Outdoor

Big kids are locked up in school and it’s time for parents to roam freely with the littles (and the homeschooled). Now is the time to visit the places that are unthinkably crowded in summertime.

California Academy of Sciences: Go now, now, now, in between the summertime season (when tickets to the planetarium sold out most days) and the Great Time of School Field Trips, which starts soon. The planetarium show, Journey to the Stars, is really cool, and you can linger for a long time in the rainforest without feeling like other visitors are prodding you in the back. 55 Music Concourse Drive (at JFK Drive) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 415-379-8000; calacademy.org.

Exploratorium: Absorbing exhibits you can finally let your child investigate to her heart’s content include the spinning sand wheels, the giant bubble-maker, the beach balls blown up into the air, and the two faraway posts where you can hear each other talking. The spinning striped tent is also a lot better for small kids when the big ones aren’t roughhousing in it. 3601 Lyon Street (at Presidio Avenue)., 415-561-0360, exploratorium.edu.

Bay Area Discovery Museum: Fearlessly let your kids play with the train in the room with the great big boat or paint and squeegee windows for endless moments. There’s always a table at the cafe during lunchtime on fall weekdays, and plenty of parking in the lot. 557 McReynolds Road (at Fort Baker), Sausalito, 415-339-3900, baykidsmuseum.org.

Children’s Fairyland: The weather is still great in September and October, and Fairyland’s schedule reflects this, open Wednesday through Sunday until Halloween, though you might want to stick to the weekdays for the lightest crowds. The Jolly Trolley is all yours! Toot toot! 699 Bellevue Avenue (at Lake Merritt), Oakland, 510-452-2259, fairyland.org.

Party Playhouse: You sit on the couch and read a magazine, the kids climb (and climb, and climb), with no big kids to freak them out in a nook or cranny you can’t see. 56 Hill Street (at Washington Street), Daly City, 650-756-7529, mypartyplayhouse.com.

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Museums, live music in the park, and enough chocolate to have the kids begging to stop tasting.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Weekend

Meet characters from The Clone Wars, build your own models and make movies using stop-motion, test your lightsaber skills, and learn how soundtracks are mixed.

When: Sat. & Sun., 9/11-12, 11am-5pm; Age 5+; $8-10.

Where: Zeum, 221 Fourth Street (at Howard Street), San Francisco; 415-820-3320; zeum.org.

Power to the Peaceful Festival

An old-school groovy San Francisco be-in, with drumming, yoga, live music, healing arts, and lots of colorful people on blankets.

When: Sat., 9/11, 9am-5pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Speedway Meadow, 25th Avenue & Fulton Street (in Golden Gate Park); powertothepeaceful.org.

Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival

Chocolate chocolate chocolate. And a kid’s area.

When: Sat. & Sun., 9/11-12, noon-5pm; Age 2+; Free admission, $20 for 15 tastings of chocolate samples.

Where: Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point (at Polk Street), San Francisco; ghirardellisq.com.

Good things to eat, to watch, and to read.

Giro de San Francisco

Watch the cyclists spin by from pretty Levi Strauss Plaza as competition continues for the California Cup. Kids age 14 and under can race as well, even on tricycles.

When: Mon., 9/6, All ages; see website for start times and entry fees (viewing is free).

Where: Levi Strauss Plaza, Battery & Union Streets, San Francisco; velopromo.com.

Off the Grid

The roaming conglomeration of food trucks and bands is landing in Fort Mason every Friday evening for a while; come for a picnic on the grass.

When: Fri., 9/3 (and every subsequent Friday, see website for details), 5-9pm, All ages; Free admission (food available for purchase).

Where: Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard (at Buchanan Street), San Francisco; offthegridsf.com.

San Francisco Zine Fest

A feast of chapbooks and zines, cartoons, and little magazines. Much of the material is aimed at adults but it’s still a thrill for literary adults and inspiration for budding lil writers.

When: Sat. & Sun., 9/4-5, 11am-6pm; Age 6+; Free.

Where: San Francisco County Fair Building, 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way (in Golden Gate Park), San Francisco; sfzinefest.com.

Dance, film, and a heaping helping of Chinatown culture.

Chinatown Street Fest

No, not the one in SF. Explore Oakland’s own historical Chinatown in this two-day revelry of lion dancing, martial arts demonstrations, and traditional music.

When: Sat. & Sun., 8/28-29, 10am-5:30pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Oakland Chinatown, 7th Street to 11th Street and Broadway to Harrison Street, oaklandchinatownstreetfest.com.

Twinkling To-Do Film Festival

The weekend-long Three-Minute Film Festival of (mostly) locally made short films puts on a program of films made by kids aged 6 to 18. The venue, historic Victoria Theatre, is a treat too.

