Outdoor

Next weekend it’s going to be all turkey sandwiches all the time. Enjoy your family-free hours this weekend.

Pixar Party at the Cartoon Art Museum

A very rare chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at what Pixar does, with artists and insiders displaying cels and discussing how the studio made movies like Up and Toy Story. All proceeds benefit the museum.

When: Sat., 11/14, 1-4 p.m.; Age 6+; $100 per family of four (no tickets sold at the door; all families must have a reservation).

Where: Cartoon Art Museum Benefit, 655 Mission Street (at New Montgomery Street), San Francisco; 415-227-8666 Ext: 300; cartoonartlivejournal.com.

San Francisco Green Festival

Three days of organic food, recycling, eco-consciousness, and random acts of urban renewal at this festival. Tree Frog Treks brings its reptiles to the party each day of the festival from noon to 2 p.m. and kids will get a lot out of the hands-on off-site greening activities.

When: Fri., 11/13, noon-7 p.m., Sat., 11/14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun., 11/15, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Age 3+; Free-$15

Where: Various locations including the Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 Eighth Street (at Brannan Street), San Francisco; greenfestivals.org.

The Sippy Cups

The popular kids’ band plays at a snazzy, retrolicious venue with the most important ingredient for parental enjoyment: a full bar.

When: Sun., 11/15, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Age 4+; $17.

Where: Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Avenue (at Chestnut Street), San Francisco; 415-474-0365; bimbos365club.com.

Gobble Gobble Turkey Dance Party

Exuberant kids’ band Candy and the Sweet Tooths gets the kids up and moving at this family dance.

When: Sat., 11/15, 3 p.m.; All Ages;$18.

Where: Fort Mason Officer’s Club, Upper Fort Mason (at Franklin Street), San Francisco; candyandthesweettooths.com.

Halloween is on a Saturday this year! Get your costume on and go go go!

Dia de los Muertos Procession and Festival of the Altars

The parade is too spooky for little kids, but older ones will enjoy the rattling bones, creepy makeup, and the thrill of being out with adults at night; the colorful altars celebrating the lives of those passed on are great cultural eye-candy.

When: Mon., 11/2, 7pm; Age 5+; Free.

Where: Parade starts at 7pm from 24th and Bryant Streets in San Francisco and continues to 26th and Bryant Streets, where the Festival of the Altars starts at 8:30 p.m.; 415-722-8911; dayofthedeadsf.org.

Potrero Hill Halloween Parade and Costume Contest

An early-evening Halloween party with a movie, prizes for best costume, and a parade down to 18th Street.

When: Sat., 10/31, 4-7pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Axis Cafe, 1201 Eighth Street (at Irwin Street), San Francisco; 415-279-1899; axis-cafe.com.

Exploratorium Halloween

A grand Halloween party with a visit from the Neverwas, a Victorian mansion on wheels, and creature features like giant insects and hissing cockroaches.

When: Sat., 10/31, 3-8pm; Free-$14.

Where: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street (at Jefferson Street), San Francisco; 415-561-0360; exploratorium.edu.

Dia de los Muertos Family Concert

A special concert for families with classical music from Latino conductors and pre-concert festivities like sugar skull-decorating and a display of family altars.

When: Sun., 11/1, 1pm; Age 4+; $15-65.

Where: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue (at Grove Street), 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.

Ferry tours of the Bay are an absolutely fantastic way to appreciate our dramatic coastline and crystal-blue waters, but at $15-35 a head, they add up quickly. From now through March 10, 2010, the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry offers a boat ride with all the gorgeousness at a much friendlier price: a mere $5.

Here’s the deal: Hop aboard the ferry at the Tiburon dock, take a ride out to Angel Island and then ride back. If you stay onboard (rather than getting off at Angel Island) until the boat returns to Tiburon, your trip is a mere $5 for everyone age 5 and older (kids under 5 sail free). Tell the boat operator you’re there for Captain Maggie’s Special, named after Maggie McDonogh, owner of the family-fun ferry company. You’ll get million-dollar scenery for half the price of a movie.

The round-trip from Tiburon to Angel Island and back takes about a half-hour; don’t forget to bundle up, because the combination of wind and sea-spray can freeze you right to the bone. But the visuals are unforgettable. The Tiburon dock is at 21 Main Street (at Lecante Drive), Tiburon; ferries leave hourly on weekends and twice a day on weekdays; for a schedule of departures or more information call 415-435-2131 or visit angelislandferry.com.

A Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D

The spooky holiday classic screens in eye-popping 3D during its week-long engagement at the Castro Theatre.

When: Fri. 10/23 through Thu. 11/5; 7pm, 8:45pm (Sat., Sun. & Wed. shows at 1:30pm, 3:25pm, and 5:10pm); Age 6+; $7.50-10.

Where: Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street (at Market Street), San Francisco; 415-621-6120; castrotheatre.com.

