If you’re planning a move or you’ve just moved to Berkeley, Oakland, or some other part of the East Bay with kids, let us welcome you! Our community of readers has helped us put together a list of the top resources in the area for parents. 510Families.com offers lots of deep dives into East Bay family fun and more within our archives, but consider this your community-generated cheat sheet.
East Bay realtor, Joe Dickerson, is our sponsor for this post. Read on for some of his tips; he’s an Oakland father so he lives it, too. The Joe Dickerson Group is an award-winning team of local real estate agents specializing in helping Oakland, Berkeley, and East Bay families buy, sell, and invest in real estate in order to build wealth.
East Bay Parks and Outdoor Destinations
Children’s Fairyland (Oakland)
Fairyland is a small-scale, vintage amusement park with rides and play areas located near Lake Merritt in Oakland. Best for kids ages 2-7. If you’ve never been, check out our first-timer’s guide to Children’s Fairyland.
The Oakland Zoo
An impressive Zoo for a medium-sized city, the Oakland Zoo has all the large animals you can name, plus a children’s zoo area and a ride area (closed for covid), and a gondola to travel through the sky over the Zoo.
Lake Chabot Regional Park (San Leandro)
San Leandro’s Lake Chabot Regional Park features hiking trails, fishing, boating, biking, horseshoe pits, jogging, and places to eat with all sorts of watercraft available to rent from single kayaks to patio boats for groups. The 315-acre Lake Chabot is stocked with trout and catfish.
Tilden Park (Berkeley Hills)
Massive regional park, with access points from both the Oakland + Berkeley Hills and Orinda, featuring a carousel, working farm, Lake Anza, short hikes, and steam trains you can ride.
Central Park/Lake Elizabeth (Fremont)
Fremont’s 450-acre urban playground at Central Park offers a lake with pedal boats, a unique playground, skate park, and is adjacent to a seasonal waterpark.
Codornices Park
Large Berkeley Hills park for exploration and relaxation. Two playgrounds and basketball courts; grassy fields; extensive creeks; an under-the-street tunnel that connects to Rose Garden; and a concrete slide make Codornices Park a favorite.
Adventure Playground (Berkeley Marina)
Like the Sandlot your dad played in, Adventure Playground has homemade structures made out of plywood and nails that kids are encouraged to build onto. A uniquely Berkeley experience, reopening in April, 2021.
More places to play in the East Bay
- Want to play outside? Here’s a list of East Bay places to play outside and 20 places to play outside with a toddler.
- Need to hit a playground? We visit and review dozens of East Bay playgrounds so you can find the right one for your vibe today.
- Let’s roll. Best places for learning to ride a bike and terrific places to scooter.
- Go fish. The well-stocked lakes can be particularly friendly for new anglers. Here are 7 favorite spots to go fishing with kids.
- Up for exploring? See our list of 50 things to do when school is closed and a shortlist of Bay Area staycation inspiration to build out your bucket list.
East Bay Swimming
The East Bay is the sunny side of the Bay, right? We boast some pretty terrific swimming pools (open seasonally) with youth swimming lessons. We also have easy access to lots of Bay Area beaches. Your friends Back East don’t have to know how chilly it is at the coast.
Find the right neighborhood for your family
We are active all around the {510} area. Poke around the top navigation to find your specific town or neighborhood.
If you’re still figuring out where to live in the East Bay, no pressure but location is everything. While we love every corner of the sunny side of the Bay, you may want to choose a home near walkable shops, on the water, in the redwoods, near the freeway, or by your kids’ school. Each of our neighborhoods has a different flavor. The Joe Dickerson Group created a helpful cheat sheet for some of their favorite East Bay neighborhoods.
Joe Dickerson’s 5 favorite family-friendly places in the East Bay
As a parent of two active little boys, he and his wife, Annie, keep busy with what the Oakland area has to offer. Joe Dickerson shared his family’s favorite places to go for a fun time together.
- Our kiddos love to climb around Indian Rock Park in Berkeley for family-friendly rock climbing and breathtaking views.
- For a memorable experience, we grab some celery and head to Tilden Little Farm, where we can get up close and personal to feed the cows, goats, pigs, and more.
- We love walking, biking, and scooting through the lush wooded Montclair Railroad Trail.
- Looking for easy hiking trails that are off the beaten track? Check out the Dimond Canyon Trail in Dimond Park, which winds through a flat wooded path right along Sausal Creek.
- To get a different view of the Bay, hop in a kayak or on a stand-up paddle board! We rent our kayaks at Jack London Square and pick up tasty treats at the Sunday Farmers Market afterward.
Ways to Connect with Other Parents in the East Bay
It takes a village to raise these kids. Though our ability to meet in person has been thoroughly challenged with Covid-19 safety measures, we created a pretty comprehensive list of places moms can meet other moms here >
Childcare for East Bay kids
For new-in-town families, finding the right mix of childcare solutions is a vital part of settling in. Building a network of parent friends from daycare, schools, sports, and the neighborhood playground is a big step toward making the East Bay feel like home.
Bananas
This non-profit in Oakland helps parents and caregivers find each other and maintain strong relationships. They also offer many parenting classes and workshops for FREE. Looking for a nanny? Start here.
Berkeley Parents Network
Weekly email newsletter for Berkeley/Oakland and surrounding areas of childcare jobs wanted and offered, plus every other parenting topic you could imagine from toilet training to co-parenting after divorce.
Finding the right school
The Bay Area may have different rules and norms around education than other places. Even the cities and towns within the (510) handle schooling differently. We have a small list of East Bay preschools with openings; it is searchable by keyword and has a map. 510families has created a private school guide to open houses and tours as well as charter school round-up.
Summer camps and seasonal camps in the East Bay
Each year, 510families.com compiles a detailed list of amazing day camps and overnight camps. For 2021, we made an online summer camp guide. We also produce camp guides for winter break and spring break.
Good Things for Moms and Dads
Home Delivery of Food
If you like to have groceries or dinner delivered, you’re living in the right place. We have assembled a helpful guide to all the restaurants, apps, and services that will deliver to your home, including diapers.
Favorite Restaurants for Families
We have a list of restaurants we love for kids eating out in the East Bay that our readers helped us build with everything from grilled cheese to sashimi and, of course, pizza!
Classes for the Kids
You’ll discover everything from gymnastics and yoga to swimming and foreign language classes for ages 0 to 18 in our online class guide and our list of (in-person) after-school classes.
Your new East Bay family fun bucket list
Click the image below to get a high-quality downloadable version you can print.
We’re so glad you’re joining us in the East Bay. We love it here. This list was compiled with help from our fantastic Facebook community. You should join us over there, too.
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Thanks to the Joe Dickerson Group, an award-winning team of local real estate agents specializing in helping Oakland, Berkeley, and East Bay families buy, sell, and invest in real estate in order to build wealth, for sponsoring this post. The Joe Dickerson Group (DRE#01961649) is affiliated with Keller Williams Oakland.
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