6 Best Playgrounds in San Francisco Near Top Tourist Sites
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the entire world. And thankfully, we are lucky enough to have family that live in the Bay Area! This means that each time we visit, we get to take super fun day trips with the kids into San Francisco. It’s always a highlight for me.
Something so great about San Francisco is that it has some really amazing playgrounds that are next to or near popular tourist attractions.
Plus, the parks in San Francisco for kids are basically tourist attractions themselves with how fun they are and how often they are coupled with amazing views of the city. So here are the 6 best playgrounds in San Francisco (in my opinion) from our many, many trips into the city with kids.
We usually choose one of these playgrounds to center our itinerary around for the day and then go from there. One of the playgrounds is even along the route to bike the Golden Gate Bridge and our kids absolutely loved stopping there when we biked the bridge as a family.
Which, by the way, if you are looking for other fun things to do in San Francisco as a family (besides playgrounds ) then read my guide to biking the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s one of my favorite things we’ve done in San Francisco.
Map of Where to Find the Best San Francisco Playgrounds
*Use this interactive map to see each playground in San Francisco CA. Click on the full-screen icon in the top right corner to have this map open in your own Google Maps app or click on the arrow in the top left corner to see a pullout list of all points on the map*
6 Super Fun Playgrounds in San Francisco
- Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground in Chinatown
- Outpost Playground and Field Station in Presidio
- Bay Area Discovery Museum Playground in Sausalito
- Alamo Square Playground by the Painted Ladies
- Koret Children’s Playground and Carousel in Golden Gate Park
- Helen Diller Playground Near Mission Dolores
1. Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground in Chinatown
- Address: 830 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA
- Nearby Attractions: Right in the middle of Chinatown, just a short walk to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Dragon Gate, the Chinatown Cable Car stop, plus loads of Chinese restaurants, markets, and bakeries.
- Toilets?: Yes!
- Playground Features: Chinese-inspired play areas for both school-aged children and toddlers.
If you are looking to visit Chinatown in San Francisco with kids, then Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground definitely needs to be on your itinerary. The Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground is tucked away in what (in my opinion) appears to be prime real estate in the heart of Chinatown.
Not only is the playground beautifully themed and inspired by Chinese culture but it’s surrounded by tall buildings covered with signage in Chinese and decorated with red lanterns.
We made this playground our first stop on our Chinatown itinerary, followed by a walk through Chinatown to try traditional pastries, visit the Fortune Cookie Factory and just enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by a different culture.
Check out my San Francisco Chinatown with kids post if you plan to visit this playground!
We visited this playground with our 4.5-year-old and our 1.5-year-old and there were plenty of play areas for both of them (and kids could be much older and still have a great time).
For the older kids there is a tall play structure that is accessed by climbing in various ways with a large slide to get down. Plus a wide metal slide is found integrated into the hillside just past that first, tall play structure.
The younger kids will enjoy the wooden, dragon tunnel and the wooden bird which are perfect for climbing, jumping, balancing, exploring and hiding.
Plus, there is one additional small, toddler-sized play structure with stairs and a small slide for the little ones. The entire playground area is covered in colorful, soft flooring with small hills integrated throughout which makes it fun for even the youngest who are just learning to walk and balance on interesting surfaces.
2. Outpost Playground and Field Station in Presidio
- Address: Presidio Tunnel Tops, 210 Lincoln Blvd, San Francisco, CA
- Nearby Attractions: The Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field, Palace of Fine Arts, and Fort Point. Sits right along the Golden Gate Bridge Bike Path. (Check out my post about biking the Golden Gate Bridge as a family).
- Toilets?: Yes!
- Playground Features: Nature-inspired play areas for both older and younger kids, water play features, ranger-led activities plus a hands-on, indoor museum about the Presidio area (which is free).
- Hours: Check the indoor Field Station hours here
The Outpost Playground located in Presidio is by far our favorite playground in San Francisco. Not only is the playground itself just so imaginative and fun, but it’s also a playground with views of the Golden Gate Bridge (which makes it a great atmosphere for parents).
The Playground has many different play areas all inspired by nature. There is a tall climbing area in the shape of a nest, a long balancing area shaped like a fallen tree, slides built into hills and so much more.
One of our kids’ favorite activities are the multiple different water tables where they can pump water, make rivers and dams, and get as sandy and wet as they please.
Wednesdays-Sundays you can even check out ‘Park Adventure Kits’ from the nearby Field Station with Geocaching supplies, field guides, magnifying glass and binoculars! And remember, this is all FOR FREE.
Plus, the park rangers from the Field Station are often posted out in the interactive part of the Outpost Playground where they lead fun activities like guessing which nature objects are in a bag just by touching, or exploring the sensory table full of pinecones and other nearby flora.
They even had an adorable reading station set up in part of the playground while we were there stocked with nature books. This place is just next-level amazing.
But if having an amazing playground with Golden Gate views wasn’t enough, right next to the playground (part of the same complex) is the building called The Field Station (which I previously mentioned).
The Field Station is so, so cool. Our 4-year-old loved it even more than the playground (which is saying a lot).
The Field Station is a *very* hands-on experience learning about the surrounding Presidio area of San Francisco. There are sensory experiences of all kinds. For example, there is a tea tasting area, a drawing area, magnifying glasses everywhere and even different scents in bottles for you to smell (just to name a limited few).
Our kids were WAY more engaged at The Field Station than they have ever been at any world-class natural history museum we have visited. And the crazy part is that The Field Station is FREE.
