Things to See and Do in San Francisco with Kids
A trip to San Francisco with your kids can be lots of fun. San Francisco is a small city, yet it features a big variety of fun activities for the whole family.
Take a visit to the Golden State Park where the attractions are endless, or go for a stroll on Fisherman’s Wharf and enjoys some of the many kid-friendly attractions and tours. Take a ride on the iconic San Francisco trolley cars and let your kids be entertained by the many street performers.
Golden Gate Park
One of the most popular attractions in San Francisco is the Golden Gate Park. This is not just an ordinary park — Golden Gate Park boasts two museums, a Japanese Tea Garden, a merry-go-round, beautiful gardens, windmills, a children’s playground, picnic areas and several lakes.
Each of the museums at Golden Gate Park features different types of exhibits:
The California Academy of Sciences offers educational tours and exhibits on all living life from marine mammals to rainforest creatures. It’s an “aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum” all under one roof.
The De Young Museum is an art museum that focuses on artwork not on display at any other location.
For lunch, you can have a picnic on the park grounds. There are also several trails available for climbing and viewing the sites from above.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is a fun area to visit with kids as well. There are so many tours and things to do in this popular tourist spot.
Your family can explore submarines and view old World War II ships in this area- what a great way to incorporate some history lessons into your family’s trip.
Pier 39 features many kid-friendly attractions, such as Aquarium of the Bay, Musical Stairs, Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze, a carousel, sea lions, street performers, musicians and more.
You can also book many tours through Pier 39, including whale watching boat tours, bay cruise sightseeing tours and double decker bus city sightseeing tours. There’s also a 90 minute Escape from the Rock trip around Alcatraz Island that is only recommended for older kids as the trip can be quite long and the stories a bit frightening for the young ones.
Also along Fisherman’s Wharf is the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum which offers life-like wax replicas of many famous people. Kids will love posing for selfies with their favourite actors and musicians.
You can also enjoy take a ride on the world-famous trolley cars, enjoy some delicious seafood and be entertained by street performers while visiting Fisherman’s Wharf.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
If you have children who enjoy odd or weird encounters, a visit to Ripley’s Believe It or Not San Francisco can be very entertaining. Ripley’s Believe It or Not offers many attractions which they claim offer facts that are stranger than fiction.
In the Odditarium you will find exhibits such as a cat with bionic legs that grew through the skin after a dramatic rescue attempt, a spaceship build out of matchsticks and a life size replica of the world’s tallest man.
There’s also a mirror maze and a laser beam race challenge. With over 10,000 square feet of fun, you and your kids are bound to have a blast!
In addition, there are several shopping districts in which you can have fun as a family and visit some local eateries.
There are so many kid-friendly things to see and do in San Francisco. This is definitely a fantastic destination for a fun and interesting family trip!
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