Links

WebReg

Use WebReg's advanced keyword search to find out more about below activities for kids, or register online.
- Jr. Lifeguards
- Outdoor Discoveries
- Sea Squirts
- Estuary Explorers
- Coyote Cubs
- Black Diamond Knobbers
- Sea Siblings
- Science for Tykes

Program Guides

Download Regional In Nature, Nature Nearby or other activity guides by visitor center or division

Special Events

Find special events throughout the year for you and your family

Field Trips

Get information on planning a field trip to the East Bay Regional Parks

The parks offer many fun programs and activities for children. These include naturalist-led programs, swimming, boating and horseback riding lessons. Special events for kids include an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration, summer and fall festivals, music concerts and more. Browse classes and activities online, or register online, at WebReg, or call 1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) 510-633-0460.

There are many featured activities for kids in the Regional Parks, which include:

• Fun Rides
• Nature Discoveries
• Museum and Exhibits
• Play Areas
• Swimming
• Swimming and Riding Lessons
• Special Events
• Featured Activities for Kids with Disabilities

Fun Rides

The Merry-Go-Round

Herschell Spillman merry-go-round in Tilden Regional Park is a splendid antique carousel with hand-carved and beautifully painted wooden carousel animals to ride. The calliope plays music to make any child's heart sing. For information, call (510) 524-6773. It is open for riding from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays, and on weekdays during school spring and summer vacation. There is a fee: $2 per ride; $10 for 7-ride ticket book. Fees are subject to change. Back to top

Train Rides

Redwood Valley Railway in Tilden Regional Park offers steam train rides along a scenic ridge on a scaled-down steam train. For information, including hours and ticket prices, call (510) 548-6100 or visit their website at www.redwoodvalleyrailway.com.

Golden Gate Live Steamers has small-scale locomotives at their Tilden Regional Park facility. Scales include 1/2, 3/4, 1, and 1 1/2 inches to the foot. For information call (510) 486-0623 or visit their website at www.ggls.org.

Ardenwood Historic Farm's horse-drawn train ride takes kids more than 100 years back in time on a ride into the park with docents dressed in period costumes. For ride schedule, visit Ardenwood Historic Farm page. For more information, visit the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources (SPCRR) website. Back to top

Pony Ride

The Pony Ride in Tilden Regional Park is closed for renovation until further notice. Back to top

Nature Discoveries

Naturalist-Led Programs

Naturalist-led programs and activities are great way to learn about natural history and local East Bay history as it relates to its affects on natural communities. Visit the Program Guides page to download Naturalist programs by visitor center, or do an advanced keyword search on program title to find out more about these featured programs for kids:

• Outdoor Discoveries
• Sea Squirts
• Estuary Explorers
• Coyote Cubs
• Black Diamond Knobbers
• Sea Siblings
• Science for Tykes

For Educator: To arrange a school field trip, please visit the Field Trips page. Back to top

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

Discover the natural wonders both above and below ground at Black Diamond, the only park in the Bay Area where kids can hike the hills and explore beneath them. Along the 60 miles of trails in the park, visitors can peer into several mine openings and even walk into some of them. Attend a weekend naturalist program to get the full details on the mines and local geology or, from spring through fall, take a tour of the Hazel-Atlas Mine. Every season brings a new wonder for visitors, ranging from spectacular Delta and Sierra panoramas on crisp winter days to the icy cold breezes blowing out of the mines in the heat of summer. Back to top

