101 Family Day Trips and Staycations Around San Francisco
Free activities and splurges that are worth it. The coolest stuff for a staycation in town and road trips for less than a tank of gas from San Francisco. Kids Out And About has tons of ideas for family travel, with places to explore, learn, and have fun!
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Take A Deep Breath In the Garden
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Lavender Bee Farm |
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San Francisco Botanical Garden |
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Japanese Tea Garden |
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Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Gardens |
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Conservatory of Flowers |
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UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley |
Get Wild on a Hike
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Bernal Heights Trail |
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Ft. Point - Baker Beach Coast Trail |
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Bartholomew park Trails |
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Joaquin Miller Park |
Time Travel Today
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The American Bookbinders Museum |
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Tenderloin Museum |
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Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center |
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Hyde Street Living History Players |
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Ardenwood Historic Farm |
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Columbia State Historic Park |
Make Life a Beach
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Crown State Beach |
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Keller Beach |
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Santa Cruz Main Beach |
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Moss Landing State Beach |
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Heart's Desire Beach |
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Muir Beach |
Splash into Some Water Fun
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Raging Waters |
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South Bay Shores |
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Golf Land San Jose |
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Aqua Adventure |
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Great Wolf Lodge |
Spend the Day at a Museum
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Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose |
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Randall Museum of Science, Nature and the Arts |
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Curiodyssey |
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Children's Museum of Sonoma County |
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Aquarium of the Bay |
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Asian Art Museum |
Explore These Cities
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Monterey |
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Santa Rosa |
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Calistoga |
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Carmel-by-the-Sea |
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San Jose |
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Sacramento |
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Sausalito |
All Aboard Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Boats!)
Grow Some Fun at the Farm
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Alemany Farm |
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Hidden Villa |
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Emma Prusch Farm Park |
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Ardenwood Farm Park |
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Florence Fang Community Farm |
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Jacob's Farm |
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Swanton Berry Farm |
Play Ball!
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Classic Bowling Center |
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San Francisco Croquet Club |
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Urban Putt |
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San Francisco Baseball Academy |
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San Francisco Tennis Club |
Treat Yo' Self
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Joe's Ice Cream |
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Smitten Ice Cream |
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Cream |
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Bi-Rite Creamery |
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The Castro Fountain |
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Mitchell's Ice Cream |
Connect with Nature
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San Francisco Botanical Garden |
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Yerba Buena Garden |
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Conservatory of Flowers |
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Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden |
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Shakespeare's Garden in Golden Gate Park |
Amuse Yourself at These Amusement Parks
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Children's Fairyland |
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Six Flags Discovery Kingdom |
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Flyer Thrill Zone & 7D Experience |
Talk to the Animals
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San Francisco Zoo |
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Oakland Zoo |
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Aquarium of the Bay |
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Tilden Regional Park Little Farm |
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Happy Hollow Park and Zoo |
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Palo Alto Jr. Museum and Zoo |
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Slide Ranch |
Explore the Globe Close to Home
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Museum of African Diaspora |
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Museo Italia Americano |
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The Mexican Museum |
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Chinatown |
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Japanese Tea Garden |
Let's Go Chasing Waterfalls
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Castle Falls State Park |
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Maple Falls |
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Rainbow Falls |
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Carson Falls |
Get Active Indoors
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Learning Haven |
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Little Oceanauts |
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iFly |
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Imagination Playground |
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Peek-a-Boo Factory SF |
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Jumpity Bumpity Daly City |
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Go Bonkers |
Challenge Yourself
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San Francisco Symphony |
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art |
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Clockwise Escape Room |
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Yerba Buena Ice Skating |
Shop Your Heart Out
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Christopher's Books |
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Blackbird Book Store |
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Green Apple Books on the Park |
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Westfield San Francisco Centre |
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Anchorage Square |
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Metreon |
Limiting our list to 101 ideas meant some great destinations may have been left off the list - if there is something you’d like to see added, share it with us on Facebook!
Most of these destinations are within an hour from downtown San Francisco. For those that are a bit farther away:
= Less than 1 hour away
= 1 to 2 hours away
= 2 to 3 hours away
= Just over 3 hours away