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
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
10:00 am – 10:45 am: Itty Bitty Storytime @ Richmond Public Library10:00 am – 8:00 pm: Where's Waldo? Rockridge @ Pegasus Books Rockridge
10:30 am – 11:45 am: Hikes for Tykes: Encinal Beach @ Encinal Beach
11:00 am – 11:45 am: Pop & Go Puppets @ Richmond Library | Bayview Branch
11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Prescott Circus Free Youth Circus Performance @ Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts
11:45 am – 12:00 pm: Baby Bounce @ Montclair Branch | Oakland Public Library
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Fairy Gardens Craft @ El Cerrito Library
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Paint A Volcano @ San Lorenzo Library
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: The Rhythm Builders @ Elmhurst Branch | Oakland Public Library
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm: Pop and Go Puppets @ Cesar Chavez Branch | Oakland Public Library
Free & Cheap Resources for Families
Fortune Cookie Factory in Oakland
There’s a fortune cookie “factory” in Oakland’s Chinatown, and if you are not paying attention you’ll miss it. Tucked into the span of two small ...
Free AAA Car seat inspections are a life saver
Thank you to AAA for sponsoring our post today and helping get the word out about child seat safety! If you only take away one thing ...
Kid Report: Geocaching in the East Bay
Our Kid Reporter today is Soren who will be starting Kindergarten this year. I started geocaching after my mom told me about it. We watched ...
Kid Report: Menchie’s – Berkeley Frozen Yogurt
I will be in third grade this fall. I am a guest writer on 510Families.com this summer. Do you think your kids enjoy frozen yogurt ...
Day trip idea: Howarth Park in Santa Rosa
Howarth Park has enough attractions to keep you busy all day long, and though it’s further away than Tilden Park, it’s almost definitely sunny there, ...
Brentwood farms fruit picking, tips for families
Monday, I drove four boys out to Brentwood to go fruit-picking. I was vague in my promises — berries, cherries, apricots, or whatever they have. You like ...
Parents’ guide to Piedmont parks
6 places to play in Piedmont
A Parent’s Guide to South Berkeley: The Lorin District
The Lorin District is close enough to Ashby BART for train spotting, the library for storytime, and Grove Park for all kinds of recreation. The ...
Little kids wanted for cool research at Cal
Years ago, I wrote about getting your baby a job as a scientist and I stand by that recommendation. I first learned about the super ...
It’s Your Move! a Temescal game store with place to play
I can’t believe I had been intimidated by this awesome neighborhood gaming spot. Luckily, my five-year old urged us into It’s Your Move Games, and ...
