Kids are People Too
- ckesta
- Jul 12, 2024
- 5 min read
It’s summertime now, and that means the kids are out of school and families are on vacation. When considering family-friendly vacation destinations, most people think of Disneyland or Hawaii. Yet families do visit San Francisco and are often surprised by how many fun places there are for kids, and kids-at-heart. From Fisherman’s Wharf to Golden Gate Park, overburdened parents can take comfort in the knowledge that there are places for their kids to expend some energy, while mom and dad can just sit for a moment and catch their breath.
The Randall Museum is a free hands-on science and nature complex, complete with a petting zoo and an impressive model train exhibit. Josephine D. Randall was San Francisco’s first Superintendent of Recreation. She made it her mission to establish a safe place for kids to get exposed to art, science, and nature. Originally established in an old city jail in 1937, since 1951 it has been in a 16-acre park, just below Twin Peaks. Today it houses a science and learning center, a petting zoo, and the most impressive model trains I’ve ever seen. The miniature towns and mountains the model trains circumnavigate could probably fill an ice rink. It’s that big!
For 50 years, Playland-at-the-Beach was the only amusement park for almost a hundred miles in any direction from San Francisco. By the 1970s it ceased to be a wholesome family destination, and slowly morphed into one of those creepy amusement parks featured in old Scooby-Doo cartoons. Zoinks! When it was demolished in 1972, there were still dozens of old arcade attractions that would have otherwise been destined for the trash heap and lost forever.
The Musée Mécanique created a literal arcade museum, rescued many of the old games, and lovingly restored them to their original design. Some of them dating back over 100 years. All you needed was a fist full of quarters and you could enjoy them as generations of flapper girls and Bobby-Soxers did decades before.
For the next 40 years the Musée Mécanique found a home next to the world-famous Cliff House on the western shores of the city. When the Cliff House expanded, they had to move yet again. Fortunately, they found the best possible home for their wonders to delight young and old.
The Many Wonders Found at the Musée Mécanique
The Musée Mécanique is now located at Pier 45 in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf and is the perfect place for a family on a budget. Kids born in the 21st century often only see two-dimensional games on a TV or computer screen, but their jaws tend to drop when the see it in three dimensions. Except for a handful of quarters, it’s free!
The Exploratorium is a hands-on museum where kids (both the young kind, and the grown-up kinds as well) can physically interact with the exhibits. Few people know that this first-of-its-kind interactive science museum was the brainchild of Frank Oppenheimer, the brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Yes that J. Robert Oppenheimer, recently made famous by the 2023 Academy Award winning film by director Christopher Nolan.
Blacklisted, Frank was forced to leave academia. He taught high school science for many years and preferred engaging his students with tactile experiments. He later developed that concept and created the Exploratorium.
The Exploratorium
Not only can you physically interact with the displays, but there are also easy-to-follow explanations of the physics behind each one. Located at Pier 15 along the city’s waterfront, it is just a hop skip and a jump from Fisherman’s Wharf.
Fort Point as it is today, dates back to the American Civil War, but was originally an adobe structure built by Spanish explorers in 1776. It is not the most iconic structure, but it has lingered in the background of our minds. It is where Jimmy Stewart fished a soaking wet Kim Novak from San Francisco Bay in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film, Vertigo. It is where Mel Brooks made a fateful phone call from a fictional phone booth in his 1977 Hitchcock tribute, High Anxiety. It’s been a character in countless episodes of The Streets of San Francisco and Nash Bridges.
As shocking as it sounds, when the southern anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge was being designed. There were real plans to demolish Fort Point. Such a hue and cry arose that a special augmentation was added so the bridge could be built, leaving the centuries old fort intact. If you look at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, you will notice it is designed differently than the southern end, hovering over Fort Point. Today it is part of the National Park Service and offers a variety of family-fun activities.
The Golden Gate Park Carousel is in the eastern part of the park, and first opened its doors to the public in 1914. Even though it is more than a century old, kid’s eyes widen when they see the intricate hand-carved designs of the wooden horses, which have been painstakingly restored.
The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park
Only three years younger than the city itself, the California Academy of Sciences has been a destination for families and school field trips since 1853. Experiencing what an earthquake feels like, or having a hundred butterflies land on you are some of the experiences awaiting you at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.
Next to a real fire station is the little and mighty Guardians of the City Museum. Operated by the San Francisco Fire Department, this little gem is dedicated to the history of the SFFD, and displays firefighting equipment and memorabilia showcasing the integral relationship it had in the development of the city. So important, in fact, because the city suffered massive fires in its early days. Most notably the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, which destroyed almost a third of San Francisco.
If you stop and look at any official city vehicle, you will notice the seal of the city prominently features a symbol of the Phoenix rising from the ashes.
But never mind the history, kids love fire trucks!
And the Guardians of the City Museum will make for a pleasant family excursion. It’s not very big, but it is filled with all kinds of wonders honoring San Francisco’s firefighting heroes. The best part for a family on a budget is that it’s also free!
The Children’s Creativity Museum in SOMA
The Children’s Creativity Museum, atop the Moscone Convention Center in downtown San Francisco, offers a hands-on interactive experience with art and video production. The equipment is not what you will find in a real TV or music studio, it’s been specially designed for kids to use. Imagine Sony, by way of Fisher-Price.
Kids can make animation or music videos and learn in an age-appropriate manner how a studio works. Having worked in the film business myself for a stint in another part of my life, I can attest to the incredible tactile introduction kids get. If your child is more of an introvert, there is a position for him where he can interact with the equipment in his own comfort level. If he’s a bit of a ham, there are plenty of opportunities to play in front of the camera.
Lastly, let me recommend the website https://sf.funcheap.com. Thought not specifically for families, this website is a good source for affordable family-friendly events and excursions in San Francisco.
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