Free things to do with kids in Palo Alto

Palo Alto has a reputation as an expensive place to raise kids. Housing earns it. Day to day, though, many of the best things for children cost nothing. The library runs storytimes most mornings and lends free museum passes. Farm animals, famous donkeys and miles of bird-filled marsh are free to visit. Even the trains are free to watch.

This guide is built around children. Our general guide to free things to do in Palo Alto covers the free art museums, campus sculpture and adult events. Here we focus on what keeps a 2 year old or a 10 year old happy without opening a wallet.

The library: storytimes and museum passes

Storytimes

The Palo Alto City Library runs free storytimes at 10:30 a.m. on most weekdays and Saturdays. Little Ones Storytime on Wednesdays at the Children's Library is aimed at children under two. In fall 2026 family storytimes ran Tuesday at the Children's Library, Thursday at College Terrace in Spanish and English, Friday at Downtown and Saturday at Mitchell Park. Storytimes break in August and from mid-December to mid-January. Our storytime guide has details.

Discover & Go museum passes

This is the biggest money saver for Palo Alto families. Through Discover & Go, library cardholders aged 14 and older who live in a Palo Alto ZIP code can reserve free passes to Bay Area attractions. The library's page lists, among others:

• California Academy of Sciences. A family pass for one adult and one guest aged 3 and up. Children 2 and under are free anyway.
• CuriOdyssey. A children's pass for one child. It does not cover adults.
• de Young Museum. A general pass for one person, not including special exhibitions.

You can hold two active reservations at a time and reserve up to three months ahead. New passes appear on the first of each month and some venues allow a pass only once per calendar year. Bring ID. See the library's Discover & Go page.

Playgrounds and water play

The city's park listing shows 19 parks with playgrounds, all free and most open from sunrise to sunset. The Magical Bridge Playground at Mitchell Park, built so children of all abilities can play together, is the one visitors come for. Rinconada Park's tot lot sits right beside the main playground. The city tags only Mitchell Park with a water play structure, so pack a change of clothes on hot days and check the city page for its schedule. Our playgrounds guide ranks them all.

Free animals

You do not need a zoo ticket to see animals here.

• Deer Hollow Farm inside Rancho San Antonio Preserve is a working homestead with sheep and goats, free to visit and about a mile's walk from the main lot. It is closed Mondays.
• The Barron Park donkeys, Buddy and April, graze beside the Bol Park path. Look and talk, but do not feed them.
• The Baylands Duck Pond brings ducks and geese close enough for toddlers. Feeding is not allowed.
• Arastradero Lake is a mostly flat walk of about half a mile to a pond where turtles and herons are common.

The Junior Museum and Zoo is not free, but children under 12 months get in without a ticket and reduced $3 tickets are available to eligible families. For more, see our guide to animal encounters.

Free nature centers

Two nature centers near Palo Alto are free to walk into. The Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center at 2775 Embarcadero Road sits on pilings at the edge of the marsh, with a boardwalk running about a quarter mile out over it. Classes and camps charge fees, but visiting does not. Check the city's page for open hours, which have changed over the years.

In Redwood City, the Education Center at Edgewood Park opened on weekends and Wednesday mornings in October 2026. Edgewood is not on San Mateo County's list of fee parks. In spring, Friends of Edgewood leads free wildflower walks, with shorter kid-friendly hikes on select weekends.

Stanford for kids

Most of the Stanford campus is free to explore. Two outings go beyond the usual art and architecture:

• The Stanford Educational Farm. The farm near the Red Barn welcomes visitors during its open hours, listed as Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Kids can see what is growing and spot the beehives. Families with children 10 and up can join free volunteer shifts.
• Stargazing nights. The Stanford Student Observatory hosts free KIPAC Stargazing Nights a few times a year, by registration. The most recent was on October 6, 2026.

Trains to watch and ride

Watching Caltrain is free and endlessly popular with small children. Every weekday train on the main line stops at Palo Alto station, 95 University Avenue. At California Avenue, express trains roar through without stopping. In San Francisco, children 4 and under ride Muni and the cable cars free. The Cable Car Museum lists free admission too. Our guide to kids and trains has the details.

For older kids and teens

Free options do not stop at the playground. The Museum of American Heritage at 351 Homer Avenue is free with a suggested donation. It opens Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its collection of everyday machines and its working print shop suit curious 8 to 12 year olds. Our museum guide has more. For teens, The Drop at Mitchell Park is the city's teen center. It is free with a signed membership form and opens weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. during the school year.

Free events for kids

The May Fete Children's Parade has run since 1924. Children, school groups and clubs march down University Avenue to Heritage Park, where a free fair follows. Marching costs nothing. Dates change every year, so check the city's calendar in spring.

Free ways to give back together

Volunteering is free and gives kids a real job. Grassroots Ecology says most of its habitat events allow youth, with an adult present for children under 13 and a parent's online waiver for anyone 17 and under. Families plant natives from November to February. Hidden Villa runs free family volunteer days on its farm in Los Altos Hills, though its $10 parking fee still applies to regular visits. Older kids can find more in our teen volunteering guide.

Saving on outings leaves more for a place to stay. For a family trip on a budget, compare budget family hotels near Palo Alto.

Frequently asked questions