Novato Attractions. Novato Tourism and kids attractions

The Exploratorium: A carnival for curious kids As the name suggests, the Exploratorium is a place where kids can explore and learn. Since opening in 1969 it’s been a “must” field trip for Bay Area schoolchildren, but far from being boring, this science museum puts the fun in learning—not just for kids, but the adults who bring them. Read More >>

Point Isabel: Dog lovers’ paradise For animal lovers who navigate toward the outdoors, the world is often divided into two halves: dog-friendly, and not dog-friendly. When it comes to family outings to the national parks, much of the time, four-legged family members are restricted from trails. Ironically, the wide open parks seem like the best place to bring them, where they can run and fetch for miles on end. Read More >>

Lawrence Hall of Science: Hands-on learning for all ages How do roller coasters overcome the force of gravity? What type of arts and crafts flying machine would soar highest in a wind tube? What’s the difference between a strike-slip fault and a reverse fault? The answers to these questions and many more can be found at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. Read More >>

Fisherman's Wharf: More than seafood and souvenirs If you haven’t been to the Wharf for a while, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Oh, the T-shirt and souvenir shops are still there, and it’s still plenty crowded as the #1 tourist magnet in San Francisco. But flower gardens have been planted; new restaurants and shops have sprouted; and an art gallery with originals by Rembrandt, Picasso, Dali and Chagall has opened. Read More >>

De Young Museum: San Francisco's finest fine-arts museum Most people love or hate the exterior architecture of Golden Gate Park’s De Young Museum, but there is little debate about the bright interior spaces or the transcendence of the art within. Even most critics agree that once inside, the de Young is a fine fine-arts museum. Read More >>

Oakland Ice Center: Winter all year long There’s no snow in California, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any ice. Oakland Ice Center in downtown Oakland contains both a National Hockey League-size rink and an Olympic size rink. Operated by Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, the Center has been around since 1995 and holds the largest number of Adult USA Hockey participants compared to any other skating facility in the country. Read More >>

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Family thrills down on the boardwalk They don’t make amusement parks like this anymore. Oh, sure, there are modern theme parks with scarier rides, but the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has charm, history, a huge beach and a unique mix of rides and attractions for all ages. Read More >>

Golden Gate Park: San Francisco's urban oasis If you took in everything that Golden Gate Park has to offer—all the museums, gardens, lakes, groves, meadows, statues and windmills, and even tried your hand at horseshoes and archery at those venues—you’d be one exhausted puppy when it was over. It would take you a few days, too. The variety of things to see and do in this glistening emerald of an urban park is one reason why it’s the third-most visited city park in America. Read More >>

Beat Museum: Paying homage to the original counterculture hipsters The literature and counterculture lifestyles of the Beatniks in the Fifties made possible the social and political revolution of the Hippies and Radicals in the Sixties. The Beat Museum pays tribute to these counterculture pioneers in North Beach, the neighborhood where they flourished. Read More >>

Cable Cars: Halfway to the stars (and a cable car museum) If you’ve ever tried walking or even driving up San Francisco’s steepest hills, you know that even today, cable cars fill a need. But they’re also an exhilarating blast of fun, whatever your age, especially if you sit on or stand above the outward-facing benches on the edges of the cars. Read More >>