Things to Do in San Francisco

From an email I wrote to a cousin a long time ago, this really should be on a web page:

Here are a few kid-friendly ideas, all of which are in East Bay:

- Fairyland.  It's like a mini Disney Land, but way cheaper.  It's all the classic fairy tales.  The kids will LOVE it.  You could spend all day here.

- Tilden Park.  This is a public park in the Berkeley foothills, but it has some amazing stuff for kids, including a petting zoo a kid-size steam train, and an antique merry-go-round.  (Adults can ride too.)  The steam train is amazing.

- Oakland Zoo.  It's not like the San Diego zoo, but it's the same idea.  Wide open spaces for the animals, tons to see, even has a train and a small amusement park next door.  Lots of awesome animals like elephants & giraffes.

Plus some fun activities in San Francisco:

- SF Zoo: Not as big as the Oakland Zoo, and tiny compared to the SD Zoo, but very nice for a city zoo.  They have a special area for small children with petting animals.

- Golden Gate Park: So many things to do in the park, including the Children's Playground (probably one of the best in the world), the Botanical Gardens, Stow Lake (you can rent a boat), and the Arboretum.  The Children's Playground also has an antique merry-go-round.

- Pier 39, Fisherman's Warf, and Ghirardelli Square: This is tourism central, but some very fun things for kids, including the seals, historic ships, and of course ice cream sundaes and Ghirardelli's.  The cable car is there too.  You can easily make a half day out of it, or a full day if you want to go slowly (especially with the historic ships).