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.

Free and Cheap Activities Scheduled This Month

Child playing with pretend garden/kitchen toys near parent

How to Get in FREE to Dozens of Bay Area Museums, Science Centers, + Gardens

10 Mostly Free & Cheap Outings for Mixed Ages in the East Bay

Berkeley library storytime with adult reading to two small children

Free Storytimes Around the East Bay

child in party hat with crabby face and plate of donuts

14 Free and Cheap Birthday Party Places

14 East Bay Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free

Upcoming Free or Cheap Events in the East Bay

Friday, October 23, 2026

9:00 am – 4:00 pm: Explore Blake Garden @ Blake Garden
10:00 am – 10:50 am: Community Preschool Yoga @ Yama Kids Yoga
10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Shabbat & Play @ Temple Sinai
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Story Time @ Crab Cove @ Crab Cove Visitor Center
11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Oaktown Jazz Storytime @ Richmond Library | West Side Branch
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Trunk or Treat @ Civic Park & Community Center (Walnut Creek)
3:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Costume Swap @ Swings and Wings
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: MOCHA Creative Art Play @ Central Library | Berkeley Public Library
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Petting Zoo @ The Backyard
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Haunted Trail @ Pleasant Hill Park

Free & Cheap Resources for Families

Tarea Pitman Hall South Berkeley branch library

The South Library and Tool Lending Library have recently reopened one block north of Ashby BART. There is no designated parking lot, but ample street ...

New book about food and family features many Bay Area writers

The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage is a collection of essays about eating and how we learn to do it, with and from our families. Several ...

New mom challenge: Find bookstore events for babies

Celebrate your local, independent bookstores by discovering a new one, visiting with your well-behaved children and buying a terrific book. Better yet, find out which ...