Best Fun Places For Kids In San Francisco Near Me

4worldlovers: Please note that tickets bought online are valid for any day and time.

The Mirror Maze is great for all ages. Children aged 5 and younger are admitted for free!

Can you find your way out of the infinite mirror maze? Whether you are visiting San Francisco or live here, Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze is an attraction you must experience. Several of our customers have said it is the best $10 you will spend in San Francisco. SF Weekly says Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze “is possibly the most psychedelic place one can legally reach within the city limits. Black lights set this labyrinth of mirrors a glow, making you completely lose track of where you are and where you are trying to go. Plus, they let you stay and trip out as long as you want.”

Finding the Maze is easy; finding your way out is not.

Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze is halfway down Pier 39 on the 2nd floor.

When you walk down the Pier you will come to the Piano Staircase. Play a tune on the way to the top and make a left turn; you will be at the entrance.

4worldlovers: The Children’s Creativity Museum offers hands-on, multimedia arts and technology experiences designed to build creative confidence in children ages 2-12.

4worldlovers: All public and private San Francisco middle school students (grades 6 to 8) are invited to participate in the San Francisco Middle School Science Fair, including home schooled students ages 11 to 14.

The Randall Museum is proud to host a number of clubs covering a wide range of interests in science and the arts, as well as occasional lecture series, one-time talks and special presentations. Most are free and open to the general public. None require a scientific or artistic background to appreciate and enjoy.

Board Recruitment Information SessionThursday February 16th 6:00-7:30pmThe Randall Museum--San Francisco's treasured space for science, the arts, and nature--is a public/private partnership between the SF Recreation...

4worldlovers: The rumors are true. Golden Gate Park is as fantastic as they say. Explore this iconic park’s 1,017 acres, from bucolic lakes and meadows to vibrant activity destinations. Golden Gate Park has something for everyone.

Golden Gate Park Car-Free Route In an effort to create safer spaces for everyone to enjoy our parks, we're providing a virtually car-free route from one end of the park to the other. Find out more

Visit our Accessibility Questions page for more information on accessibility resources in our parks, including Golden Gate Park.

4worldlovers: From the first run in 1873 to the present. Learn about the inventor, technologies, builders, rapid expansion, near loss and the ongoing efforts to save and rebuild the cable cars of San Francisco.

Houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, mechanical displays and gift shop run by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum - a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of cable car history.

Located in the Washington-Mason powerhouse and carbarn on Nob Hill. Hours of operation, contact info, travel info, cable car guide, public transportation options and schedules.

Select items from the museum store will be made available online. The museum store offers a variety of cable car memorabilia, books, clothing, cards and even genuine cable car bells!

4worldlovers: The Academy's mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. Every visit supports our work.

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:
Caring for endangered species, here and beyond, ensures healthy biodiverse ecosystems for all. Learn more about our programs.

Registration opens October 12th at 11 am. Classes fill up quickly. Registration are first come, first serve.

You can host a wedding, birthday party, or corporate event at the Zoo.

A Membership offers you the opportunity to forge a closer connection with our 2000 amazing animals. Benefits include unlimited admission, exclusive discounts, and more. Join us!

Don’t miss any of the fun! Subscribe to “ANIMAIL” for the latest Zoo news, specials and events delivered right to your inbox.

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: Every Sunday morning, our Daytime members, donors and Corporate Members enjoy exclusive access to the Exploratorium. Let your curiosity roam free through hundreds of exhibits in six spacious indoor and outdoor galleries.

4worldlovers: The world-class Museum of 3D illusions have finally arrived in San Francisco! Don’t miss out on this amazing experience, for an amazing deal! Bring your families, friends and loved ones and create memories that will last a lifetime.

The Museum of 3D Illusions comes with social media ready with interactive 3D Illusions that will take your breath away, transporting you to a world of fantasy and imagination!

Smash the plates with your stress-filled thoughts, let all of your negative emotions out, and feel happy! The more dishes you break, the better you will feel afterward!

You too can be a Hollywood VIP person with the VIP Experience tickets package at the Museum of Illusions!

You can’t put a price on memories, but with our e-gift cards you can give anyone a memorable experience!

Mesmerize your classroom with a fun experience that combines the science of visual perception and the magic of illusion!

The Museum of Illusions is perfect for birthdays, parties, team building, and other events with those that matter!

I loved this museum! There are about 40 hand-painted fun murals that you can take pictures with, showing various interesting scenarios and allowing you to strike funny poses and take funny photographs. We did the VIP package which is more expensive, but gives you a dedicated photographer…

San Francisco museums are known for their inspiring, world-class art, but nowhere will you have as much fun exploring the art world than at the Museum of Illusions. This museum is designed to let visitors’ imaginations soar, surfing epic waves, flying through the sky like Mary Poppins, or living like a Lilliputian in a dollhouse. Anything is possible in our lavish dreamscape, making the Museum of Illusions the most fun museums in San Francisco.

Of all the museums you can visit in San Francisco, nowhere else will you see so many two-dimensional artworks that fool the observer, who views the work from a particular perspective only to see it transform into a mind-bending 3D scene. The fantasy scenes in our fun museum are in the style of the 3D street art you see in metropolitan centers around the world, gathered here under one roof. This is what makes a visit to our fun museum enchanting for people old and young.

The Museum of Illusions is one of the most fun museums around because it is fully interactive. Unlike a traditional museum experience, at the Museum of Illusions, you roam freely right through the creations so you can get up-close and personal with the gorgeously executed imagery. You will want to dive straight in to play and pose in our exhibits. It’s rare for museums in San Francisco to give such uninhibited license to its patrons through its art. Because each person’s interaction with the art is different, every experience is unique. In a sense, the observer is allowed to be the art.

Whether you live in San Francisco or you are just visiting, no doubt you will want to visit Fisherman’s Wharf, where you can grab chowder in a sourdough bowl from a street vendor, visit a variety of boutiques and stalls, and look out on famous vistas, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. You can include the Museum of Illusions in your tour of the local attractions and San Francisco museums, or simply visit us as a standalone in between grabbing a bite and taking a stroll to watch the waves.

There are a number of places you can park just steps from our door. For added convenience, reserve your parking spot on SpotHero before arriving at our fun museum.

Even though our museum is a permanent fixture of one of San Francisco’s busiest tourist areas, the experience at the Museum of Illusions is often compared to that of a pop-up museum, in which temporary art events are installed that are much less formal to visit than a traditional gallery-style museum. As in other big cities, pop-up museums in San Francisco give art lovers an opportunity to have multi-sensorial and sometimes unusual art encounters in an entertaining and amusing way.

Our dedication to pure fun is the reason why the Museum of Illusions is the ideal destination for groups of any age range and size. There are so many San Francisco museums to see, and each one has its own treasures. The Museum of Illusions, however, makes for a particularly easy outing no matter who you go with. You don’t need a special knowledge of art to enjoy our creations. You won’t need to whisper and contemplate the art quietly. Kids and adults alike can explore the art with boisterous glee and let their imaginations run wild.