Best Children's Parks San Francisco Near Me

4worldlovers: Mission Bay Parks offers beautiful public parks and recreational opportunities in a dynamic, new neighborhood. Located on the edge of San Francisco Bay, it’s a place for everyone to enjoy.

Today you’ll find shoreline parks, pocket parks, kids’ parks, and even parks made just for dogs. When completed, the Mission Bay Parks system will include 40 acres of planned open space.

A one-of-a-kind park for tots to school-aged children that’s united around natural themes of water, exploration and discovery.

It’s all about dogs and fun featuring an expansive gravel play area, trees, dog water fountains, seating and more.

A great new addition to Mission Bay Parks featuring a dog play area with a ton of tail-wagging amenities.

An idyllic tree-lined park cradles each side of Mission Creek with areas of respite, recreation and events spaces.

A favorite place for lunch, lounging, meet-ups and casual sports, with on-leash dog walking.

Featuring an expansive sundrenched lawn with a trellis-shaded plaza where people of all ages can play and enjoy.

Bordering the Chase Center Campus, this park offers visitors places to relax, picnic, play chess + shoot hoops.

Our pocket parks, pathways and green places provide a respite to relax with green relief from the urban landscape.

As a perfect venue for an event, the Pavilion features floor-to-ceiling windows with great views of Mission Creek.

4worldlovers: Generations of San Franciscans (and young visitors from around the world!) have fond memories of the children’s playground and carousel in Golden Gate Park’s southeast corner. The playground, called the Sharon Quarters for Children when it opened in 1888, is thought to have been the nation’s first public playground. In that era, the idea of providing a dedicated space solely for youth recreation was groundbreaking. The nearby Sharon Building was designed for indoor play during bad weather; it now houses Sharon Art Studio, which offers art classes for both children and adults.

With generous support from the Koret Foundation, the playground underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2007 as the Koret Children’s Quarter. New features include a climbing wall shaped like waves and a rope climbing structure; the historic concrete slide was retained.

Three carousels have been housed in Golden Gate Park near the Koret Children’s Quarter since the playground opened. The current carousel was built in 1914 by the Herschell-Spillman Company and operated at amusement parks in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, before it was installed in Golden Gate Park in 1940 after a stint at the World’s Fair on Treasure Island. It was shut down in 1977 and restored, reopening in 1984. The carousel’s 62 colorfully painted menagerie animals include a dragon, camel, and goat as well as horses, frogs, dogs, roosters, and pigs. Painted panels inside the carousel depict Bay Area landscapes.

To reserve the picnic area adjacent to the carousel and playground, visit our Permits and Reservations page.

Carousel hours vary, depending on weather, school schedules and season. Please call (415) 231-0077 to hear an updated message regarding the current status and schedule of the Carousel.

Adults, $2; children ages 6 to 12 years, $1 per ride; children 5 and under free if accompanied by a paying adult. Children under 40? in height must be accompanied by a paying adult.

320 Bowling Green Drive, between John F. Kennedy Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, adjacent to the Koret Children’s Quarter (playground) by the Sharon Building.

4worldlovers: The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department rolled out improvements to the Waller Street Skate Park today—a project spearheaded by local skaters who helped shape its inclusive design that honors its street skateboarding roots.

The Recreation & Park Department broke ground on renovations at Herz Playground in Visitacion Valley on Monday as part of the Let’sPlaySF! initiative that is delivering creative play spaces to children across San Francisco.

San Francisco Recreation and Park Commissioners today voted unanimously to approve changing the name of Visitacion Valley Playground to Yik Oi Huang Peace & Friendship Park. The name honors the memory of a neighborhood grandmother and community advocate.

The wildly popular Stern Grove Festival—the Bay Area’s longest running outdoor concert series—will return on June 12 to the historic park, located at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in the city’s Sunset District.

Largest park in San Francisco’s urban core to open in nearly 40 years, Francisco Park includes panoramic views, community gardens, and community space for children and dogs.

A ground mural featuring a golden roller skate surrounded by a psychedelic pattern may add new color to a legendary skating spot in Golden Gate Park after the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted unanimously to approve the final design.

City officials gathered with community members and dragon boat racers at Lake Merced today to say ahoy to a new boat dock and gangway that allows safer recreation for seniors and people with disabilities and ensures future access for the public.

Young children at nine San Francisco child care centers and family child care homes are enjoying green outdoor play spaces after community volunteers worked multiple weekends to create natural play spaces that allow children to explore their world.

