Things to Do in San Francisco with Kids: 10 Plans, and the Monday Trap

San Francisco packs museums, parks, waterfront and playgrounds into a compact footprint that families can cover without a car. The mix of science, nature and hands-on making is hard to match on the West Coast.

But there is a planning problem most guides do not mention. Monday is the worst day of the week for young children in San Francisco. The Exploratorium, the Randall Museum, the Cable Car Museum and the Children's Creativity Museum are all closed on Mondays. The Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito is closed on Mondays too during the school year. If your day here lands on a Monday, your fallbacks are the California Academy of Sciences, the San Francisco Zoo and the Presidio Tunnel Tops.

This guide covers ten things to do in San Francisco with kids, what works at each age, and the practical details that matter when you are pushing a stroller up a hill or standing outside a locked door.

Hours, prices and closed days change. Check each website the morning of your visit.

How We Chose These

• Age appropriateness. Plenty of attractions say "all ages" and do not actually hold a two-year-old. Where age restrictions exist, they are stated.
• Weather independence. Fog can roll in during any month. Indoor options matter here more than most cities.
• Duration. Some fill a full day, some fill 90 minutes. Both are useful if you plan around them.
• Stroller and access. Steep hills, broken elevators and narrow cable car doors are real problems, so they are noted.
• Cost. Several of the best options here are free, and they are not consolation prizes.

The Ten

1. California Academy of Sciences

An aquarium, a four-storey rainforest dome, a planetarium and a natural history museum under one living roof in Golden Gate Park. It is open daily, including Mondays, which makes it the most reliable bad-weather and bad-timing destination in the city.

• Best for: Ages 3 and up. Three to five hours.
• The detail that matters: the Morrison Planetarium does not admit children under 4 at all, and shows may not suit under-sevens. Passes are first come, so collect one on arrival rather than after lunch.
• Cost: There is a discount for arriving on foot, by bike or by transit, and free admission is available through Discover and Go library passes at many Bay Area libraries. It is the most expensive ticket in this guide otherwise.
• Hours: Sunday opens at 11 a.m. rather than 9:30 a.m., which catches people out.

2. Exploratorium

On Pier 15, built around exhibits you operate yourself, about light, sound, motion and perception, rather than objects behind glass. Adults tend to stay as long as the children do.

• Best for: Ages 4 and up. Three to four hours.
• The detail that matters: the Tactile Dome, a pitch-dark crawl-through structure, has a minimum age of 7 and needs a separate reservation. Its status has been inconsistent recently, so confirm it is open before you promise it to a child.
• Limitations: Closed Mondays. Sunday opens at noon. The sheer number of exhibits overwhelms some under-fours, who do better at the Academy.

3. Golden Gate Park and Koret Children's Quarter

The park runs from the Haight all the way west to Ocean Beach. The Koret Children's Quarter is a large free playground with a separate, cheap carousel alongside it.

• Best for: All ages. One hour to a full day.
• The detail that matters: anyone under 40 inches must ride the carousel with a paying adult, and carousel hours vary with weather and season. Call the morning of rather than assuming.
• Nearby: the Japanese Tea Garden waives admission early on certain mornings, which pairs well with a playground visit. Check which days before you rely on it. Pedal boats on Stow Lake are another option.
• Limitations: Parking is difficult at weekends. Transit or a rideshare is usually easier.

4. Presidio Tunnel Tops

A free park looking straight out at the Golden Gate Bridge, with the Outpost playground built from logs, boulders and rope. Open daily, no tickets.

• Best for: Toddlers through tweens. One to three hours.
• The detail that matters: there are private family restrooms right beside the playground, which is rarer in San Francisco than it should be and makes this the most practical free outing in the city with a newly potty-trained child.
• Limitations: Exposed and weather-dependent. It gets windy and cold, especially on summer afternoons, and there is no indoor backup close by.

5. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39

Touristy, but it earns a place for one reason: the sea lion colony at Pier 39 is free, loud and holds children of any age. Within walking distance you have the Aquarium of the Bay, Musée Mécanique and the historic ships.

• Best for: First-time visitors. Two to four hours.
• The detail that matters: Musée Mécanique at Pier 45 is free to enter, but nothing works without quarters. Bring ten to twenty dollars in change and it becomes the best value hour on the waterfront.
• Stroller note: the Aquarium of the Bay's exterior elevator is out of service. Use PIER 39's elevator instead.
• Limitations: Crowded and expensive. It is the priciest place to eat per calorie in the city.

6. Cable Car Museum

The working powerhouse on Nob Hill. You look down from a gallery onto the machinery actually hauling the city's cables, in real time.

• Best for: Ages 3 and up who like machines. Forty-five minutes to an hour.
• The detail that matters: it is free, and the real machinery lands better with a three-year-old than most purpose-built children's exhibits do.
• Limitations: Closed Mondays. Very loud, so bring ear protection for a sensitive child. Little to see beyond the machinery, so pair it with a cable car ride.

7. Children's Creativity Museum

In Yerba Buena Gardens, focused on art, design and technology. Animation studios, music recording and design challenges, with one flat admission price covering everyone aged 1 and up.

• Best for: Ages 2 to 12. Two to three hours.
• The detail that matters: the flat price includes all-day re-entry, so you can leave for lunch and come back rather than rushing.
• Nearby: the LeRoy King Carousel next door is a separate cheap ticket with narrower midweek hours than the museum. Check before you promise it.
• Limitations: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. It is a half-day, not a full one.

8. San Francisco Zoo

A full-size zoo at the western edge of the city near Ocean Beach, open daily, which makes it one of the reliable Monday fallbacks.

