Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around San Jose - 2021
Best Places for Kids in the San Jose area!
2021's best places to take kids in and around San Jose, based on KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey. But there is LOTS more to do in San Jose! Get great ideas here! What is listed below are far from the only opportunities for family fun and learning; they're just what was voted this year.
1. Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Test, tinker, and create with more than 150 hands-on exhibits exploring science, humanities, the arts, nature, and health. It’s family fun and learning with open-ended play at the award-winning museum that inspires creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning!
2. The Duck Pond Playspace
Where your ducklings play to learn! An indoor/outdoor playspace for kids to play and for parents to belong. Designed for ages 0-5. Older siblings welcome. Themed Play Rooms, Infant Play Area, Crafts, Music, Full Service Cafe, Birthday Parties, and Large Outdoor Enclosed Playground.
3. Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Connecting people to nature through play, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is a division of the City of San José, Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services Department. With tens of thousands of visitors passing through our gates each year, the teams at Happy Hollow understand the importance of providing great experiences and memories that last a lifetime.
4. California's Great America
California's only combination theme park and waterpark, offering more than 100 acres of world-class entertainment for guests of all ages!
5. My Local Library
Of course, the libraries in the San Jose area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication. They're proud that locals voted them to the list of best places to take kids this year!
6. Raging Waters San Jose
Northern California's largest waterpark! More than 23 acres of slides and attractions, including raft rides, body slides, kiddie activity pools, thrill rides, the endless river and wave pool. Raging Waters San Jose was founded in 1985 and is Northern California's Largest Waterpark, offering scenic panoramic views of Lake Cunningham and the San Jose Foothills, over a million gallons of San Jose water slides, rides, and attractions, and 23-acres of family-friendly fun!
7. The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
The Junior Museum & Zoo is a place where children and their caregivers come to explore, discover, create and play. Through hands-on science exhibits and a diverse community of live animals, your child's natural scientist will be nurtured.
8. Filoli Historic House & Garden
Located south of San Francisco in Woodside, California, Filoli boasts 654 acres of beauty nestled along the slopes of California’s coastal range. The property features a 54,000+ square-foot Georgian revival-style mansion, 16 acres of exquisite English Renaissance gardens, and a nature preserve with eight miles of hiking trails. Filoli is open daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm with lots of room to run and play!
9. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, architecturally inspired by the Temple of Amon at Karnak, houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America.
10. Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch
Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch is located in beautiful Coyote Valley at the corner of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Bailey Avenue between San Jose and Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County. It is bordered by bright yellow sunflowers and filled with an abundance of amazing pumpkins.The Pumpkin Patch is open beginning October 1st through the 31st. Come ride the new Spina Pumpkin Express Trackless Train for a tour of the Pumpkin Patch. Explore our Sunflower fields on an old-fashioned HAY RIDE adventure! Decorating with PUMPKINS is especially fun when you have over 25 unique varieties to choose from.
11. Safari Run San Mateo
A fantastically fun and healthy entertainment center for the whole family! Attractions: Big mazes, climbing tunnels, giant slides, running track, separate toddler area, parent lounge, plasma TV in every room, free Wi-Fi, always clean!
12. Ardenwood Historic Farm
Ardenwood Historic Farm offers a glimpse into life on a family farm between 1890 and 1930. Step back in time as you explore the remnants of the once vast estate of George and Clara Patterson, whose family farmed the land for over 100 years, beginning in the 1850s. East Bay Regional Park District has operated the property as a fully functioning, turn-of-the-last-century farm since 1985.
13. Children's Musical Theater San Jose
Children's Musical Theater San Jose (CMT) trains and educates today's youth through musical theater to set and achieve high artistic and personal goals, and to inspire them to become exemplary artists, patrons and citizens of tomorrow. In a normal year, CMT mounts ten full-scale musical productions at the historic Montgomery Theater in downtown San Jose. As a nationally acclaimed theater organization and the oldest performing arts organization in San Jose, CMT remains dedicated to providing the highest possible caliber of musical and theatrical training to children from ages 4 to 20, spanning all abilities. We stand behind our promise never turn a child away, regardless of financial or physical limitations.
14. Dell’Osso Family Farm
Dell'Osso Farm in Lathrop is typically open the first weekend of October through the last weekend. Corn maze, haunted house, pumpkin patch, train, blasters, apple spiced donuts, pumpkin pie, and so much more! Free parking.
15. Gizdich Ranch
Spend a day with your family at our family ranch and breathe in the fresh air and countryside atmosphere. Pick your favorite fruit of the season right off the tree or vine; then, picnic among the apple trees and the hills. Take home a jar (or two) of fresh berry jams, a jug of our fresh pressed apple juice, and eat the best pies this side of the Rockies!
16. Pump It Up - San Jose and Santa Clara
Become a fan of Pump It Up and jump into the inflatable fun on our slides, bounce houses and obstacle courses. Amazing kids birthday parties, field trips, team parties, special events and more! Visit PumpItUpParty.com to find a location near you.
17. Morgan Hill Aquatics Center
The Morgan Hill Aquatics Center is located on Condit Drive in Morgan Hill. Admission grants access to the water slides, spray feature; recreation pool and play feature, and instructional pool. Recreation Swim admission tickets must be purchased online prior to attending to ensure capacity limits are being met.
18. Municipal Rose Garden
The San Jose Municipal Rose Garden was recognized for its stunning beauty by being voted "America's Best Rose Garden" by All American Rose Selection (AARS) and "best location" to get married by the San Jose Mercury News in the same year. This popular 5 1/2-acre park, located in the Rose Garden District at Naglee and Dana Avenues, is a world of color and fragrance. Roses, roses everywhere; from palest pinks to the deepest reds, your guests will be surrounding by delightful scents and images. More than 4,000 colorful roses are in bloom from April through November.
19. The Tech Interactive
The Tech Interactive is a family-friendly interactive science and technology center located in the heart of downtown San Jose, California.
20. Peninsula Youth Theatre
PYT’s mission is to provide outstanding theatrical learning experiences that develop leadership, emphasize responsibility and foster teamwork in a supportive, respectful environment.
Top Arts Educator
Children's Musical Theater San JoseCMT offers a robust arts education program providing year-round training, master classes, guest artist series, winter and summer camp. Our Student Matinees offer affordable weekday performances to audiences of young people, many of whom are experiencing the gift of live theater for the very first time. CMT prides itself on being a reflection of the community it serves, with an ethnically diverse staff, board of directors, and roster of participants.
Top Sports Educator
Silicon Valley KarateSilicon Valley Karate has been setting the high bar for instruction in authentic, traditional Shotokan Karate since 1998 (but its primary instructor actually started teaching elsewhere in 1984). Come find out why so many people agree that this is THE place to do Karate! Choose to be awesome! Choose Silicon Valley Karate!
Top STEM Educator
Happy Hollow Park and ZooAs an integral part of our commitment to conservation, Happy Hollow offers engaging experiences to educate the community about wildlife. The Education team encourages people of all ages to embrace their wild side with our new virtual program options. Fascinating encounters with animal ambassadors help visitors feel more connected to animals, and motivate them to take action to protect the natural world.