Scare Grove

A Halloween carnival specially aimed at families, with a haunted house, hay rides, bounce houses, rides, and treats.

When: Fri., 10/23, 4-9pm; Age 2+; $5 for an all-access pass.

Where: Sigmund Stern Grove, Sloat Avenue (at 19th Avenue), San Francisco; sfgov.org.

Creepy Crawly Week

Get weirded out by science with an exhibit of scary animals, a scavenger hunt for spooky creatures, and naturalist lessons in which you get to meet (and sometimes touch!) frightening critters.

When: Sat., 10/24 through Sun. 11/1; Age 3+; Free with paid admission (Free-$25).

Where: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive (at JFK Drive) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 415-379-8000; calacademy.org.

Jack o’ Lantern Jamboree

Come in costume to this annual Halloween party, which boasts roaming costumed characters, jump houses, pumpkin crafts, face painting, and the festive, make-believe atmosphere of Fairyland.

When: Sat. & Sun., 10/24-25, 10am-5pm; All ages; $10 per person.

Where: Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue (at Lake Merritt), Oakland, 510-452-2259, fairyland.org.

Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

Acres and acres of fall fun, with horsey rides, pumpkin-carving contests, pie-eating contests, and delicious things to eat. The traffic is a mess; leave time before and after the event to deal with it.

When: Sat. 10/17-18, 9am-5pm; All Ages; Free.

Where: Main Street between Miramonte and Spruce Streets, Half Moon Bay, 650-726-9652, miramarevents.com.

Goblin Jamboree

The super-cool kids’ museum dresses up for the holidays and throws a party with a train ride, live performers, pony rides, and a petting zoo.

When: Sat. & Sun., 10/17-18, 10am-4pm; All ages; $12-14 (Free for kids under 1).

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

Outrageous Outgrowns

A vast money-saving fiesta of tens of thousands of gently used clothes, shoes, toys, books, strollers, cribs, and other baby gear.

When: Fri.-Sun. 10/16-18; 9am-5pm; Age 5+; Free.

Where: Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road (at Old Tully Road), San Jose; outrageousoutgrowns.com.

San Francisco Symphony Celebrates Disney

The symphony marks the opening of the Presidio’s Walt Disney Family Museum with a concert with songs from Cinderella, Pinocchio, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

When: Fri., 10/16, 8pm; Age 7+; $15-70.

Where: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue (at Turk Street), San Francisco, 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.

Parents used to the frenetic joys of parks like Great America or Six Flags may not warm to the idea of Gilroy Gardens at first blush. After all, it is a theme park. But it’s a much gentler theme park, with less jouncy and adorably food-themed rides: the Garlic Twirl, a Spinning Teacups-knockoff where guests sit in giant cloves, or the Banana Split, a big banana boat that swings you back and forth.

Besides the preschool-friendly rides, Gilroy Gardens has an educational focus too: the whole park is built around a grove of elaborately grafted and tended circus trees, that grow into astonishing formations. There’s a giant greenhouse filled with butterflies, with a monorail and a river running through it, and many other fabulous flower beds.

But Gilroy Gardens is best of all for little transpo nuts. The park boasts a train ride that runs around the park, boat rides through seasonal gardens, a car ride that takes you through a replica of antique South County roads; a balloon ride, and paddle boats shaped like swans and ducks. An entire day of paddling, floating, steering, and riding = little kid heaven.

Gilroy Gardens is open weekends throughout October and November but at the end of November closes for winter maintenance; it reopens for special holiday events in December and is then closed until springtime. The park is open daily during the summertime. Call 408-840-7100 or visit gilroygardens.org.

Tricycle Music Fest

Who knew the library was such a rocking location? Local kid-oriented faves such as the Devil-Ettes, the Time Outs, and Charity and the JAMBand.

When: Sat., 10/10, 10am-2pm; All ages; Free.

Where: San Francisco Main Library’s Fulton Street steps, Fulton Street (at Larkin Street), San Francisco; tricyclefest.org.

Mamma Mia Sing-along

Bring blankets and layers of warm clothing to this festive outdoors movie showing. Music and short films screen from 6 to 7:30pm; Mamma Mia begins at 8pm.

When: Sat., 9/10; 6-10pm; Age 4+; Free.

Where: Precita Park, Folsom Street (at Precita Avenue), San Franicsco; bhoutdoorcine.org.

Pumpkin Patches

All over the Bay Area, pumpkin patches are open for business, offering an array of fun from picking your own pumpkin to kiddie rides and corn mazes. One of the most fertile areas for pumpkin patches is Highway 92 in the Half Moon Bay area, where there are literally dozens. Drive until you see one you like.

When: Ongoing each weekend (many patches are also open weekdays at it gets closer to Halloween) until 10/31; All ages; Admission is usually free but attractions cost from $2-7.

Where: Various locations in the Bay Area. See Pumpkin Patches and More for a thorough list of addresses, attractions, and opening times.

