After I got home from San Francisco, I received a whole bunch of reader emails that basically said “But what did you do there?! I have kids and I need suggestions! Tell me more!”
Except I was only there for three days, and when you’re buckling three children under the age of two into and out of car seats every single time you step foot out of the house (and however difficult that sounds: let me tell you, it is much harder than that), you kind of max out around one major activity per day. Morgan and I hit up the Academy of Sciences, Giorgio’s (a very kid-friendly pizza spot) for lunch, a Music Together class, and the Bay Area Discovery Museum, but otherwise kept things pretty low-key and hung out at home, catching up.
So my knowledge is limited.
Morgan’s, however, is not, and she generously agreed to write up a guest post featuring all her favorite spots. Enjoy…and thank you, Morgan!
Hey Everyone,
It’s Morgan here, Jordan’s former Upper East Side pal turned mother-of-two-under-two (OMG) and recent West Coaster.
Jordan and Indy seriously did the most amazing thing last week and traveled 3,000 miles to visit me, my 1 1/2-year-old son, and two-month-old daughter. It was a much overdue visit; I used to see Jordan all the time for last minute walks through Central Park and playdates with our newborns (which really consisted of us lamenting about whether we were feeding/burping/changing/stimulating/swaddling our sons correctly over a glass of wine, of course).
A little background on me, if you’re interested: I was born and raised in San Diego, spent 10 years in NYC, and recently moved to San Francisco to be closer to my family with hopes they’d make sporadic weekend trips to visit my children and lend a helping hand (it worked!).
The hubs is from Tennessee, I am a stay-at-home mom, freelance writer for TODAY.com, HGTV/Travel and Food Network, and freelance television producer for CNBC. On most days, you’ll find me traipsing through the city outfitted in a Bjorn, pushing a double stroller and dragging a hyperactive dog. There’s never a dull moment. I’m sweating just thinking about it.
I’m still somewhat of a newcomer to this fine city of San Francisco, but I have stumbled across some pretty awesome kid-friendly activities that I’d like to share with you. If you’re interested, read below, and I’d love to hear any suggestions if you have others on your list!
Here goes…
Academy of Sciences
I dragged Jordan and Indy here (who were honestly great sports when they secretly do not like aquariums), and the Academy did not disappoint. Nestled in Golden Gate Park, it’s a mama’s paradise. The aquarium has the kids oohing and aahing, and you can kinda let them roam free (under your watchful eye, of course) while you sip coffee. In addition to the aquarium, there’s a toddler play area and a random room filled with taxidermied African animals and live penguins. An odd combination, but for some reason it works. Overall it’s a nice place to spend an hour or two and let the kids burn off some energy and learn something along the way.
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Across the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito you’ll find the Bay Area Discovery Museum, which is a pretty fantastic spot both for the hands-on exhibits and the gorgeous, GORGEOUS location. Toddlers love the “river”, where they can splash around (bring a change of clothes; we learned this the hard way), and the train room. Older kids will love the pirate ship playground and the more science-oriented exhibits. While you’re there, dress your family up and have a random person take your picture with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background for one heck of a holiday card 😉
Exploratorium
If your kids are a tad older, check out the Exploratorium down on the Embarcadero. We bought a membership, there but my son is too young and I really spend the majority of my time corralling him rather than enjoying the VERY cool displays. The Exploratorium is kind of like a science fair on crack, and the displays will impress all ages. They even have a night dedicated to adults only where you can drink wine and mess around with the activities – which would make for an awesome date night.
SF Zoo and Oakland Zoo
Ahhhh….the zoo. I have a love/hate relationship with the zoo. My children love the zoo. I hate the zoo. I hate the caged animals, but I love hearing my son scream with joy when he sees a BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! The SF Zoo is cute – I’ve been there a couple of times and have enjoyed it – but the Oakland Zoo (across the Bay Bridge) is apparently better. I haven’t been there, so you’ll have to let me know. Again, I’m not the biggest fan of zoos in general, but if you are I recommend you check either out. You can’t go wrong with a cuddly koala.
Tilden Park
The weekend before my daughter was born, my husband and I decided to spoil our son with a day all about him. No errands, no laundry, no boring stuff. So we trekked our way out to the Berkeley Hills to a little public park called Tilden Park (pictured above): they have a miniature farm where you can check out the sheep, cows, chickens and pigs, a carousel, and the most adorable steam train you’ve ever seen. My son’s mind was blown, especially on the train which weaves its way through the trees of the East Eay. I loved this day. Maybe I was feeling a tad nostalgic, but it was such a special day for our family, and one I’ll never forget. Pack a picnic lunch and check out Tilden Park yourself – I hope you’ll love it as much as we did.
Children’s Fairyland
I have yet to visit this seemingly magical place, but it. looks. awesome. Children’s Fairyland calls itself a “Storybook Theme Park” and features gentle rides, friendly animals and entertainment (including puppet shows!). I am desperate to go and actually purchased some passes on LivingSocial, but methinks this is an activity I should drag my manly husband along on, just for a little entertainment of my own.
Off The Grid
One of our favorite family activities is Off The Grid, which takes place every Friday night and Sunday morning. As I’m sure you’re aware, San Francisco is a foodie’s paradise: the variety of cuisines in this city is seriously so impressive, and Off The Grid takes advantage in all the best ways. Every Friday at Fort Mason, food trucks of the most eclectic varieties gather round to feed hungry San Franciscans. There’s a DJ, random chairs scattered around, and a great energy. Your kids can run around and you can enjoy Indian food while your husband enjoys fish tacos – an awesome combination! On Sunday it’s the same thing, except this time you’ll find the food trucks set up down in the Presidio with locals spilled out on picnic blankets. We loooove Off The Grid, check it out for an “authentic” local experience if you’re in town.
Beaches, Parks and Playgrounds…Oh My!
My last tip of the post is to save your pennies and check out some of the city’s best and free attractions: the beaches, parks and playgrounds of San Francisco. The weather in SF is consistently high-60’s/low-70’s (with little rain, contrary to nasty rumors!), so there is really no reason not to be outside. We love Clay Street Park for toddlers, and Alta Plaza and Lafayette park for all ages. I’ve also heard Dolores Park has a great playground, but I have yet to venture that way. Crissy Field has a great, mellow beach where you can bring your dog and kids to roam in mellow water, and Baker Beach is pretty spectacular. San Francisco is such an outdoorsy city, so there is really no reason not to take advantage of the lovely scenery and cozy weather.
Hope you enjoyed my little insider’s guide! I know I’m biased, but it really is the greatest city in the world. The only thing that’s missing is a gorgeous blonde, her adorable husband, and her darling son. But don’t you worry, I’m working on that ;)…
Thanks for reading!