3. Bay Area Discovery Museum Playground in Sausalito
- Address: 557 McReynolds Rd, Sausalito, CA
- Nearby Attractions: Golden Gate Bridge, downtown Sausalito, ferry to San Francisco (beautiful skyline views from the ferry)
- Toilets?: Yes!
- Playground Features: Sandbox and mud kitchen, 2.5-acre interactive outdoor area to explore featuring iconic Bay Area landmarks as play structures, art studio, 3 large play structures connected with rope bridges for older kids, and an indoor tinkering studio
- Cost: $20 per person
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a great place to spend the day with your kids, and it’s home to some amazing playgrounds. It’s located just over the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito with beautiful Golden Gate Bridge views.
Plus, you’re just a couple minutes from downtown Sausalito which is a super cute town with epic San Franisco skyline views.
If you can, I recommend take the ferry to/from Sausalito to San Francisco. It’s basically a harbor cruise that passes between Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Plus you get to see San Francisco from the water, which is beautiful.
But back to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It’s basically a giant indoor and outdoor play area with some constantly changing exhibits and activites for kids of all ages (including a padded indoor playground made just for babies).
The outdoor playgrounds feature a sandbox and mud kitchen for younger kids, a large interactive play area to explore featuring iconic Bay Area landmarks (like a ship to play on), plus a tall ‘treehouse’ play structure connected with rope bridges for the older kids.
It’s a really great place to enjoy the day out as a family. Although this is a paid experience, I think it can be worth it.
4. Alamo Square Playground by the Painted Ladies
- Address: Alamo Square Park, Steiner St, San Francisco, CA
- Nearby Attractions: Painted Ladies, views of San Francisco
- Toilets?: Yes!
- Playground Features: Play structures for both school-aged children and toddlers, bouncy toys and a sandbox
I am all about playgrounds that are located next to typical tourist sights and the Alamo Square Playground is just that. If you are hoping to sneak a peek of San Francisco’s iconic ‘Painted Ladies’ then you will love this park in San Francisco.
The Painted Ladies are a row of beautiful, Victorian homes with gorgeous San Francisco views in the background. You’ll most likely recognize them from the opening credits of ‘Full House’. Anyway, located RIGHT across the street from the painted ladies is the Alamo Square Playground.
The Alamo Square park and playground is a really lovely area to take in the city views and there is often even a little coffee truck there.
The playground is tucked away in some trees with one play structure for older kids and one play structure for younger kids plus some bouncy toys and a sand box.
You get a tiny sneak peek of the Painted Ladies directly from the playground, however, there are better views from the grass above. But even though you can’t see them directly from the playground, you still have other amazing city views from the play area.
5. Koret Children’s Playground and Carousel in Golden Gate Park
- Address: Martin Luther King Jr Dr & Bowling Green Dr, San Francisco, CA
- Nearby Attractions: Located in Golden Gate Park, near the California Academy of Sciences & San Francisco Botanical Garden
- Toilets?: Yes!
- Playground Features: Multiple large play structures for school-aged children and toddlers, cement slides built in the hill for cardboard, swings, ocean-inspired open-ended play areas, sandbox, and a nearby carousel
Golden Gate Park is a huge (1,000 acre+) park in the heart of San Francisco. One of the most kid-friendly play areas in Golden Gate Park is the Koret Children’s Playground.
The Koret’s Children Playground is a huge play area with play structures kids of all ages. There are two, large play structures with stairs, slides, firepoles and monkey bars. One is geared towards older kids with the other large structure geared towards younger kids.
A super unique, fun feature of this playground are the two cement slides built into the large hill next to the playground. The slides are designed to use with cardboard and they are intense!
There was a pile of cardboard at the base of the slide while we were there that anyone could use. You could honestly use it without cardboard as well, but the cardboard makes it fun! Our 4-year-old did the cement slides, but I wouldn’t recommend for ages much younger than that.
The playground also has a large area with swings, and large sandbox inspired by the ocean and ocean animals.
One more fun thing about this playground in Golden Gate Park is that there is a carousel located RIGHT nearby! This carousel was built in 1914 but found its home in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park in 1940.
A ride on the carousel costs $2 for adults, $1 for kids ages 6-12 and children 5 and under are free.
6. Helen Diller Playground Near Mission Dolores
- Address: Dolores St &, 19th St, San Francisco, CA
- Nearby Attractions: Mission Dolores (Spanish Californian mission and oldest structure in San Francisco), beautiful views of San Francisco
- Toilets?: Yes!
- Playground Features: Large play area for kids of all ages with slides built into hills, climbing structures, swings, and well-thought-out toddler play areas
The Helen Diller Playground at Mission Dolores Park just has such a nice vibe. Not only is it a beautiful, new-feeling playground but it just has sweeping San Francisco city views… from like, every point of the playground. It’s definitely one of the best parks in San Francisco with a view.
The palm trees in the park touch the sky, with the steeple of Mission Dolores in the background and the skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco just pass that. It’s a beautiful view.
The playground has multiple areas for all ages. It’s less of a play structure and more imaginative playground structures dotted around the area. Like fun, metal slides built into different hillsides, and unique climbing and balancing structures, swings and tunnels.
There is also a really great imaginative play area for the youngest of your group. The baby/toddler area has a very small metal slide, cement structures for littles to practice holding and walking and areas for a great game of peek-a-boo.
Check out these other posts, I know you’ll love them:
- The Ultimate Guide to Biking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
- 7 Super Fun Things to do in San Francisco’s Chinatown with Kids
And those are all of the parks in San Francisco CA that I recommend! We have visited all of these San Francisco parks and I highly recommend all of them. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about how to work these into your itinerary or any San Francisco questions in general!
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