Never run out of family fun ideas with our list of destinations and activities for summer fun! We have selected dozens of Bay Area and near-home outings. We hope you’ll find plenty of things to do in the East Bay — and beyond! — this summer. https://...
Sections
7
Outdoor Fun
Neighborhood Fun
Air-conditioned (indoor?!) Fun
Active Fun
Backyard Fun
Stay-up-late Fun
Outdoor Fun
Cheer for the A’s. Baseball is back in Oakland. Take your family to an A’s game
Oakland Coliseum | Oakland Athletics
Gather sea glass at Point Molate. You can make wind chimes with your haul.
Point Molate Beach Park
Go fishing. Bring your gear to some of the best spots for fishing in the East Bay.
Where to go fishing with kids in the East Bay
Bike around town. Find your nearest entry point to the Ohlone Trail or the Bay Trail and just ride.
21 Best Places to Learn to Ride a Bike in the East Bay - 510 Families
Find a treasure at TEPCO Beach in Richmond.
TEPCO Beach – Richmond, California - Atlas Obscura
Wander along the shore at Robert Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda.
Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach
Walkie talkie play date. Meet your buds at opposite ends of the park to play spy games with two-way radios.
Walkie Talkies
Play mini-golf at Stagecoach Greens
Stagecoach Greens
Play mini-golf at Golfland
Golfland
Play mini-golf at Scandia
Scandia Family Fun
Explore Rock City with its caves and cool hollowed-out rock formations at Mt Diablo State Park.
Mount Diablo State Park
Take a safari. Safari West has reopened in Santa Rosa
Safari West
Do an experiment. Check out Summer Fundays at the recently reopened Lawrence Hall of Science
Lawrence Hall of Science
Visit the Zoo. SF Zoo is open by appointment starting on 7/15
San Francisco Zoo
Visit the Zoo. Oakland Zoo is open with restrictions on 7/29.
Oakland Zoo
Garden stroll. Chase butterflies, enjoy the flowers, wander the paths at The Gardens at Lake Merritt
The Gardens at Lake Merritt
Run around Cal Campus and find out why it is so special.
Cal Campus
Hike off the beaten path by getting an EBRPD permit for a special trail or two
East Bay Regional Park District - Public Safety
Fly a kite. We like the marina paths at Cesar Chavez Park and a few other spots with high wind and room to run.
3 Best Places to Fly a Kite in the East Bay
Walk, bike, or scoot around the San Leandro Marina Park or Alameda Waterfront.
22 Places Where Kids Can Ride Scooters
Take a beach day. Did you already know there are more than a dozen Bay Area beaches you can enjoy today?
Best Bay Area Beaches You Can Visit Today
Neighborhood Fun
Explore the quirky side of town. Quirky Berkeley will help you find dozens of oddities throughout Berkeley from a giant orange to a birdhouse pyramid.
Quirky Berkeley
Decorate your whole block with sidewalk chalk. Chalk out jokes, hopscotch, city skylines, or inspirational quotes.
Sidewalk Chalk
Go on a shape walk. Look for circles, shapes, or triangles and take pictures. Make a photo collage or book to enjoy later.
Photo Scavenger Hunt for Families: Take a Shape Walk
Paint rocks with cheerful pictures or messages and hide them around your neighborhood.
A Colorful East Bay Treasure Hunt: Painted Rocks
Look down and find the gnomes. Gnomes are all over certain parts of Oakland, and there are always more to find!
Oakland Scavenger Hunt: These Adorable Gnomes Will Delight Your Kids
Delight in the fairy homes. Little Point Richmond has small fairy homes tucked into unexpected places. Find them all, then be inspired to make one for your own home.
Sweet Hike: Fairy Houses Galore in Point Richmond
Find the tiny doors from A to Z. Alameda has gotten in on the act of magical fairy doors and created a lovely alphabet path as well as many more throughout the island.
Discover the Miniature, Magical Fairy Doors in Alameda
Pose in front of some street art. Here are 7 murals of various sizes, colors, and subjects brightening up the East Bay. There are many, many more!
7 Instagram-Worthy Wall Murals in the East Bay Kids Will Love
Air-conditioned (indoor?!) Fun
Find a cheap movie for the kids. With tickets for only $1.50, how bad can it be?
$1.50 Summer Movies in Walnut Creek
Build and play at the new LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Milpitas (grand opening June 14)
LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Bay Area
Kayak in the Bay. Lots of cool East Bay places to get in the water for a kayak trip
Kayaking with Kids Near Oakland
Active Fun
Head to the water park! Have a blast on a hot day and go to Hurricane Harbor mega waterpark.
