10 San Francisco Family Activities

San Francisco is known for sourdough bread, delicious chocolate, scenic bay views, and whimsical trolley cars. Our family really enjoyed exploring this culture-rich city. We made some great memories with our young children during our summer visit. We also found plenty of San Francisco family activities to do along the pier! Here are some of our top choices for experiencing San Francisco with kids.

Take a Ferry to the Port of San Francisco

Although you can drive to San Francisco, it’s so much more fun to take a ferry! Because we took our three kids to the city on the ferry, they enjoyed the windy ocean views from the ferry deck. For a family of five, the cost of a ferry trip adds up. However, we enjoyed the experience. Of course, our kids wanted to buy a snack from the ferry concession stand.

Interact with Science at the Exploratorium

Our first stop on our tour of San Francisco family activities was at the Exploratorium kids’ science museum. We were delighted to find a diverse collection of exhibits exploring science. We learned about color, sound, electronics, anatomy, social behaviors, physics and more! The most eye-catching exhibit featured a panoramic creation called “Wild Card” made entirely of cardboard.

The “Wild Card” exhibit included a detailed collection of objects, vehicles and buildings made entirely from cardboard.

My little son discovered this cave-like room complete with cardboard crystals.

A unique Exploratorium mirror exhibit allowed us to look into a design of tiny mirrors to see a myriad of eyes — all your own — looking back at you.

My kids had fun playing with the sand on these spinning disks and creating circular patterns.

Many of the exhibits were designed for older kids and explored scientific principles about how things work. We would need to visit the Exploratorium several times to see everything. Furthermore, we could easily spend several minutes checking out each of the hundreds of interactive exhibits and activities.

Stroll Down Pier 39

After our Exploratorium visit, we took a walk to Pier 39 and window shopped. Additionally, we enjoyed clam chowder in a bread bowl at Chowders. Pier 39 is a festive touring destination in San Francisco with shops that sell all kinds of collectibles and gift ideas. Our Joovy Caboose Ultralight stroller made it very easy to take our little kids down the busy pier boardwalk. This compact stroller is great for family travel! We picked out San Francisco t-shirts for a very reasonable price and the girls selected cotton candy as their special treat.

Enjoy Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl

A visit to San Francisco isn’t complete without a bowl of famous sourdough clam chowder. Chowders is a great place for lunch with kids. This is because the clam chowder is delicious and the sourdough bread bowls are fresh, soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Chowders on Pier 39 is known for their homemade clam chowder and fresh sourdough bread. They also use sourdough batter to bread the fish and chips. We enjoyed deliciously breaded butterfly shrimp, which was the perfect combination of crispy and not too greasy.

Explore the Deep at the SF Aquarium of the Bay

San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay is home to more than 20,000 marine animals. Furthermore, each exhibit allows visitors to learn more about San Francisco Bay’s native species. The Under the Bay exhibit features 300 feet of crystal clear tunnels, which allow visitors to view marine animals up close.

Touch the Bay touchpools allow you to interact with sharks, sting rays, and sea stars and feel their unique textures. At the interactive Bay Lab Station, naturalists lead an ongoing schedule of interactions with land animals. Additionally, visitors of all ages can explore sensory activities that range from microscopes to puzzles.

Travel via San Francisco Trolley

If you are looking to travel around the city of San Francisco, you can take one of the many trolleys or cable cars. A trolley ride would be a fun and memorable activity, and an easy way for families with kids to view the city.

Visit Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park is another great stop for San Francisco family activities. Golden Gate Park features 1,017 acres of gardens, playgrounds, lakes, trails, and picnic areas. Park highlights include the Conservatory of Flowers which houses 1,700 species of aquatic and tropical plants. The San Francisco Botanical Garden conserves more than 8,000 varieties of plants from around the world in 55 acres. Kids will love exploring the Great Meadow and viewing the waterfowl pond, which is home to egrets and ducks. Although we didn’t visit on this trip, we would love to explore Golden Gate Park on our next visit to San Francisco.

Stop for Ice Cream

You can buy an ice cream cone on practically every corner in San Francisco. After all, who doesn’t love eating ice cream while exploring a city park? Along Pier 39 alone there were at least 3 ice cream shops. The only question is, which ice cream flavor would you choose?

Take a Tour of Alcatraz

Alcatraz tours are another popular San Francisco tourist activity. We will probably visit when our kids are a bit older. Once a military prison, Alcatraz Island is a national park located more than mile off the San Francisco coast. It is also the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast. Visitors can view the island’s unique bay views,  natural rock pools, and seabird colonies.

Don’t Leave without a T-Shirt

Of course a visit to San Francisco must include buying a t-shirt! My girls had no trouble picking out their favorite shirts. We had a lot of fun browsing the local shops on our walk around town. Just like many cities, San Francisco has unique features that make it a memorable destination and an interesting place to live. From our list, what would be your favorite family activity in San Francisco?

Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!