Outings big kids (ages 5–10) actually get excited about
Once kids hit kindergarten, the bar changes: they want hands-on exhibits, hikes with a payoff, waves to run from and rides to beg for. These places get our top rating, 5 out of 5, for 5–10 year olds, from science centers to beaches to a once-a-year elephant seal walk.
Closest to the South Bay are The Tech Interactive in San Jose and the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. Worth the drive: the Exploratorium and California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Santa Cruz coast — Natural Bridges for tide pools, the Boardwalk for rides. From December to March, the guided walk to the elephant seals at Año Nuevo is unforgettable for kids who can handle 3 miles of sand.
- 28 places
- 9 free
- 24 stroller-friendly
- closest is 8 min away
28 places
Drive times from Sunnyvale
Mountain View Public Library
5.0Mountain View · 8 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot behind the library
Shoreline Park & Lake
5.0Mountain View · 12 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free large lots (by the boathouse and Rengstorff House)
Mitchell Park Library
5.0Palo Alto · 12 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free Mitchell Park lot
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
5.0Palo Alto · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free parking at Rinconada Park
The Tech Interactive
5.0San Jose · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Downtown garages about $10-20
Milpitas Library
5.0Milpitas · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free underground garage
CuriOdyssey
5.0San Mateo · 30 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: $6 Coyote Point entry fee; free parking in front of the museum
Coyote Point (Bay Beach + Magic Mountain Playground)
5.0San Mateo · 30 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: $6 entry fee
Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch
5.0Morgan Hill / South San Jose · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free field parking
Oakland Zoo
5.0Oakland · 40 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: $10 parking
Crab Cove (Alameda's Shallow Beach)
5.0Alameda · 40 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: $5 lot / free street parking nearby
Capitola Beach & Esplanade
5.0Capitola · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Paid street/lot parking, full by 10am on summer weekends; free summer shuttle
Natural Bridges State Beach
5.0Santa Cruz · 45 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: $10 state park lot; free street parking on Delaware / West Cliff
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk & Main Beach
5.0Santa Cruz · 45 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Boardwalk lot $20-40 in summer; free street parking farther out
Seabright State Beach
5.0Santa Cruz · 45 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free street parking on Seabright Ave / East Cliff, hard to find on summer weekends
Half Moon Bay State Beach (Francis Beach)
5.0Half Moon Bay · 45 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: $10 state park
Seacliff State Beach / Rio del Mar
5.0Aptos · 50 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: $10 Seacliff state lot; free street parking at Rio del Mar Esplanade
California Academy of Sciences
5.0San Francisco · 55 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Music Concourse underground garage about $6-8/hour; spots available if you go early
Lawrence Hall of Science
5.0Berkeley · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Garage at the entrance, $2/hour
Exploratorium
5.0San Francisco · 60 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Garages and meters along the Embarcadero near Pier 15, about $20-30
Crissy Field (Beach and Lawn Under the Golden Gate)
5.0San Francisco · 60 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free East Beach lot; you can usually find a spot on weekend mornings
SF Main Library (Fisher Children's Center)
5.0San Francisco · 60 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Civic Center garage, about $3-4/hour
Año Nuevo Elephant Seal Reserve
5.0Pescadero · 65 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: $10 parking
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
5.0Vallejo · 75 min drive
5 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: $30-40 parking
Dennis the Menace Playground
5.0Monterey · 75 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free parking along Lake El Estero
Monterey Bay Aquarium
5.0Monterey · 80 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Cannery Row garages about $20-30/day
Safari West (Jeep Safari)
5.0Santa Rosa · 110 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Free
California State Railroad Museum
5.0Sacramento · 120 min drive
3.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Old Sacramento garage about $2/hour
💡 Good to know
- The big museums are pricey; ask your library about free or discounted museum passes.
- Check the tide table before Natural Bridges or Crab Cove — low tide is when the tide pools and crabs show up.