Location

8 with deals

Things to do in Oakland with kids

Museums, family fun and zoos & aquariums — 29 places to go with kids in Oakland, California. 2 free to enter · most admission $15 to $24. 8 have a verified saving right now.
Plan my day

Indoor things to do in Oakland →

Museums in Oakland11

All museums in California →

Family fun in Oakland4

All family fun in California →

Zoos & aquariums in Oakland2

All zoos & aquariums in California →

Farms & pumpkin patches in Oakland2

All farms & pumpkin patches in California →

Escape rooms in Oakland2

All escape rooms in California →

Historic sites in Oakland2

All historic sites in California →

Tours & cruises in Oakland2

All tours & cruises in California →

Theme parks in Oakland1

All theme parks in California →

Ice & roller skating in Oakland1

All ice & roller skating in California →

Indoor climbing in Oakland1

All indoor climbing in California →

Parks & beaches in Oakland1

All parks & beaches in California →

With kids in Oakland

4 places in Oakland price a child ticket or let kids in free, child tickets $3 to $30.

What’s on in Oakland

Within 25 miles of Oakland. Dates and wording are each venue’s own.

Free in Oakland

3 attractions in Oakland get you in for nothing, in the venue’s own words.

All free things to do in California →

Places with deals in Oakland

See each venue's offer wording and ticket conditions before choosing.

Oakland offers a diverse mix of attractions centered on hands-on learning and family entertainment. The Chabot Space & Science Center features interactive exhibits and live demonstrations exploring space, science, and astronomy, while the Oakland Zoo spans multiple themed areas where visitors observe African lions, Grant's zebras, dromedary camels, hamadryas baboons, and various bird species across sections including the African Savanna, California Trail, Tropical Rainforest, Wild Australia, and Parrott Plaza. For younger children, Children's Fairyland occupies a 10-acre lakeside park on the shores of Lake Merritt designed for families with young children. Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) in downtown Oakland provides hands-on creation with paint, sculptables, and mixed media. The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (MADE) is a playable video game museum where visitors play thousands of games on original hardware and examine rare pieces of gaming history. Beyond these anchor attractions, Oakland includes indoor play centers, escape rooms, historic sites, and lakeside activities, ensuring options for different ages and interests.

What this list covers

Oakland has 29 places to go, mostly museums (11), family fun (4), zoos & aquariums (2).

14 of them publish an admission price, 25 publish opening hours, 4 have something dated on now, 8 are running a verified saving.

Every figure here was read on the attraction’s own website, most recently on October 14, 2026.

How we know these are real

Savings here are quoted from the attraction’s own website, word for word. This one, for example:

“We offer $1 tickets for up to four (4) people per EBT, WIC, or P-EBT cardholder.”

Quoted from chabotspace.org · checked on

Common questions

How many attractions in Oakland are running a deal?
8 of the 29 attractions in Oakland currently have a verified saving, covering 18 offers in total. Each is quoted from the attraction’s own website. Examples include Chabot Space & Science Center, Children's Fairyland, Great Western Power Company. Check each venue’s offer wording and eligibility conditions.
What’s on in Oakland right now?
4 attractions in Oakland have something dated running, 4 listings between them. Each carries its own dates and the venue’s own sentence, and nothing is listed once its dates have passed.
Is there anything free to do in Oakland?
2 attractions in Oakland say on their own website that admission is free. We only say free when the venue does, unqualified — a child rate priced at nothing is not a free attraction. Examples include Mills College Art Museum, The Gardens at Lake Merritt.
What kinds of attractions are included?
museums (11), family fun (4), zoos & aquariums (2), farms & pumpkin patches (2), escape rooms (2), historic sites (2), tours & cruises (2), theme parks (1), ice & roller skating (1), indoor climbing (1), parks & beaches (1).
Are these deals guaranteed to still be available?
No. Every deal here carries the date it was last checked on the attraction’s own website and a link straight to the page it came from, so you can confirm it before you travel. Prices and offers change without notice.
What can toddlers and preschoolers do in Oakland?
Children's Fairyland features a 10-acre lakeside park on the shores of Lake Merritt designed for families with young children. The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment offers free admission for children under 4. Bay Play is an indoor entertainment center with a 3,000 square foot playground filled with climbing walls, slides, tunnels, and obstacle course structures.
Where can school-age children explore science and nature?
The Chabot Space & Science Center offers hands-on exploration of space, science, and astronomy through interactive exhibits and live demonstrations. The Oakland Zoo features multiple themed areas where visitors observe animals including African lions, Grant's zebras, and dromedary camels. The Junior Center of Art and Science on the shores of Lake Merritt allows children ages 6–17 to explore art and science through hands-on creative work.
What's available for teenagers looking for active or immersive experiences?
Great Western Power Company is a climbing gym and fitness facility located in Uptown Oakland. Clockwise Escape Room Oakland and Escape Oakland both offer immersive games where teams solve puzzles and complete challenges within sixty minutes. The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment is a playable video game museum where visitors play thousands of games on original hardware.