COVID-19 East Bay Reopenings for Kids: What to Do & Where to Go

In most of the Bay Area, we are transitioning to a phase of re-opening with more businesses and activities permitted. We must continue to comply with COVID-19 safety precautions. Read more from the California Department of Health here.

What’s open now for families

Lots of wonderful businesses are starting to re-open. Yay! But please, when in doubt, check with the venue!

As of Friday, April 2, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties are in the Orange Tier; Contra Costa and Solano counties are in the Red Tier.

Now open for Bay Area families

Movie Theatres

Open for both regular showings with reserved seating and private auditorium rentals. Theaters can allow 25% capacity or 100 guests, whichever is smaller in Red Tier counties and 50% capacity or 200 guests, whichever is smaller in Orange Tier counties. AMC and Cinemark chains have opened. The Landmark chain has opened only on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley. Their other theaters (California, Solano Ave, Piedmont) remain closed.

East Bay Regional Parks

Outdoor attractions are open with advanced reservations. Tilden’s carousel is still closed.

• Steam Trains in Tilden Park are open as of April 3. Buy tickets at the booth or use your pre-pandemic passes. Learn more.
• Ardenwood Farms is open for scheduled visits. Here’s how it works.
• Little Farm in Tilden Park offers scheduled visits, including the Nature Center as of April 3. Here’s how it works.
• Botanical Garden in Tilden is open.

Museums in San Francisco

• Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is now open with free admission through October 12. We have details here.
• California Academy of Sciences reopened on March 17. More details and ticket information here.
• deYoung Museum is open to the public as of Saturday, March 6. More info here.
• SFMOMA is with advance ticket purchase only (kids are free). See the hours here.

Children’s Museums

• Bay Area Discovery Museum has its indoor and outdoor exhibits open. Advance tickets required. Great for a day trip.
• Oakland Aviation Museum is open for outdoor exhibits. More details on further reopening plans here.
• Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco is hosting free outdoor events until they reopen.

Fruit-Picking Farms

Open with a variety of social distancing solutions, some requiring reservations.

• Strawberries in Brentwood’s Farm District

Outdoor Pools

Swimming lessons are deemed essential.

• Aquatech is open. Classes and more info here. 
• El Cerrito Swim Center is taking reservations.

In-Person Classes and Athletic Teams for East Bay Kids

• • Athletic Playground Limited in-person classes available, and online classes are available. More info here.
  • The Crucible is reopened with smaller class sizes and safety policies in place. More program info here.
  • NOLL/SOLL Little League has opened registration for a delayed season which will stretch into summer. Check for updates here.
  • Traverse Fitness is closed for regular hours, but is open for children’s school day camps/distance learning pods. Learn more here.
  • Tutu School is hosting ballet classes for little ones.

Libraries

• Berkeley Public Libraries You can check out books for outside pickup at any of the five libraries. More info here.
• Contra Costa Public Libraries Front Door Service is available now at 25 library locations. See how it works here.
• Oakland Public Library Ten (10) OPL locations are offering sidewalk pickup service during limited hours.

Family Entertainment Centers

• Boomers in Livermore has extended Spring Break hours for mini-golf, go-karting, and the rock climbing wall.
• Golfland in Castro Valley and other mini-golf venues are open.

Pottery Painting venues

• Brushstrokes is open with limited seating. Make a reservation before you go.

Amusement Parks

• Children’s Fairyland reopened on March 19. Here’s the deal.
• Skystar Observation Wheel in Golden Gate Park is now open. Amazing views of San Francisco. More info here.
• Bigger amusement parks, including Disneyland, are open(ing) with limited capacity or are scheduled for later this spring. Get all the Bay Area amusement park reopening details here.

Train Rides

Niles Canyon Railway is running steam train rides. Buy tickets in advance.

Zoos

• Oakland Zoo is open with advance ticket purchase and limited capacity and indoor exhibits closed. See more here.
• San Francisco Zoo is open with advanced ticket sales. Indoor attractions like the Insect Room are still closed. Details are here.

Indoor Children’s Playspaces

• Kids Play Zone Oakland is offering private play hours, by reservations in two-hour blocks. Learn more.
• Swings and Wings, Alameda’s sensory-based indoor play place serving kids from 6 months to 8 years old is open for reservations – one social pod at a time.
• Twirl, an art-focused playspace, has opened an outdoor play garden and is hosting their first Kids’ Night (two-and-a-half-hour drop-off session) on Friday, April 2.
• Jumpity Bumpity, Hayward, an ocean-themed indoor play space for young walkers through about age 12. Open for walk-in play as of April 1.
• Read about more indoor kids play spaces in the East Bay >

Spectator Sports

• Oakland A’s are selling 2 or 4-person ticket pods to home games at the Oakland Arena

Openings In The Near-Future

• Albany Berkeley Soccer Club (ABSC) 2021 Spring Registration is open. Summer Camp registration open soon. More info here.
• Canyon Swim School They’re hoping to reopen in Summer, 2021. Check for updates here.
• Chabot Space & Science Center is currently closed through June 2021, though they have many online offerings available.
• Disneyland will open to California residents only on April 30. Learn more >
• Great America has scheduled its opening day for May 22.
• Great Wolf Lodge, the indoor waterpark/hotel is taking reservations for mid-June onward.
• Gymboree Oakland plans to open April 20
• Happy Hollow will open their playground activities at the end of April.
• Lindsay Wildlife Experience is still closed but is now offering a socially-distanced outdoor program for children and hikes.
• The Lawrence Hall of Science is closed through June 2021 but will have in-person camps this summer.  Plenty of online resources too.
• Oakland Coliseum will welcome Oakland As fans back at 20% during the Red Tier, 33% in Orange Tier. The first game is April 1.
• Santa Cruz boardwalk, offering outdoor games and two rides now, will add more rides on April 1. Learn more >
• Summer Camps are open for registration. See a huge list of summer camps & a big list of Bay Area overnight camps.
• Twirl in Alameda plans to reopen its indoor art space in April.

Alameda County and Contra Costa County are both in the Red Tier. But there is still so much uncertainty about what can be open and what we can do safely, leaving parents juggling extra variables to keep the kids happy and healthy.

Where to play and what to do with kids during social distancing

Outside places to play

If the weather is pleasant, playing outside is a terrific option when you need to get out of the house. The more natural and distant from one another, the better! We have many suggestions about where to play outside with kids locally; you will have to take some of those suggestions with a grain of salt (and a packet of sanitizing wipes).

Stay home with your family

We have baking projects and silly activities to do in the house. Not to mention all that TV! Here’s more to do when you’re stuck at home with kids >

Local COVID-19 information resources

Local health officials are loosening restrictions and counties across the Bay Area are starting to open up. Officials are still asking for social distancing and mask wearing, but we’re now seeing some venues like museums and places like restaurants opening up at reduced capacity.

Find the most current information through the City and County departments of health:

• California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov
• Alameda County Public Health Department: acphd.org
• Contra Costa Health Services: contracostahealth.org