When: Sat., 8/28, 3:30pm (screening at 4), Age 3+; $10 adults, $5 kids under 18.

Where: Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th Street (at Valencia Street), San Francisco, 415-863-7576.

ODC School’s Family Day

Samplers of some of ODCs most popular classes for kids and adults, including salsa, flamenco, and toddler movement.

Where: Sun., 8/29, 9am-3:30pm; Age 2+; Free.

Where: ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco; 415-863-9830; odcschool.org.

Outdoor shows, Sunday Streets, and sidewalk eats.

They Might Be Giants

Kid favorite plays songs for young and old at the conclusion of the annual Stern Grove Festival series of free outdoor concerts.

When: Sun., 8/18, 2pm; Age 2+; Free.

Where: Sigmund Stern Grove, Sloat Avenue (at 19th Avenue), San Francisco; 415-252-6252; sterngrove.org.

San Francisco Street Food Festival

A great big fun party with every cart and truck you’ve ever heard of in town. This year’s space is way bigger than last year’s and organizers say it won’t be nearly as crowded. Live music and kids’ activities too.

When: Sat., 8/21, 11am-7pm; Age 2+; Free admission, food is available for purchase.

Where: Folsom Street (at 25th Street), San Francisco; sfstreetfoodfest.com.

Angel Island Live

This last in a series of live shows on the Cantina Deck overlooking Ayala Bay features traditional South American band Mucho Axe.

When: Sat., 8/21, 2-5pm; All ages; Free (ferry ride to island requires admission).

Where: Angel Island State Park , (in the San Francisco Bay); 415-435-3392; angelisland.com.

Sunday Streets: Penguins to Penguins

The well-attended traffic-free event takes over a swathe of town from the California Academy of Sciences at JFK Drive all the way down Lincoln to Sloat, across from the zoo.

When: Sun. 8/22, 10am-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Centered on Great Highway (at Lincoln Way), San Francisco; sundaystreetssf.com.

A baby food swap, the Hillwide garage gala, and other ways to while away your weekend.

Organic Homemade Baby Food Swap

Karen Solomon, author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, hosts a swap-meet for parent-cooks. Anyone who brings an organic mash in 10 half-pint containers can swap with other cooks.

When: Fri., 8/13, 11am-noon; All ages; $5.

Where: 18 Reasons, 593 Guerrero Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco; info@18reasons.org.

Build and Grow Clinics

At these weekly Saturday learning sessions, kids make free wooden toys like ant farms. And you can buy light bulbs and a new faucet.

When: Each Saturday, including 8/14, 10am; Age 3+; Free.

Where: Lowe’s Home Improvement, 720 Dubuque Avenue (at E. Grand Avenue), South San Francisco; lowesbuildandgrow.com.

Nihonmachi Street Fair

Live music, cultural demonstrations, arts and crafts booths, and the incredible thunderous roar of the taiko drummers.

When: Sat.-Sun., 8/14-15; 11am-6pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Japantown, Post Street (between Laguna and Fillmore Streets), San Francisco, nihonmachistreetfair.org.

Bernal Hillwide Garage Sale

Just in time for back-to-school shopping, this giant garage sale is traditionally a great source of clothes and gear for families.

When: Sat., 8/15, 8am-4pm (but open times vary by location); All ages; Free.

Where: The streets surrounding the Bernal Heights Playground and Recreation Center, 500 Moultrie Street (at Jarboe Avenue), San Francisco; 415-695-5007.

The Bay Area is bristling with opportunities to get outdoors this weekend.

Berkeley Kite Festival

Look, up in the sky! Japanese kite battles and just about anything else you can do with some fabric and a string.

When: Sat. & Sun., 7/31 & 8/1, 10am-5pm; All ages; Free (Parking $10).

Where: Cesar Chavez Park, 11 Spinnaker Way (at Virginia Street), Berkeley; 510-235-5483; highlinekites.com.

ODC Summer Sampler

A special modern dance show for kids, with choreographers on deck to explain to young enthusiasts what they’re seeing and what it means.

When: Sat., 7/31, 4:30 p.m.; Age 6+; $20 adults, $10 kids 16 and under.

Where: ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco; 415-863-9834; odcdance.org.

Day Out With Thomas

A party by the tracks with live music, storytelling, costumed celebrities from the Thomas the Train Engine PBS show, and most of all, a 25-minute train ride on a real train decked out with a friendly Thomas face.

When: Weekends, 7/31-8/8; hours vary by day, see website for details; Age 2+; $18.

Where: Roaring Camp Railroad, Graham Hill Road (at Mt. Hermon Road), Felton; 1-866-468-3399; roaringcamprr.com. Tickets are $18.