Coyote Hills Regional Park

The Coyote Hills visitor center is the base of operations in the Southwest Interpretive Sector for a wide variety of nature and cultural history programs and activities for children of all ages. Our Coyote Cubs, Nature Bytes, Junior Naturalists, and other periodic naturalist-led youth programs, give children an opportunity to explore the world around them in a comfortable setting, utilizing various educational activities. We also present our youth programs occasionally at other parks in our Sector, such as Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer in Hayward and Quarry Lakes in Fremont. Some of our program activities include studies of reptile and amphibians, geology, marsh ecology, bird habitats, edible plants, Native Americans, primitive skills, and much more. A nature store is located at both Garin and Coyote Hills Parks, where visitors can purchase bird guides, books on Native Americans, and other gifts and mementos of their visit. The Garin visitor center is open only on weekends in the summer. The Coyote Hills visitor center is open year-round, Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. For further information about our programs and services, please contact us at (510) 795-9385 or chvisit@ebparks.org. Back to top

Crown Memorial State Beach: Crab Cove Visitor Center/Central Interpretive Sector

Coast redwood forests, ancient volcanoes, lakes, oak-bay woodlands, serpentine prairie, and San Francisco Bay reflect the diversity of parklands served by the Central Interpretive Sector. Rich in history and natural wonders, Crab Cove Visitor Center is the hub of operations for naturalists who provide kids and family programs throughout these parklands. Our Sea Siblings, Sea Squirts, and Estuary Explorers youth programs typically meet twice a month at the visitor center, to explore various natural and cultural themes. Nature parties for children 3-12 years old are a fun way to celebrate with friends. With hands-on exhibits, aquariums that provide a look at seldom seen Bay creatures, and sharks and whale models "swimming" about, children want to return often to visit their new animal friends.

At the shoreline parks discover salt-marsh habitat, rocky shore and mudflat organisms, bay creatures, and shorebirds. Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland, our newest park, has unprecedented access to great views of the bay, and programs featuring restored natural habitats, and maritime activity.

Lake parks provide camping, fishing, and boating opportunities. Occasional fishing programs with a naturalist include the equipment. Youth groups can rent the "Chabot Queen" pontoon boat with the option of arranging for a naturalist to provide a free program aboard! Free summer campfire programs are hosted every Saturday evening at Anthony Chabot Campground from Memorial through Labor Day weekend.

Ridgeland parks feature frequent programs for families. "Munchkin Meander," "Search for Slugs" and "Amazing Amphibians" are menu selections. Our partner Chabot Space and Science Center is often a meeting place for guided walks into the coast redwoods. Enjoy the center before or after your visit to the redwoods -- tallest living organisms on planet earth.

Come visit! Crab Cove Visitor Center is open year-round, Wednesday-Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. For further information about our programs and services, please phone (510) 521-6887 or ccove@ebparks.org. Back to top

Sunol Regional Wilderness

Sunol Regional Wilderness offers several serial nature programs for kids. Outdoor Discoveries for 3 - 5 year olds, Wilderness Trekkers for K - 6th graders, Science for Tykes for 4 - 8 year olds and Eco-Explorers for 3rd - 7th graders. To receive a flier for these programs, you can contact the park at (510)544-3240 or email at svisit@ebparks.org. Back to top

The Little Farm, Tilden Nature Area and Environmental Education Center (EEC)

The Little Farm, Tilden Nature Area and Environmental Education Center in Tilden Regional Park offer many nature-related programs and activities for children age 3 and up. At the Little Farm, kids can learn about and help feed farm animals. In the 740-acre Nature Area they can join naturalists for enjoyable nature walks, muck about in ponds with dip nets and magnifiers, and ramble the hills and meadows looking for bugs, beetles, and animal tracks. Inside the Environmental Education Center, kids can make nature crafts and take a fascinating "underground" journey that reveals the story of the Wildcat Creek watershed. A "water discovery room" features interactive displays, and children can see microscopic pond life with easy-to-use microscopes. The EEC also offers books and nature-related gifts for sale and portable educational displays for rent. Information: (510) 525-2233 or tnarea@ebparks.org. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Mondays). Fee: none. Back to top

Museum and Exhibits

Ardenwood Historic Farm Exhibits

A visit to Ardenwood Historic Farm is a journey back to the time of the Patterson Ranch - a prosperous, 19th-century country estate including a beautiful mansion and its elaborate Victorian Gardens. Patterson House tours are led by docents dressed in 19th century clothing. For tour schedule, visit Ardenwood Historic Farm page. Today the Historic Farm exhibits agricultural practices from the 1870s to the present, demonstrating the transition from horse-powered to horsepower.

