Free Kid-Friendly Things to Do in California

Riding one of the iconic cable cars is a popular thing to do in San Francisco—but getting to explore them up close takes the experience to a whole other level. This free museum is a thrill for kids, as well as for grownups who have wondered how the historic cable car system really works.

Located in Nob Hill, the museum houses three cable cars from the 1870s, including the last remaining car from the Clay Street Hill Railroad. But it’s not just a look at the cable cars’ past. The museum is part of the Washington-Mason powerhouse and carbarn, which includes the giant mechanisms that power the current system’s cables.

Gearheads will love looking at the displayed tools, grips, track, cable, brakes, and more, as well as the displays detailing the history of the cable car. It’s no wonder, for starters, that cable cars first appeared in hilly San Francisco: their inventor came up with the idea for the steam-powered system after watching carriage horses struggle on a steep street. Check out the gift shop for an authentic cable-car bell, or visit in July for the annual Bell-Ringing Contest, first held in 1949, that now takes place at Union Square.

Another great stop: The SF Railway Museum (also free), across from the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, which looks at the impact of both cable cars and traditional streetcars. You can even feel like a conductor and take the wheel of a full-size replica of a 1911 San Francisco streetcar.

Tucked between Monterey and Carmel, the little town of Pacific Grove has the seaside scenery of its two popular neighbors, but a quiet-locals’-secret ambience with quaint walkable neighborhoods, charming inns, and a historic lighthouse. It also boasts, for about five months a year, an attractive seasonal community: thousands upon thousands of monarch butterflies, which flock to a migration sanctuary just a few blocks from the ocean. For nature-lovers and families, this free attraction is an easy-access marvel.

Unlike the monarchs that live east of the Rocky Mountains (which tend to winter in central Mexico), West Coast monarchs stick with the Golden State. While there are roughly 400 wintering sites for the butterflies along the California coastline, this eucalyptus-shaded sanctuary (monarchs seem to love the willowy trees) has been ranked in the top 6 of the state’s wintering spots.

If you visit between October and February, you’ll see the orange-and-black butterflies resting on the branches in massive clumps—you’ll think they’re orange leaves or blossoms. When the temperature is in the mid-50s or cooler, the butterflies stay surprisingly still. Just don’t touch them—there’s a city ordinance about it, with a hefty fine—but you can ask on-site docents for a closer look with their viewing scope. Afterward, walk along the rocky coast and preserved dunes at Asilomar State Beach.

Just steps away from the carnival rides, games, and snack bars of the Santa Monica Pier—in fact, right below Pacific Park’s carousel—sits this unassuming attraction that offers a fascinating window into the underwater community of this famous L.A. beach town.

Managed by an environmental nonprofit group called Heal the Bay, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium houses 100 local species—from charmingly cute sea hares to spooky moray eels—and invites guests to get hands-on through exhibits and daily educational programs. Plus, it’s free for kids age 12 and younger and only $5 for adults.

Tag along, for instance, with staffers to collect sand crab data out on the beach. Look at (harmless) horn or swell sharks in an open-top tank, or check out a colorful mural to learn about water’s journey through the Santa Monica Mountains watershed. Kids can stick their hands in the touch tanks to get acquainted with sea cucumbers, urchins, and hermit crabs, or explore the simulated tide exhibit that shows how anemones and juvenile fish do their own version of surfing.

Check the website for daily activities, such as the Microscopic Safari, during which kids get to look through scopes to see the tiniest Santa Monica denizens.

For another fun local freebie, take one of the pier’s guided walking tours, which shares fun stories about the pier over the years, including the Santa Monica origins of that greens-loving cartoon sailor, Popeye. 

When you’re in Tinseltown, posing with a sidewalk star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame is practically a rite of passage—and it’s also one of the city’s most beloved free attractions.

Honouring luminaries in motion pictures, television, radio, live theatre, and recording since 1960, the famous sidewalk includes both sides of Hollywood Boulevard from Gower to La Brea, plus both sides of Vine Street from Yucca to Sunset. The handsome terrazzo-and-brass stars (each costs about $30,000 to install and maintain) are unveiled at free public ceremonies, which are often attended by honorees and their celebrity entourages—a great way to see stars if that’s one of your Hollywood goals (and isn’t it everyone’s?).

And don’t think this is about honouring has-beens or where-are-they-nows: Getting a star is still considered an honour, with an impressive roster of recent honourees (Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, James Franco, Kevin Spacey, to name a few). Want to find a particular star? Use the Walk of Fame’s online Star Search tool to send you to the location for your dream photo op. While you’re there, you’re a short walk from such big Hollywood Boulevard attractions as TCL Chinese Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, and Madame Tussauds Hollywood.

This easy-access desert oasis offers the chance to explore a diverse landscape and see a lot of desert critters up close. Set between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park in the Little San Bernardino Mountains—in a valley that links the Mojave and Colorado deserts—this 147-acre reserve is part of the Big Morongo Canyon. Its elevation ranges from 600 to 3,000 feet, which results in a wide array of flora and fauna.

Hike one of the trails, which range in length from less than a half mile to 11 miles round-trip, and include some boardwalk paths (one that’s wheelchair-accessible) through the stream and marsh habitats. You might easily spot a variety of rabbits, kangaroo rats, coyote, mule deer, and possibly even bobcats and bighorn sheep. Kids who like creepy-crawlies should keep an eye out for whiptail and side-blotched lizards, Gilbert’s skink, and California tree frogs.

Look up, and you can see why the preserve has been designated an Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. Especially during spring and fall migration, you can see representatives of some 240 species, including such rare birds as Vermilion Flycatchers and Least Bell’s Vireo. Indeed, fall, winter, and spring are the prime times to visit, when the average temperatures range between the 60s and about 80.