• Best for: Ages 2 to 10. Three to five hours.
• The detail that matters: it sits at the Pacific edge and is reliably ten to fifteen degrees colder and foggier than downtown. Bring layers you would not think you needed in August.
• Cost: Small discount with same-day Muni proof of payment. Last entry is one hour before closing.

9. Randall Museum

Free, city-run, up on Corona Heights above the Castro, with live animals, a toddler area and a large model railroad. It is the locals' answer and most tourist guides skip it.

• Best for: Ages 2 to 10. One to two hours.
• The detail that matters: it is closed Sundays and Mondays, which is counterintuitive for a free children's museum and catches out weekend visitors constantly.
• Limitations: It sits at the top of a steep hill with limited parking and weak transit. In bad weather this is a car or rideshare destination, not a walk.

10. A Craft Workshop in SoMa or the Financial District

Full disclosure, this one is ours. We run two San Francisco studios: SoMa at 360 Ritch Street, a short walk from Montgomery BART, and the Financial District at 405 Sansome Street, steps from Embarcadero BART. Sessions are guided projects with materials included, and you leave with the thing you made.

• Best for: Ages 10 and up. Around two hours.
• The detail that matters: the minimum age is 10. If your children are younger, pick from the other nine on this list. We would rather say that than have you turn up.
• Limitations: Not a drop-in. Sessions run at set times and must be booked ahead.

Quick Comparison

Monday Closures

This is the table to check before you book anything. Confirm current schedules on each website.

The Monday plan. If your only day here falls on a Monday, build it around the California Academy of Sciences in the morning, the Presidio Tunnel Tops after lunch, and the zoo if anyone still has energy. All three are open.

How to Choose

By age

Ages 0 to 3: the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito is designed for ages 0 to 8 and is honest about it. Free parking, outside food permitted, though it closes for about two weeks of maintenance each September.

Ages 4 to 8: the Exploratorium, the California Academy and the Koret Children's Quarter hit the right level. The Helen Diller Playground at Dolores Park is worth the trip to the Mission, and it sits in the sunniest part of the city.

Ages 9 to 12: add the Tactile Dome, the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier, and longer outings. The Seward Street Slides in Noe Valley are a brief but memorable stop, and regulars bring a piece of cardboard.

By weather

San Francisco weather changes block by block. The Exploratorium, the California Academy, the Cable Car Museum and the Creativity Museum are the indoor answers. On clear days, the Tunnel Tops, Baker Beach and Golden Gate Park are better. Note that the north end of Baker Beach is a nudist beach, so stay at the south end with children.

If it turns properly wet, we have a fuller guide to rainy day activities in San Francisco, including which side of the city to run to.

By budget

The free options here are genuinely good, not filler: the Randall Museum, the Cable Car Museum, the Presidio Tunnel Tops, the Koret playground, the sea lions at Pier 39, and Musée Mécanique if you bring quarters. Many Bay Area libraries also lend free museum passes through the Discover and Go programme.

Skip These With Young Children

Alcatraz. Worthwhile from about nine, and a poor fit before that. The visit runs two and a half to three hours minimum. Strollers are allowed on the ferry and the island but not on the island tram, so you push one up a steep hill. The core of it is a self-guided audio tour inside a cellhouse, there is no early exit because you are there until your return boat, and it sells out a week or more ahead, so you commit before you know how your child is doing that day.

Lombard Street by car at peak hours. Walking the crooked block is fine. Driving it in season means half an hour in a queue with bored children in the back.

Long historical walking tours. Under about seven, the stamina is not there. Stick to interactive exhibits and playgrounds.

Coit Tower at peak hours. The view is good and the elevator queue is not. Go early on a weekday or skip it.

Getting Around With a Stroller

• Muni buses kneel and take strollers. They are the most stroller-friendly transit in the city.
• The historic F-line streetcars and the cable cars effectively require you to fold. In practice, skip them if you have a stroller and a child who cannot walk far.
• Hills. For the Randall Museum, Coit Tower or anywhere on Nob Hill, a rideshare beats pushing uphill.
• Elevators. Check status before you descend at BART and Muni Metro. The Aquarium of the Bay's exterior elevator is out of service; use PIER 39's.
• The flat route. The Embarcadero between the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf is level and stroller-friendly. Avoid the steep cross streets.

Quick Answers

What are the best free activities for kids in San Francisco? The Randall Museum, the Cable Car Museum, the Presidio Tunnel Tops, the Koret playground, the sea lions at Pier 39, and Musée Mécanique, which is free to enter though the machines take quarters.

Which attractions suit toddlers rather than older children? For toddlers, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the Randall Museum's toddler area and the Koret playground. For older children, the Exploratorium, Alcatraz from about nine, and the historic ships.

What should we pack? Layers. Even in August, fog and wind drop the temperature sharply, especially at the zoo and near the Golden Gate. A light jacket, a hat, and closed shoes for the hills.

What needs booking ahead? The Tactile Dome needs a separate reservation. Alcatraz sells out a week or more ahead. Planetarium passes at the Academy are first come on the day rather than bookable.

How long does each one take? The Academy and the zoo each fill three to five hours. The Exploratorium takes three to four. The Aquarium of the Bay is about 90 minutes. The Cable Car Museum and the Randall are about an hour each.

Is there anything worth doing outside the city? Muir Woods National Monument, with its old-growth redwoods, is about 45 minutes north. Santa Cruz and its boardwalk are about 90 minutes south. Both need a car and a full day.

The Short Version

Check the day of the week before you check anything else. Monday closes the Exploratorium, the Randall, the Cable Car Museum and the Creativity Museum at once, and knowing that is worth more than any list of attractions.

Beyond that, match the plan to your children's ages and to the fog. And if your children are old enough to want to make something rather than look at something, come and see us.