Kids may not want to hear it, but summer is winding down. With a few long, sunny days still ahead, now’s the perfect time to squeeze in a few more adventures. Make it your mission to check off a few of these Bay Area activities before the season ends and make the most of the remaining days of summer.
- Build sandcastles. Grab the sunscreen and sand toys, and spend the day at one of the East Bay’s beautiful beaches.
- Bring a picnic to Piedmont Park. Climb trees at the park and eat a tasty meal outside.
- Explore a museum for free. Use the Discover & Go program to visit expensive museums like Cal Academy for free.
- Venture out to a new park. Here are 9 San Francisco Playgrounds worth the trip.
- Go stargazing. Escape the city lights and see the stars with your older kids. Don’t miss the Perseid meteor shower (peak viewing is August 12-13).
- Discover secret stairs and paths. The Secret Stairs of the East Bay is a handy guidebook to find some new ones. Wear yourself out running up and down the steps.
- Connect with nature. Take a stroll through the Edible Schoolyard and the West Oakland Farm to learn where food comes from, and experience urban farming
- Set out to Little Yosemite. Sunol’s Little Yosemite waterfalls, streams, and rocks are ready for you to discover.
- Create something new. Drop into Michaels for Kids Club craft projects and Home Depot for monthly Kids Workshops.
- Stroll through the garden. Chase butterflies, enjoy the flowers, wander the paths at The Gardens at Lake Merritt.
- Have an outdoor movie night. Stay up late for an evening under the stars and catch a movie in the park.
- Learn to juggle. Join Circus Bella’s Juggling Jam, held on Saturdays in Union Square, for beginner-friendly juggling lessons.
- Saddle up. Take a free pony ride on Sundays at Marin Country Mart.
- Meet animals. Visit the East Bay Vivarium, Tilden Little Farm, Sulphur Creek Nature Center, or the Randall Museum, where you can meet everything from reptiles and farm animals to birds and wildlife.
- Keep cool. Run through the free splash pads and spraygrounds of the East Bay
- Collect “new” books. Go on a Little Free Library hunt to find some new summer reads.
- Row a boat. Take to the water with Rocking the Boat’s free community rowing program.
- Take advantage of free museum days. Explore some of the Bay Area’s most popular museums, with free admission days on at least one day each month.
- Catch a live concert. August is filled with family-friendly outdoor concerts, a perfect way to enjoy warm weather and live music.
- Visit a new library. Library hop, explore story times and events at different library branches – many are listed on our calendar >
- Spend the day in Alameda. Learn something new at the Crab Cove Visitor Center, hop on the Woodstock Water Shuttle, and hunt for fairy doors.
- Roast marshmallows. Tell stories around the campfire at Dumbarton Quarry Campground
- Bowl a strike. Register kids for weekly free bowling passes.
1 thought on “20+ Free Things to do Before Summer is Over”
Can I add another cool free adventure spot? We recently visited Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland and it was super cool. It’s one of the East Bay Regional Parks and has a big wow factor for little and big kids alike: container ships. “Middle Harbor Shoreline Park is situated in the heart of an active container seaport. Visitors can see the direct loading and unloading of a ship, and observe the different pieces of equipment it takes to move cargo.” In addition to the action packed port, the beach trail is delightful and there’s an observation tower with those big viewing binocular things where you can zoom onto the Bay Bridge, SF, Yerba Buena Island, etc. It’s got big clean bathrooms and lots of picnic and BBQ options. Family fun for sure!