Museums or Places of Interest /Activities SF East Bay

Don't forget about Children's Fairyland in Oakland. There is one add ission price and then the rides and shows are free. Also Happy Hollow in San Jose is supposed to be a lot of fun, although I haven't been there in years.

I was also going to recommend Tilden Park and the Lindsay Wildlife museum but see that was done below.

The drive in movie theater in Concord can also be a lot of fun.

Chabot Space and Science is in Oakland. You could get an annual pass for that and Oakland Zoo. Worth every penny and you might save right away.

A client just brought me some brochures so I'll pass on the info:

Tilden Park - has Lake Anza; Merry-Go-Round; Botanic Garden; miniature steam passenger railway; Little Farm with domestic farm animals; hiking and bike riding trails.

California State Railroad Museum - Sacramento

Marine Mammal Center - Sausalito

Marin Headlands - horse stables; picnic area; fishing; Point Bonita Lighthouse

Oakland zoo

Nut Tree Amusement Park

Walk across Carquinez Bridge

I just finished seeing a special on the life of Walt Disney. There is a Disney Musweum in San Fran. It is supposed to be kid friendly, but I haven't been there yet so I cannot tell you from my experience, just from what I saw on the special.

In San Diego there is a kid oriented science museum. My grandkids have a blast. They can toush and push and marvel at all kinds of things. From what I remember they have another one in San Fran area.

You can always take your kids on a cable car ride down to the Girridelli chocolate factory. Have an ice cream cone and return.

Good luck to you and yours.

Here are a few more ideas.
- Stockton Children's Museum has a fire engine, helicopter, police car and lots of other things for kids to play on. Check their website
- Sacramento Zoo
- Riding BART somewhere
- Winchester Mystery House in San Jose
- Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Factory in Santa Rosa
- Drive to Brentwood and pick your own fruit. Great peaches, corn and cherries.
- IMAX theater in Pleasanton
- Del Valle Lake in Livermore
- Ride bikes at Stanford University
- Point Reyes Lighthouse
- Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield has free tours and samples
- Mount Diablo in Danville

I live in a different part of the East (Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Concord area) but these are some of the things I used to do with my son when he was younger: *Lindsey Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. There is a nice park there also. *Martinez Train Station where you can go up to the counter and ask for a free paper hat. My son and I use to sit there for awhile and watch the trains go by. Right across the street is the Martinez Marina which has a park & pier that can fish off of or just walk down. *Buchannon Airport in Concord. It has a sitting area that you can watch the small planes take off and land from; you can even hear the guys in the control tower. There is a small unused terminal that has a bathroom in it. *Prueitt Water Park in Antioch. Love it there! It is geared towards little ones; nothing like big water parks. Crab Cove in Alameda. There is a info building that has slide shows and such of underwater life. When the tide goes out you can turn the small rocks over and find baby crabs. I would let him 'catch and release' them. *Pixie land in Concord. Small amusement park with rides for smaller kids. I saw that someone suggested Nut Tree amusement park in Vacaville; I am 99% sure it has closed down.

there's the exploratorium in S.F. that place is a blast! I'm not sure if that's east bay or not! of course the wharf, china town, riding cable cars, all that SF stuff is available. there's also the museum of natural history thats fairly close to the exploratorium, they have a cool alligator pit (or they did, havent been in years). just google exploratorium and see if it's something you'd enjoy.

The CA Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Red/White Fleet or Blue/Gold Fleet boat cruises around the bay. The Exploratorium, the Golden Gate Bridge and walking across. Those are just a few off the top of my head. So many funs things to do in SF!