Oakland Zoo
The Oakland Zoo is often overshadowed by the San Francisco Zoo but this is definitely not an attraction you should miss, especially if your little ones love animals. The zoo resembles a large park more than anything else; the exhibits are designed to resemble the animals' natural habitats, meaning they're not kept behind bars or cages. Instead, they roam free on the grounds, giving kids a fantastic view of the zoo's critters and how they live. It will take several hours just to see everything, so make sure you bring a stroller with you; if not, the zoo provides stroller rentals. Adjacent to the zoo is a children's park with rides designed just Bay Area Kids- little cars and fire trucks that go round and round for toddlers, a colorful carousel, spinning cups, a kiddie roller coaster, and planes that kids can move up and down by pushing a lever. The best ride, however, is the Outback Express Adventure Train that takes you around the zoo and its Australian exhibit, where you can see emus and wallaroos roaming about freely.
The Oakland Zoo is open every day from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Fairyland
Near the shore of Lake Merrit is the ten-acre Fairyland, a theme park where fairy tales and dreams come true. Since the 1950s, Fairyland has been a charming destination for children and their families. Their whimsical storybook theme will capture any child's imagination, and their wide assortment of gentle rides, exciting puppet shows, and friendly animals will keep your little ones entertained all day long. Older children may be a bit too jaded for the park's attractions and too big to join the rides, but if you have toddlers and young children, Fairyland is a great place to take them too.
Fairyland is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day. Park admission is only $8 per person, regardless of age (except for infants under the age 1, who can enter for free).
Adventure Playground
There's a very good reason why the National Geographic included the Berkeley Marina's Adventure Playground in its top ten list of playgrounds. This unique outdoor facility is designed to stimulate the imagination of children age 7 and older with their child-designed forts and building activities. The concept of Adventure Playground came after World War II, when a playground designer noticed that children had the most fun when they built their own playgrounds using post-war rubble. At Adventure Playground, kids learn to work together as they build their own fort, ride through the air on a zipline, or enjoy the structures that other children built before them. It's an amazing place for children to express their creativity and their destructive side, for they can take down any existing structures too!
Adventure Playground is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 5 pm.
Jennifer Rasmussen writes for Bay Area Kids the premier resources guide exclusively for parents living in the San Francisco Bay Area
