Golden Gate Park With Kids, San Francisco, California

San Francisco's Golden Gate park is an obvious destination if you are visiting San Francisco with kids. The park's large size might seem intimidating at first, but most of the kid-focused activities are close together, and the park is easily reachable by bus or muni train.

California Academy of Sciences

Address 55 Music Concourse Drive San Francisco, CA 94118 Map, Tel 415 379 8000 Call, Website

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De Young Art Museum (Fine Arts Museum)

Address 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco Map, Tel 415.750.3600 Call, Cost Adults $10; Ages 13–17 $6; 12 & under Free. Special exhibition surcharges may apply., Hours Tu-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm; Fri until 8:45 p.m., Tickets Reserve Online to beat the lines. Service fee charged., CityPass Included in City Pass Tickets Website

The de Young museum of Fine Arts has made a special effort to make art fun for families visiting with kids. There are special family tours on weekends, drop in art classes on Saturdays, and the opportunity to visit a working artists studio inside the museum. The collection itself is kid friendly too, with kids educational materials available at the information desk. For more information, visit the de Young Guide for Visiting Families more

Japanese Tea Garden

Address Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco CA 94118 Map, Tel (415) 752-1171 Call, Open Daily

The admission charge ($5 for adults, $1.50 for kids 5+) might seem steep when there is so much green space around the Japanese Garden, but this is really a lovely place to visit with children. The garden features beautiful plants, bridges (trust me your kids will love crossing them) and koi filled ponds. more

Golden Gate Park Carousel

Address 320 Bowling Green Drive, San Francisco Map, Tel (415) 831-2770. Call, Cost Adults $1.50, Ages 6-12 $.50, Ages 5 and under free if accompanied by a paying adult., Hours Change seasonally, call for details. Currently Fri-Sun 10am-4:30pm Website

There's been a carousel in Golden Gate Park since 1888, and as you might expect, this one is beautiful. more

Koret Children’s Quarter Playground

Address 320 Bowling Green Drive, San Francisco, CA 94199 Map, Directions Follow the signs to the Carousel. You'll find the Koret Children's Quarter behind the Sharon Building

This huge playground, reopened in 2007 after extensive renovation, is a child's dream. Besides the usual climbing structures, there's a lounge swing, a sand area and "river" (to make wet sand), huge concrete slides, and a huge rope tower for climbing. more

Park Chow

Address 1240 9th Ave, San Francisco CA 94122 Map, Tel 415.65.9912 Call, Hours Sun-Thu 8am-10pm; Fri-Sat 8am-11pm, Streetcar N Judah Streetcar drops you half a block away at 9th and Irving, Locations There are also locations in San Francisco's Castro District and Lafayette Website

Steps away from Golden Gate Park's museums, Chow serves comfort foods that reflect San Francisco's traditions. The menu reflects San Francisco's Italian and Asian communities, and features fresh, organic, healthy ingredients. Expect to find dishes like Spaghetti and Meatballs alongside Smiling Noodles of Chicken and Prawns. A kids menu is available. more

Misdirections Magic Shop

Address 1236 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122 Map, Tel (415) 566-2180 Call, Website

This magic shop caters to professional magicians, and you will find everything for amateurs and pros as well as books, dvds and more. more

Arizmendi Bakery

Address 1331 9th Ave, (between Irving St & Judah St), San Francisco, CA 94122 Map, Tel (415) 566-3117 Call, Payment Cash Only Website

Arizmendi bakery's fresh baked breads are by some accounts the best in the city. The fresh made pizzas and foccacia make a great to-go lunch to bring into Golden Gate Park with you (and we are head over heels in love with the sourdough crust). High quality cheese, yogurt, and extra long breadsticks (perfect for teething babies) are also available. more