Tour de Peninsula

Take a fun ride with your kids at this bicycle tour of the most beautiful parks in the South Bay.

When: Sun., 8/1, 8am-3pm (family rides through the park start at noon); Age 3+; Free-$40.

Where: Rides begin Eucalyptus Picnic Area near the Coyote Point Marina, 1701 Coyote Point Drive (near Airport Boulevard), San Mateo; 650-321-1638; supportparks.org.

If you live in the Bay Area, you already know that our citizenry is exceptionally whimsical and in touch with our childlike side. These qualities are best evidenced by a pair of local features with vintage, storybook appeal: Children’s Fairyland and the many Bay Area storybook houses.

The former, set on Oakland’s jewel-like Lake Merritt, is probably more familiar to you, but a San Francisco Chronicle article in Fairyland by Peter Hartlaub has some details you probably didn’t know, such as the fact that the marionettes for the puppet show were costumed by the mother of Frank Oz of Muppet fame, and that the crown-topped Fairyland Magic Key was designed by a dude who went on to make lock systems from hotels, and a key from 1950 still works in the park’s audio story boxes. The story does not, however, delve into rumors that Fairyland inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland.

While you’re getting yourself to Fairyland to soak in the antique charm, make sure to drive through the storybook homes of Alameda and Oakland. The architectural style, popularized in the 1920s by architect Walter W. Dixon, is characterized by houses with a Tudor air: white stucco, steep roofs, giant fireplaces and chimneys, sweet “Juliet” balconies, turrets. The best place to see them are on Picardy Drive in Oakland, and in Alameda’s Stonehenge and Stoneleigh housing developments. But they’re scattered all over the Bay Area. Here are some pictures of storybook homes, so you’ll know what you’re looking for. Happy hunting!

Get shipwrecked, goggle at Chinese dancers, or run your tail off at the SF Marathon. It’s your weekend!

Shipwrecked

Enjoy a barbecue dinner, ghost stories, sea chanteys, and mayhem with costumed pirates at this sunset party.

When: Fri., 7/23, 5-8pm; Age 4+; $5-8.

Where: Bay Area Discovery Museum, 557 McReynolds Road (at Fort Baker), Sausalito; 415-339-3900; baykidsmuseum.org.

Shen Yun

Chinese dancers and acrobats do things with their bodies that you couldn’t know could be done.

When: Fri., 7/23, 8pm, Sat. & Sun. 2pm & 8pm; Age 4+; $30-40.

Where: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco; 888-569-2009; sfshow.net.

S.F. Tsunami Synchronized Swimming Exhibition

Just before it heads off to the Gay Games, the eight-member synchronized swimming team shows off a few of its tricks.

When: Sat., 7/24, noon; Age 3+; $5.

Where: MLK Jr. Swimming Pool, 5701 Third Street (at Carroll Street), San Francisco; 415-621-4833.

San Francisco Marathon Munchkin Kids Run

School kids on the joy of running early with this first-ever offshoot of the grown-ups’ race. Kids can run a mile, a half mile, or do the 100-yard dash. Big kids can even do the 5K.

When: Sun., 7/25, 8:30 a.m.; Age 4+; $25.

Where: Embarcadero (at Mission Street), San Francisco; thesfmarathon.com.

It’s arts galore and other midsummer delights this weekend.
Arts & Wonder Festival

Free admission to six different local museums over three different days, with special art activities for families at each location.

When: Fri.-Sun., 7/16-18, see website for times; All ages; Free.

Where: Various locations in San Francisco; see onlyinsanfrancisco.com for details.

Disney 55: A Birthday Celebration

More than half a decade ago, Walt Disney opened the doors to Disneyland. Celebrate the occasion with a weekend full of special guests, film programs, and other events.

When: Fri.-Sun., 7/16-18, see website for event times; Age 3+; Free-$20.

Where: Walt Disney Family Museum, 104 Montgomery Street (at Lincoln Avenue), San Francisco; disneygo.com.

Teddy Bear Festival

A special zoo party with all the usual animals plus crafts, live music, face painting, and puppet shows.

When: Sat. & Sun., 7/17-18, 10am-4pm; All ages; Free for children aged 14 and under if they bring a stuffed teddy bear.

Where: San Francisco Zoo, Great Highway (at Sloat Boulevard), San Francisco; 415-753-7080; sfzoo.org.

Family Nature Crafts

Each Sunday, families are invited to participate in hands-on art activities inspired by current exhibits.

When: Sun., 7/18 (and every Sunday thereafter), 11am-12:30pm; Age 4-8; Free with paid admission (Free-$25).

Where: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive (at MLK Drive in Golden Gate Park), San Francisco; caladacademy.org.