Fleet Week

If displays of military muscle are what turns your cranky, you’ll be in heaven during this long-weekend event, which features airshows from the Blue Angels, a parade of ships and more things that move and go boom.

When: Thu.-Sun., 10/8-11; various times (see site for details); Age 3+; Most events are free (VIP seats run $30-150).

Where: Various locations on the San Francisco waterfront including Crissy Field, Mason Street (at Halleck Street); see website for more details, military.com/fleetweek.

The famous San Francisco tourist neighborhood is crowded, ticky-tacky, and confusing. It’s also a really cool place to take your kids walking around on a free afternoon, crammed with sights and sounds you won’t see many other spots. Start things off with a bang at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, 56 Ross Alley (at Jackson Street); where you can watch patient, used-to-being-photographed ladies bending hot little pancakes around folded fortunes, and buy a bag to eat and walk with for $3. Head down to Grant Street next to poke in around the shops of gifty things. Several have large toy sections, and be sure to save some energy for the Chinatown Kite Shop, 717 Grant Street (at Sacramento Street), where a fantastic and functional souvenir of your trip will run you less than $20. There are dragon and lion heads to gawk at too.

Ready for a snack? Visit one of the fruit stands on Stockton Street, one block above Grant, and get something to nibble on. Test your knowledge of Asian greens; try a durian if you dare. Poke through the selection of dried seafood at Ho Kee Market, 1251 Stockton Street (at Broadway Street), and then pop next door to Wa Li Bakery, 1249 Stockton Street (at Broadway Street) for a delicate almond cookie or a cream puff.

End your trip at Portsmouth Square, Kearny Street (at Clay Street), where there’s a giant playground with separate levels for little ones and bigger ones, and plenty of benches for parents. Push away the strolling pigeons, take in the view, watch the little knots of men betting on games and the shopping-bag-carrying grandmas gossiping. Now that’s a day to remember.

Before you spend all weekend, every weekend making Halloween costumes, get out and enjoy sand castles, movies, maybe even a gigantic cup of beer.

Leap Sandcastle Contest

Teams of architects, designers and elementary school students make the most elaborate sand castles you’ll ever see.

When: Sat., 10/3, 10am-4pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Ocean Beach, Balboa Avenue at Great Highway, San Francisco, leap4kids.org.

Oktoberfest

The kids can’t enjoy the flowing beer, but Mom and Dad can, and it’ll loosen them up enough to try the Chicken Dance with junior.

When: Fri., 10/2, 3pm-midnight; Sat., 10/3, 11am-midnight; Sun., 10/4 11am-6pm; Age 4+; $30-35 (Sunday is two-for-one day).

Where: Pier 48, King Street (at Third Street), San Francisco; oktoberfestbythebay.com.

Scare on the Square

Sit on a blanket, get take-out from one of the nearby restaurants, and watch The Goonies with the kids on a 25-foot inflatable screen.

When: Sat., 10/3, sundown (about 7pm); Age 3+; Free.

Where: Courthouse Square (Broadway Street at Middlefield Road), Redwood City; redwoodcity.org.

Aladdin

When a boy finds a mysterious magic lamp he finally has a chance of winning the princess of his dreams in this adaptation starring young actors.

When: Ongoing through Sun., 10/25, Saturdays 2pm & 4pm; Sundays 2pm; Age 4+; $10-15.

Where: New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Avenue (at Market Street), San Francisco; 415-861-8972, nctcsf.org.

There’s a sudden chill in the air, but some of the best weather of the year means outdoor festivals and fun proliferate.

Victorian Days

Lots of people in eye-candy costumes and a family rotunda with crafts, a scavenger hunt, and kid-oriented tales about local personages.

When: Sat., 9/26, noon-4pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: San Mateo County History Museum, 2200 Broadway Street (at Middlefield Road), Redwood City; 650-299-0104; historysmc.org.

Kidsfaire

Fifteen acres of loud & shiny stuff of interest to parents and kids, including live stage shows (Barney, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), kids’ pavilions such as a princess pavilion and an ice skating rink, rides, and TV/movie characters in costume.

When: Sat.-Sun., 9/6-7, 10am-5pm; All ages; $5-8.

Where: Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue (at Valley Avenue), Pleasanton, 925-426-7559, thekidsfaire.com.

Salsa Festival

Four stages with live music and dancers, free dance lessons for kids and adults, and lots of bounce houses.

When: Sat., 9/26, noon-8pm; Age 2+; Free.

Where: Downtown Redwood City, Broadway & Marshall; 831-457-1141; redwoodcity.org.

Mega Gay Dads BBQ and Picnic at Crissy Field

Meet every gay dad in town at this giant multi-group picnic. Bring food to share and participate in face-painting and parachute games.

When: Sat., 9/26, 11am-4pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Crissy Field, 983 Marin Street (at Illinois Street), San Francisco; dadspicniceventbrite.com.