The weather’s been shockingly nice for July, but the end-of-summer fog will descend sooner or later, making the playground uncomfy and leaving city parents without many indoor play options that don’t cost upwards of $20 an hour.
Pack up the kids and a picnic and bring them over to the Randall Museum, the smallest, sweetest, friendliest children’s museum in town. For the eight-and-under set, the features are many: a tiny menagerie with calm rabbits and ducks, stations where kids can build their own Lego towers and subject them to earthquake-like forces, a toddler play room, a vast and intricate model train set (only open Saturdays), a restored earthquake shack. Kids are allowed to handle almost everything, and comfy spots where parents can sit and watch their children careening about seem to be everywhere.
When you’re ready for a snack, sit outside at the picnic table or in the circular garden area. Young kids can drop crumbs with abandon; older ones will want to race each other through the tiny garden. If they still have energy after the museum, you can even take the winding walk up to the top of Randall Rock for one of the best panoramic views of the city.
In summertime the Randall offers only a few of its noted classes and programs, including the popular Parent-Child Woodworking course and instruction in jewelry-making and ceramics. But in the fall look for toddler art classes, the teen cinema-watching club, robotics classes, family arts-and-crafts workshops and more. Classes are low-cost, and admission to the museum is always free, making the Randall one heck of a tantalizing bargain.
The Randall Museum is located at 199 Museum Way (at Roosevelt), San Francisco. Call 415-554-9600 or visit randallmuseum.org.