Juri Commons reopened following a $1.9 million renovation honoring the Mission District park’s railroad history, featuring a redesign with new plantings, an improved play space for children, grass for dogs, & an adult exercise area with fitness equipment.

With a design inspired by its wooded surroundings, a nature play area to spark creativity, and a dramatic spiral tower soaring above it all, the newly-renovated playground at Golden Gate Heights Park has opened to the public.

A new photo library at the Harvey Milk Photo Center will be named for legendary photographer David Johnson, who chronicled Black life in San Francisco in the mid-twentieth century, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.

Esprit Park is one step closer to a $7.7 million renovation designed to balance the needs of its growing Dogpatch community—from families to fitness enthusiasts to dogs and their people, the SF Rec & Park Department and UC San Francisco announced today.

Two of San Francisco’s indoor pools are poised to welcome back lap swimmers with reservations and all pools will reopen by mid-June, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today. SF Rec and Park to open pools citywide by summer.

The SF Recreation & Park Commission Thursday approved the concept design for the new Herz Recreation Center Project, which includes a new 11,500 square foot recreation center with an indoor basketball court, a multi-purpose room, restrooms, and an office.

Special to today’s announcement will be SkyStar and SF Rec and Park’s offer to all San Francisco public school graduating seniors to take a free ride on the Wheel this summer beginning June 2 through Sept. 6; students will need to show their SFUSD ID.

San Francisco’s largest fenced dog park will re-open Saturday, February 6 following a $2.4 million renovation that includes separate areas where big and small dogs can safely frolic, natural elements to climb and jump, and a new surface to run and play.

A plan to rehabilitate a long-vacant bayside lot in San Francisco’s India Basin and turn it into a waterfront park took a step forward with the allocation of a $5 million grant toward tidal restoration and site cleanup.

A plan to revitalize a network of waterfront open space in the city’s southeast by rehabilitating and uniting several poorly conditioned existing open spaces into a single, seamless design received approval by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors today.

4worldlovers: In crowded, urban environments like San Francisco, playgrounds for children have special value. Not just for kids but for the entire community. And with the high cost of San Francisco real estate and limited supply, it’s no wonder that these special places are in short supply.

For families on vacation, a playground provides a welcome break from sightseeing, and a chance for little ones to burn off some energy. It can also provide a glimpse into the local culture through the design of the park and the ways that kids and families interact with the park and each other.

According to children’s playground designer Monique Engelund, from Danish studio Monstrum, “The world is a truly fantastic, colorful, and thrilling place for kids to grow up. And playgrounds need to be equally inspiring.”

In recent years, debate has surfaced about whether playgrounds in the U.S. have indeed become too safe and standardized. Luckily, there are exceptions to that trend. And there is no better example of this than the Children’s Playground at Yerba Buena Gardens.

Located right in downtown San Francisco, Yerba Buena Gardens features the rooftop Children’s Garden. Designed by Adele Santos, this is the perfect place for family fun with interactive and engaging areas for kids that have an emphasis on discovery, nature, and play. This one-of-a-kind, urban playground is just minutes from the Children’s Creativity Museum and the beautifully restored 1906 LeRoy King Carousel.

At the Children’s Garden, thrill-seeking tots can fly down a 25-foot-long tube slide and get lost in a labyrinth. It also includes the Play Circle which incorporates a sand circle, a playground, and a xylophone that kids can play to their hearts content—all designed by M. Paul Friedberg, known internationally for his pioneering work in urban playground design.

There’s even a labyrinth of growing hedges to mimic a child-size version of those found in ancient castles. A stream and fountain are incorporated for children to have fun with the flow of water—whether creating dams or irrigating the gardens.

For kids fond of lots of action, they can climb up a jungle gym and a kid-safe climbing wall—just like their adventurous parents. An outdoor amphitheater offers engaging, seasonal youth performances and public events. And an indoor bowling ally and ice-skating rink are just steps away. The huge Children’s Garden covers an amazing 130,000 square feet and is built right on top of the Moscone Center.

There’s no better place in San Francisco to take your kids for a safe, clean day of fun and activities. It’s where you can embrace your every mood, celebrate diversity, and find green relief.

And for travelers looking for the perfect kid-friendly destination to let the rascals burn off some energy, Yerba Buena Children’s Garden delivers all the smiles and fun your kids are looking for.