Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around San Jose

San Jose's most popular places to take kids in 2026

Each summer, thousands of local parents, grandparents, and caregivers weigh in on their favorite local places to take kids. This page is where we showcase the 2026 list of winners for the San Jose area. (Click here for the full list of nominees.)

Of course, there are literally hundreds of wonderful places to take your kids in our area, not just this year's winners! After you check out the list, make sure to find great things to do on our packed daily calendar, sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter, and visit our Everything That's Free page for lots more ideas.

2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids

San Jose

 

Top 20 Ranking

Category Winners

1. Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose 2. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo 3. LEGOLAND Discovery Center 4. California's Great America 5. The Tech Interactive 6. Ardenwood Historic Farm 7. Cal Poly Swanton Pacific Ranch's Organic U-Pick Apple Orchard 8. California Nursery Historical Park 9. Children's Musical Theater San Jose 10. De Anza College Planetarium 11. Garrod Farms 12. Hiller Aviation Museum 13. History San José 14. San José Museum of Art 15. San José Sharks 16. Sky Zone 17. Calibunga 18. "My local library" 19. The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo 20. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Arts Educator: Taste Buds Kitchen- San Jose South Sports Educator: California Sports Center- Sunnyvale STEM Educator: Camp Integem: AI, AR, Coding, Robots, Drones, 3D, Game, Art & Animation- San Jose Farm Attraction: Bluebird Farm at the Latta Ranch Museum: Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose Nature Center: Yerba Buena Gardens Outdoor Fun: San Francisco Zoo & Gardens Sports Team: San Jose Sharks

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