Free, Kid-sized & Clean… Children’s Council Parents Share Their Favorite SF Hot Spots for Kids (and they don’t cost a dime)

Looking for the next new, cool place to take your kids? Not necessary according to Children’s Council staff members and parents, Lauren Frank and Billy Gomberg, who say great (free!) activities are right around the corner. Here, Lauren and Billy share stories of their personal favorite places to take their children in San Francisco. HINT: You probably have overlooked these hot spots!

Lauren Frank | Director of Research, Data & Evaluation

Ssssshh! We are huge fans of the San Francisco Public Library! Having one of my own parents work as a school and public librarian for years showed me not only how enjoyable these spaces can be, but also how critical they are for supporting our communities. We are so grateful for this free and extremely valuable resource, and I feel lucky to share it with the next generation.

I get so much joy out of bringing my now 14-month old son to our neighborhood SFPL branch, where there is always something new for him to observe and experience. Whether it’s weekly story time, browsing the shelves for an exciting new book, or the responsibility of dropping our books into the return slot, I love seeing how his world expands each time we visit the library.

Lauren’s bonus tips:

Libraries usually have free coloring sheets, kid-sized furniture, good diaper-changing stations, and a quiet spot to share a snack outside. Anyone can get a library card for free, and SFPL makes it extra fun by letting you pick which design you like best from an amazing assortment of local art. And of course, a huge shout-out to amazing library staff who can answer almost any question and don’t actually mind if your child doesn’t always use an “indoor voice!”

Billy Gomberg | Communications Manager

The best playground is the one that we can get to safely and easily with kid(s) in tow. For us, this is Rochambeau playground. What was special about it is not just that we could walk there in five minutes, with only one intersection to negotiate, but that so many other toddlers and pre-schoolers were there, and the space is generous and available to a wide range of play and activity.

There is a separate “little kids” playground with a closing gate, an open playground for all ages, two basketball courts and a tennis court. During “normal” full-time parenting hours, the courts were rarely in use and these became massive play spaces for catch and other ball activities, bouts of zoomies and also a perfect place to learn to ride scooters and bikes.

Billy’s bonus tip #1:

Don’t let the sun going down send you away so fast! I will never forget the widening circles of kids on early rider bikes – balance bikes, training wheels, no training wheels – riding through the afternoon until the sun went down and we turned the spoke lights on for a light show.

Billy’s bonus tip #2:

Find a good park bathroom!

But as any caregiver for a young child knows, there is one place we have to join our kids for years and it’s not nearly as fun as the playground: the public bathroom. So while Rochambeau became a huge playgroup meetup for crucial growing years, the bathrooms, especially the men’s room, are…not the best. Luckily for us, another nearby playground, Fulton playground, has restrooms worth walking a few extra blocks up and down San Francisco hills to spend some time playing somewhere else. At Fulton playground, the bathroom is fully tiled, has a urinal and a stall, a drop-down changing station and a bench to sit and wait while potty training moves at its own pace. A palace! If a palace were a public restroom at a playground…