The Best Places in Piedmont, CA to Go With Kids

April 15, 2022
by Whitney Moss
No Comments

{510} Families is your guide to the best things to do with kids in the East Bay, with a focus on Berkeley, Oakland, and surrounding areas.

Piedmont, CA is its own city with a school district, but it’s entirely surrounded by Oakland. When we talk about Piedmont in this post, we’re really covering an area larger than the city limits because the main commercial street nearby, Piedmont Avenue, packed with appealing shops and restaurants, is technically in Oakland.

child at piedmont park — Photo: Whitney Moss

Onward to your tour of Piedmont and Piedmont Avenue with kids!

Piedmont with a baby

Because the sidewalks are tree-lined and many of the homes are notably large, Piedmont is a lovely destination in which to take a walk with a stroller or while wearing a baby.

Stroller in Piedmont — Walk through the wooded path at Dracena Quarry Park | Photo: Maureen Burke

Six places to walk with a baby in Piedmont:

Piedmont Park has multiple paths to explore with a baby carrier. Park on Magnolia Avenue and leave your stroller behind so you don’t get waylaid by stairs. Plus, the public restroom has a changing station.
Piedmont Avenue has cafes, nooks with benches, and flower stands that will provide a sensory tour for parents and babies.
Morcom Rose Garden has meandering paths and water features to create a peaceful setting.
Mountain View Cemetery (not creepy, and very popular for mom’s group meet-ups) offers a paved, winding path that reveals a hilltop view of the area that is easy for strollers. There are beautiful flowers at the front entrance and plenty of trees to provide shade. During the pandemic, the cemetery is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays for recreation.
Crocker Park has an immaculate lawn. Bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic or take in some vitamin D!
Dracena Quarry Park has paved paths that snake through its upper and lower areas. There’s also a wooded dog park area if you’re bringing Fido along.

Mountain View Cemetery at the end of Piedmont Ave — View from top of Mountain View Cemetery | photo by Tim B.

Piedmont activities for babies:

Register to join Nanci’s Musiktime for children 0-5 years old. Website >
Baby swings are installed at Dracena Park, Linda Park, and Piedmont Park. Or play in the sand at the park.
Parent and child swimming at the Piedmont Community Pool is offered in weekly sessions. (Closed in 2022 for renovations.)
“Baby Cafe” is a weekly drop-in playdate at the Piedmont Branch of the Oakland Public Library. (On hold due to pandemic.)
Two blocks off of Piedmont Avenue, Kaiser Hospital offers drop-in weekly new parent support groups aka “Mom’s Groups” (On hold due to the pandemic.)

Piedmont with a toddler

For those who want to touch everything and hop in and out of the stroller every ten feet, there is plenty of fun to be had in Piedmont.

Start at Linda Park, and watch the dogs play in their dog park area. Enjoy the little tot playground next to the tennis courts or run on the turf at Beach Play Field (open to the public when school isn’t in session). Then walk a couple of blocks toward Piedmont Avenue, where you can have a pastry at La Farine or Timeless Cafe (vegan), order a pint (for Mom!) at Cato’s, or choose a frozen treat at Fentons or Mr. Dewie’s (dairy-free). Don’t forget to order a caffeinated drink at Blue Bottle Coffee, Snow White Coffee, or Cafe Chiave.

Fentons ice cream sundaes are giant for children | Photo: Fentons

Stroll down Piedmont Avenue and pop into the unique small businesses. We love Valentine’s, a highly curated children’s shop with new and used clothes (all stylish). It even has a small play area to keep kids busy while you shop.

Looking for more park time. Dracena Quarry Park and Piedmont Park are favorite destinations that have play structures for tots. Both have clean restrooms! And if it’s a hot summer day, the baby pool at Piedmont Community Pool might be just the thing (currently closed in 2022 for renovations).

Dracena Park in Piedmont climbing wall | Photo: Julie Herson

Take advantage of programming from the Parks and Rec department with Nanci’s Musiktime classes, a dance program, a preschool program, and tons of sports classes for preschoolers. Piedmont Avenue Branch Library features a children’s area with toys and toddler storytime on Tuesday mornings.

Pizza at Cato’s Ale House | Photo: Anna Azimi

Piedmont with kids of all ages

For dining out with kids on Piedmont Avenue, you’ll find great burgers and fries at Barney’s, pizza by the slice at Pizzeria Violetta, and Crepevine serves up American cuisine favorites. Sushi lovers should dine at Shimizu Sushi, which is super welcoming to families. For Mexican food, choose Baja for its kid-friendly booths or doña for its large, fenced-in patio.

The complex created by Piedmont Park and the adjacent high school and middle school is fun for big kids to explore with numerous sports fields to run through! Don’t forget to visit the pathways along the creek and the Japanese tea house garden, too. After playing at Piedmont Park, stop at Mulberry’s off Highland Avenue for one of their delicious deli sandwiches or salads.

Piedmont Avenue Branch Library has areas dedicated to mixed ages. Stop by to play with toys in the toddler area, a board game with an elementary-aged child, or tweens can play computer games.

For tweens, there are a couple of novelty stores, Nathan & Co. and Surprise, which both sell gift items, Oakland-themed t-shirts, funny mugs, and other things they might enjoy browsing. Dr. Comics and Mr. Games is perfect for sci-fi fans, comic book collectors, and role-playing game types.

Special events in Piedmont

Piedmont hosts special events throughout the year, from a sweet, old-fashioned 4th of July parade to outdoor movies in Piedmont Park to a beautiful holiday light display in the cemetery.
Upcoming family events in Piedmont, open to the public