6 Bay Area Water Parks: A Parent's Guide
Explore the creek at downtown Piedmont Park. Walk the paths, dip your toes in the water. Pick up lunch or dinner from Mulberry’s Market.
5 East Bay Creeks to Stomp In
Discover secret stairs and paths. The Secret Stairs of the East Bay is a handy guidebook to find some new ones. Wear yourself out running up and down the steps.
Secret Stairs
Golf nine holes. Try a par 3 course with your favorite kid, maybe you’ll make it to 18. Hit a bucket of balls at the driving range. Sign up with this program so kids can golf cheaply.
Favorite Places to Play a Round of Golf With Kids in the East Bay
Golf nine holes. Try a par 3 course with your favorite kid, maybe you’ll make it to 18. Hit a bucket of balls at the driving range. Sign up with this program so kids can golf cheaply.
Youth on Course: Kids Play Golf for $5 or Less
Walk around Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt
Climb up Indian Rock, a rugged hike that’ll take you to some beautiful views.
Indian Rock Park
Scramble the rock parks in North Berkeley.
Where to Scramble: The Rock Parks of North Berkeley
Bike on a pump track. Check out Dirt World in Richmond for dirt biking and laughs.
Dirt World
Bike on a pump track. Check out BMX Park in Pleasanton for dirt biking and laughs.
BMX Park
Kick a soccer ball at Dracena Quarry Park. BYO ball, cones, and snacks.
Dracena Quarry Park
Cycle over the Bay. Ride bikes across the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island and back. Enjoy the Judge John Sutter Pier!
Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline
Stand-up paddleboarding in Alameda. Make an appointment at Mike’s Paddle for gear and lessons.
Mike's Paddle
Here are more East Bay places to SUP
Stand-Up Paddle Boarding in the East Bay
Kayak in the Bay. Lots of cool East Bay places to get in the water for a kayak trip.
Kayaking with Kids Near Oakland - 510 Families
Climb the hill and pick blackberries at the top of the Wildcat Canyon Regional Park’s Belgium trailhead.
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Backyard Fun
Splash around in a kiddie pool of any size or shape. Even the smallest ones can serve to cool your hot toes with an ice bath. Annie loves her quarantine-purchase Sable inflatable pool for the kids and parents.
Kiddie Pool
Add a “water park” feature to your trampoline or running-around space. Sprinklers do a lot more than when we were kids.
Trampoline Water Park Sprinkler
Build a planter or birdhouse. Woodworking kits at home give your kid a project and a finished result that can decorate your outdoor space.
Shop Local: Woodworking Kits for Kids to Build at Home
Garden. The lovely East Bay climate means we can always be sprouting, planting, and weeding.
The Essential Guide to Gardening With Kids In the East Bay
Read in a hammock. Check out library games, e-books, celebrities reading audiobooks, graphic novels, or whatever gets your kiddo to love reading.
Summertime Reading Games Powered by the Libraries
A hammock makes it more summery
Hammock
Badminton sets are fun and the sport is easy to learn for all ages. I would say that there’s not much difference between the $20 sets and the $65 sets, but then again, the sunshine ate my set during its second year.
Badminton
Play bocce ball. The fancy sets are heirlooms or will glow in the dark, but a basic bocce set is only about $25.
Bocce Balls Set
S’mores. After years of wishing, I pulled the trigger on a small propane fire bowl for our backyard. Marshmallows never tasted so good
Outland Living Model 823 Portable Propane Fire Pit
Stay-up-late Fun
Outdoor movie night. My family has a screen and a small projector. You can use a white sheet on a wall and a few more pieces of equipment to set up a backyard drive-in theater.
Backyard Birthday Party: Little Kid Drive-in Movie
Go stargazing. Escape the city lights and see the stars with your older kids!
Stargazing With Kids & Seeking Out the Elusive Milky Way
Hit the drive-in movie. See current movies from the comfort of your vehicle in Concord. There are also a few East Bay pop-up drive-ins.
West Wind Solano Drive-In
Sweet Treats for Summertime
Order ice cream. Walk to your favorite local ice cream joint or order it to your house (yes, that’s a thing!)
Best Ice Cream in Oakland, Berkeley, and Beyond
Pick up some donuts just because. Our favorite donut spots
Favorite Bay Area Donuts and Doughnuts
Bake a fruit pie
A guide to cherry picking in Brentwood
Bake a fruit pie. Once cherry-picking season ends, go for peaches and apricots — bake a pie together because ugly still tastes good!
