Free & Cheap
Family-friendly Bay Area Fun on The Cheap
Discounted admission to museums, plays, classes and other tips to discover free fun for East Bay Area children.
Upcoming Free or Cheap Events in the East Bay
Sunday, December 7, 2025
11:00 am – 7:00 pm: Drop-In Art Making @ Berkeley Art Museum (BAMPFA)Monday, December 8, 2025
7:30 am – 9:00 am: Free Admission Hours @ San Francisco Botanical Garden9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Pop-N-Play @ Ruby’s Tumbling
10:30 am – 11:15 am: Jump and Shake Time @ Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch | Berkeley Public Library
10:30 am – 11:30 am: Learn and Play Storytime @ Weekes Branch | Hayward Public Library
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Preschool Storytime @ Bay Farm Branch | Alameda Free Library
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Toddler Storytime @ Main Library | Oakland Public Library
11:00 am – 11:30 am: Family Storytime @ Richmond Library | Bayview Branch
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Kids Yoga and Movement @ Fremont Main Library
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Evening Family Storytime @ Central Library | Berkeley Public Library
Free & Cheap Resources for Families
Junior Center of Art & Science
The Junior Center for Art and Science is a wonderful gem of a science museum and art studio located next to the bird sanctuary at ...
Things to do at Washington Park in Alameda
This park has play areas, soccer, tennis, basketball, and is home to affordable summer camps for Alameda kids.
Alameda Adventure Court at South Shore Center
Alameda's South Shore Center's newest addition - Adventure Court Playground - is a win for all. A perfect pit stop after you've shopped.
Get your kid a job: toy tester
Sign up for your baby or toddler to be a toy tester at the LeapFrog/VTech lab in Emeryville. We've done it and enjoyed it.
Field Trip to the Hills and Tunnels of Black Diamond Mines
Thank you to Annie Burke sharing her terrific tips for exploring Black Diamond Mines with kids in tow. There’s something cool about exploring an ...
Go Outside with Kids, Really Outside
Feeling quite tired of playgrounds (I hear you!), Berkeley mom of two Annie Burke started taking her family and friends out to some less-traveled parks ...
{510} Family Faves with Outdoors Advocate Annie Burke
Annie Burke loves to take her children outside into the parks, seashore, and nature In the Bay Area. Get your fingernails dirty.
Biking with East Bay kids on the Bay Bridge
My husband Alec took our big boys to ride bicycles on the Eastern span of the Bay Bridge. For a pretty flat course, the views ...
Berkeley Family Bike Fest & Family Cycling Rodeo
My favorite kid-friendly bike rodeo event is happening 3/18 at LeConte school in Berkeley, and everyone's invited.
Oakland playground: Union Point Park
This playground, located very close to Pump It Up in Oakland, will keep tots entertained for a while, and when it gets old, you can ...
