Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco
Yerba Buena Gardens is a great kid spot in the middle of downtown San Francisco. There is a playground equipment with killer slides, water features, and room to run around. There is Zeum, a museum aimed at school aged kids where you can create your own movie, play with video equipment, make your own clay-mation production or lay down a kareoke track. Also within walking distance (read: don’t need a stroller to cart from one place to the next) is a carousel, an ice-rink, and a bowling alley.
I suggest making this an afternoon half-day trip, as Zeum doesn’t open until 1pm. Zeum is a museum that focuses on media technology. There are costumes and teleprompters to assist kids put together their own commercial or other production, but it does take some patience so I suggest making place your first stop. If being in front of a camera is not your thing, you can also manipulate objects in front of a mini camera and create a movie that way or make a claymation feature. There are three floors so if you like singing or dancing as well, this is the place for you. Other exhibits to draw creativity out of the younger crowd include a wall you can attach leggos to, or another wall that colorforms will stick to.
Afterwards, head out about 150 ft. to the playground. One might be surprised to find it amoungst a cemented area, but the floor of the playground is padded. It is shaped like a bowl so if you can, bring toys that roll downhill. At the top of the bowl area are trees (shade) and picnic tables. There’s a water feature near the sand area, so you may also want to bring along an extra change of clothes for the smaller ones.
Next take a spin at the Looff Carousel . Again, it is not far away at the corner of Howard and Fourth. Over 100 years old, this carousel is absolutely stunning. A $3 ticket gets you two rides.
For dinner there is a good burger place called Mo’s Grill upstairs from the bowling alley. They close at 8pm on Tues – Sat, and 5pm on Sunday and Monday. You may also consider exploring the Metreon across the street. This is a shopping mall with a fairly large selection of dining options on the bottom floor. Many of the restaurants there are nice, but I also recommend a Mexican Grill for the more casual dining.
If you are still up for more activities, you can pick up a game of bowling or spin around the skating rink back at Yerba Buena Gardens, or pick up a movie at the IMAX at the Metreon.
The Yerba Buena Gardens festival runs from May-October and there are musical performances throughout that time. To see more pictures or read more details about our trip to Yerba Buena Gardens visit the blog.
