price, but I remember it being about triple what I would normally think is reasonable for ice cream. Yes, the cost of living is higher up in SF and this is a touristy area, so that puts upward pressure on the price. And it wasn’t a great feeling that Char dropped her ice cream right after taking this picture.
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is another fun activity in San Francisco with kids. If you’re over in the Fisherman’s Wharf area, just head along the water to Pier 15 to find this fun science museum. Tickets will cost you $39.95/adult and $29.95/child.
I thought I had taken photos of our time inside the Exploratorium but naturally I seem to have misplaced them. If you’re a fan of science museums, there’s a lot to like here at the Exploratorium. Most of the exhibits are indoors, but there is a small outdoor section as well. Our kids are as nerdy as we are, so they enjoy trying to learn the science behind each of the exhibits. Thankfully, there are plenty of descriptions available to help them comprehend.
We’ll have to come back here at some time to get proper photos of the exhibits inside.
For ideas on places to stay in San Francisco (or Oakland right across the bay), check out our reviews of the following hotels:
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