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
Thursday, April 30, 2026
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Chop and Chat – Cooking Fun @ Melrose Branch | Oakland Public Library4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Bike Month Kick-off @ Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza
Friday, May 1, 2026
9:00 am – 4:00 pm: Explore Blake Garden @ Blake Garden9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Pop-N-Play @ Ruby’s Tumbling
10:00 am – 10:50 am: Preschool Yoga Class @ Yama Kids Yoga
10:00 am – 1:00 pm: Wee Play: Drop-In Playtime @ Alameda Veterans Memorial Building
10:15 am – 11:00 am: Bouncing Babies Storytime @ Fremont Main Library
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Story Time @ Crab Cove @ Crab Cove Visitor Center
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Toddler Plus Storytime @ Main | Alameda Free Library
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Opera For Kids @ Central Library | Berkeley Public Library
Free & Cheap Resources for Families
Tour Fentons Creamery in Oakland
Tour Fentons Creamery in Oakland on the arctic tour for age 6 and up. Brr.
Learn to row with Berkeley High Crew (FREE)
Every spring Berkeley High Crew hosts a free Learn-to-Row Day open to youth ages 11 and up. Pre-register for this cool opportunity for your tween ...
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 ...