In Ardenwood Historic Farm, visit the blacksmith shop to feel the forge's heat and hear the clang of metal on metal. Children will see how horseshoes and wagon parts were made "in the old days." Look for vintage equipment, farm animals, and farmcraft demonstrations in the shed. For information about the blacksmith shop, visit Ardenwood Forge website. For shop hours, visit Ardenwood Historic Farm page.

Greathouse Visitor Center Exhibits

The Greathouse Visitor Center at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve contains displays, photographs, videos, brochures and artifacts depicting the park's 19th-century coal and 20th-century sand mining eras. For visitor center hours, click here.

Golden State Model Railroad Museum

The Golden State Model Railroad Museum, at Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline has 10,000 square feet of N, HO and O scale model railroads located in Point Richmond. During the months of April through December, the museum is open and trains are running every Sunday from Noon-5pm. The museum is also open Saturdays from Noon-5pm, and Wednesdays from 11am-3pm, but there won't be any trains running. The museum will be closed for the winter break from January through March. Admission fees are: $3 per adult; $2 for seniors and children under 12; $7 for families. Fees are subject to change. For information, call (510) 234-4884 or (510) 758-6288 or visit their web site at www.gsmrm.org/. Back to top

Play Areas

Play areas for kids are available in the following parks:

• Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area, El Sobrante
• Martinez Regional Shoreline, Martinez
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland (Environmental Play Area)
• Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, Richmond
• Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Richmond
• Redwood Regional Park, Oakland
• Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley
• Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, Richmond

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Swimming

Families can take their children to swimming at the following locations:

• Swim Lakes: Lake Anza (Tilden Regional Park), Lake Del Valle (Del Valle Regional Park), Horseshoe Lake (Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area), Shadow Cliffs Lake (Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area), Lake Temescal (Temescal Regional Recreation Area)
• Swim Lagoons: Contra Loma Regional Recreation Area, Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area, Don Castro Regional Recreation Area
• Outdoor Pool: Roberts Pool (Roberts Regional Recreation Area)
• Bay Shoreline Beaches: Crown Beach and Keller Beach (Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline)

Water Slide

The water slide at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area is open on weekends in the spring and fall, and daily during the hot summer months. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall. For information and fees, call (925) 846-4900. Back to top

Swimming and Riding Lessons

Roberts Pool at Roberts Regional Recreation Area and Contra Loma Regional Park offer swimming lessons for kids. Visit WebReg for a listing of aquatic programs.

Children can learn horse riding through the following facilities:

• Chabot Stables at Anthony Chabot Regional Park: Call (510) 569-4428 for information.
• Skyline Ranch Equestrian Center at Anthony Chabot Regional Park: Call (510) 336-0850 for information.
• Las Trampas Stables at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness: Call (925) 838-7546 for information.
• Piedmont Stables at Redwood Regional Park: Call (510) 531-9944 for information.

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Special Events

Ardenwood Historic Farm hosts a series of year-round special events for kids. These include an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration, summer and fall harvest festivals, special music concerts, and recreations of Victorian social events. Other fun programs such as Barnyard Buddies, Animal Feeding, and "Old MacDonald's Friends." Pumpkin, corn, and berry picking are seasonal favorites. Visit WebReg for a listing of special events at the Ardenwood Historic Farm.

For other special events, check out our Special Events page. Back to top

Featured Activities for Kids with Disabilities

The play areas in Roberts Regional Recreation Area and the south playground at Temescal Regional Recreation Area are wheelchair accessible. The Roberts Pool in Roberts Regional Recreation Area is fully accessible to children with disabilities, including the bathhouse and a lift into the pool capable of lifting up to 300 pounds.