April has special days to celebrate with family, including Passover and Earth Day. We also expect sunny, warm weather and activities to enjoy the great outdoors! If you’re staying in the East Bay for spring break, plan for visits to museums, farms, and storytimes.
This post of April’s best things to do with East Bay kids is sponsored by Habitot Children’s Museum, a spectacular location for creative play, imagination, and art for ages 1 to 5 in Emeryville’s Bay Street.
Save the Date for these Exciting Community Events
- Apr 1: April Fools – Play gentle, silly pranks on your kids
- Apr 2: Cal Baseball only $2 per ticket
- Apr 4: Free family concert by Oakland Symphony (RSVP required)
- Apr 6: Eggster egg hunt & learning fair at Cal & The Itty Bitty Variety puppet show at Habitot
- Apr 7: Holi celebration at Bishop Ranch City Center
- Apr 8: Solar Eclipse is reaching 34% totality over Oakland and Chabot is throwing a party.
- Apr 13: The Muffin Man puppet show at Habitot & Sheep shearing at Ardenwood
- Apr 16: Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s
- Apr 20: Little Elephant Has A Ball puppet show at Habitot & Earth Day Celebration
- Apr 21: Piedmont Pop-up Putt Putt in the Park
- Apr 22: Passover begins at sundown; Find family-friendly Passover events > & Earth Day
- Apr 27: Free Sailing at Cal Sailing Open House & Three Billy Goats Gruff puppet show
- Apr 28: Music in the Elmwood & Decked Out music festival on Mare Island
Spotlight on Habitot Happenings
Habitot Children’s Museum at Bay Street Emeryville is hosting cool programming throughout the month. Buy tickets in advance to claim your spot.
Tuesday evenings in April, 5:30 – 7 pm: Julia Martien’s “Evenings of Invention” will introduce 4-8-year-olds to STEM activities featuring mechanical and electrical engineering, robotics, and computers. $27/child. Pre-register here >
Saturday Morning, Puppet Shows, 9:30 am: Each Saturday morning brings a live puppet experience with a different puppet master. Stories and themes are geared toward young children. $15 per ticket includes museum admission to play as long as you like afterward: Get tickets >
Sundays Music & Movement, 9:30-10 am: Ms Alayna brings her love of story, songs, movement, and puppetry for little ones and their caregivers to Habitot. $15 ticket includes museum admission. Get Tickets >
Reserve Tickets to Shows & Performances
- Reserve a space at Kid’s Night Out so YOU can enjoy a child-free date night.
- Buy a spot at the Montclair Restaurant Walk before it sells out.
- Discover family-friendly shows and ticketed events to know about for families >
- Find a last-minute space in spring break camp for your kid. Don’t forget about summer camp >
Play Among the Wildflowers
Thanks to the rain, the flowers are blooming all over. Tulips should be popping up at Oakland’s Temple Hill’s free gardens or Mountain View Cemetery; daffodils or tulips will be waking up at Piedmont Park; Woodside’s Filoli should have cherry blossoms, daffodils, and magnolias; San Francisco’s Botanical Garden should have blooming magnolias along with a great kids’ garden with a mud kitchen. Not into flowers? Visit the cacti at Ruth Bancroft Garden, the redwood grove at UC Botanical Garden, or Hayward’s Japanese Garden to spot koi fish.
Find more tips in our Guide to Kid-friendly Super Bloom Hikes >>
Take a Staycation around the Bay Area
Staycations can take two forms: drive to a nearby hotel and stay for a night or two or sleep in your beds and plan a series of day trips that make the most of our gorgeous Bay Area. We’re big fans of both kinds! Here are some favorite family day trips: Monterey Aquarium, Muir Woods, Santa Rosa, Sacramento Train Museum, Santa Cruz, Angel Island, and Pacifica. Find more Bay Area staycation ideas here >
Free & Cheap Family Picks for April
Need some planning inspiration? We’ve got you covered! We gathered up our favorite free and inexpensive activities in the East Bay to serve as a go-to, weekday itinerary when you’re in a pinch. Find more free & cheap events this month >
- Mondays – Together Wee Play free drop-in playtime for ages 1-4
- Tuesdays – Little Farm has baby chicks this month
- Wednesdays – Blake Garden weekdays are free
- Thursdays – Adult/child duos are free at BAMPFA
- Fridays – Storytime at Crab Cove
- Saturdays – Stop by Sulphur Creek Nature Center
- Sundays – Catch the rides and playground at Kennedy Park
Plus, plan an outing to one of the world-class museums in the Bay Area; take advantage of free admission on certain days. Learn more about ways to get into more Bay Area museums for free >
- Apr. 2: de Young Museum and Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco
- Apr. 4: BAMPFA in Berkeley & SFMOMA in San Francisco
- Apr. 5: CuriOdyssey in San Mateo and Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco
- Apr. 6-7: Bank of America Free Museum Days
- Apr. 7: Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and First Sunday at OMCA (nearly free!)
- Apr. 9: San Francisco Botanical Garden
- Apr. 13: Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco and BAMPFA in Berkeley
Thanks so much to Habitot Children’s Museum in Emeryville for sponsoring today’s guide to fun times in April!
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