Palo Alto with kids

Palo Alto works well for families. Distances are short, parking is usually free outside downtown and much of the city is flat enough for small legs and small bikes. The best family stops are clustered in a few places. Middlefield Road alone runs past the zoo, the Winter Lodge, a big library and two of the best parks.

This guide covers the highlights first, then playgrounds, libraries, nature outings and campus sights that kids enjoy. At the end you will find a list of rainy day ideas and some practical tips. For grown-up plans, see our full list of things to do in Palo Alto.

Junior Museum and Zoo

The Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, known locally as the JMZ, is the top family stop in town. It first opened in July 1934 inside a room of the public library. Today it fills a new, larger building at 1451 Middlefield Road that opened in the early 2020s, next to Rinconada Park.

The zoo is small enough for toddlers but packed with animals. The museum counts more than 60 species and about 400 animals. Kids can see American flamingos, ring-tailed lemurs, slender-tailed meerkats, a raccoon, hornbills, poison dart frogs and a bald eagle. Inside, the science exhibits include a scale model of the solar system, a Rainbow Tunnel and a California Dinosaur Garden.

The daily schedule includes animal encounters, such as flamingo feedings and chances to meet the bald eagle. Ask at the front desk for times on the day you visit.

Tickets and timing

The JMZ is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed Mondays. Entry times are 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. General tickets cost $16 on weekday mornings, weekends and holiday breaks. Weekday afternoons are cheaper. Children under 12 months are free. Book online before you go, since the museum says it cannot guarantee entry without a reservation. Closing times shift with the season and on some holidays, so check the site.

Parking in the lot and on nearby streets is free. Food is not allowed inside the museum or zoo. Pack a lunch and eat it on the lawns of Rinconada Park next door.

Parks and playgrounds

Magical Bridge Playground at Mitchell Park

The Magical Bridge Playground opened in Mitchell Park in April 2015. It was built so that children and adults of every ability can play side by side. The project started with a local parent, Olenka Villarreal, who could not find a playground that worked for her daughter. Community fundraising, including lemonade stands, helped cover the $3.8 million cost.

The playground has slides, swings and spinning merry-go-rounds. A two-story playhouse by artist Barbara Butler is fully wheelchair accessible. A Kindness Corner teaches kids that bullying is not welcome. Big oak trees shade parts of the site. Entry is free.

Mitchell Park itself covers 21.4 acres, with tennis and pickleball courts, open lawns and a fenced dog park. The Mitchell Park Library sits right next door, which makes this the easiest half-day outing in south Palo Alto.

Rinconada Park

Rinconada Park on Middlefield Road is the classic family park in north Palo Alto. It has shade trees, picnic lawns, playgrounds and the public Rinconada Pool, which is open year-round. It pairs naturally with a morning at the JMZ.

Bol Park

Bol Park in Barron Park has a paved bike path that runs through the neighborhood away from car traffic. It is a good place for kids learning to ride.

Libraries

Palo Alto's public libraries are some of the best rainy day refuges in town. Two stand out for families.

The Children's Library at 1276 Harriet Street serves kids from birth through 5th grade. The city says it was built in 1940 as the first freestanding library in the United States intended only for children. It has a garden setting and computers for kids 11 and under. It is open Tuesday through Saturday.

The Mitchell Park Library at 3700 Middlefield Road is open seven days a week, with evening hours Monday through Thursday. It is right beside the Magical Bridge Playground.

The Rinconada, Downtown and College Terrace branches round out the system. See the library hours page for current schedules.

Winter Lodge skating

The Winter Lodge at 3009 Middlefield Road has run an outdoor ice rink since 1956. Skating under open sky in a city where it almost never freezes is a novelty kids remember. The nonprofit rink runs public sessions for all skill levels plus group classes for kids and adults.

The season runs from fall into spring. For 2026 to 2027, public skating opened on October 16, 2026 and the last day is April 11, 2027. The rink closes on a few holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Day. Tickets must be bought online in advance, up to 30 days ahead. Check the Winter Lodge website for the session schedule.

Nature outings

Baylands Nature Preserve

The Baylands are flat, free and full of birds. Start at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center, which runs about 130 classes and camps a year. Then walk the quarter-mile boardwalk across the marsh to open water. It is stroller friendly. The Duck Pond nearby began as a saltwater swimming pool in the 1930s and is now a favorite spot for watching ducks and geese. Feeding them is not allowed.

Foothills Nature Preserve

Foothills Nature Preserve has lawns, a nature interpretive center and Boronda Lake, where families can paddle hand-launched canoes and kayaks with life jackets. Swimming is not allowed. The entry fee is per vehicle and the park can close when it reaches capacity, so arrive early on weekends.

The Stanford Dish

Older kids with good legs can handle the Dish loop, about 3.5 miles on pavement with steep hills. The giant radio telescope at the top is a good motivator. There is no shade, so go early.

Stanford sights kids enjoy

Walking the Stanford campus is free and there is plenty to hold a kid's attention.

• Hoover Tower. The elevator ride to the 14th floor observation platform is a hit. Check the Hoover Institution's site for hours and tickets. See our Hoover Tower guide.
• The Rodin Sculpture Garden. Kids can walk among large bronze figures outside the free Cantor Arts Center.
• The Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden. Forty carved figures of people, animals and magical beings among the trees.
• The Arizona Cactus Garden. A 19th century garden of spiky, oddly shaped plants planned for the Stanford family.
• The Main Quad and Memorial Church. Long arcades to run through and a church interior covered in glittering mosaics.

Our Stanford visitor guide covers parking and the free Marguerite shuttle.

Gamble Garden

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden at 1431 Waverley Street is a 2.5-acre historic garden in Old Palo Alto. It is free and open to the public during daylight hours. Paths, lawns and flower beds give little ones room to wander while adults enjoy the plantings. Spring is the showiest season.

Rainy day ideas

Most rain falls between November and March. When a storm rolls through, try these:

1. Book a morning slot at the Junior Museum and Zoo. The indoor science exhibits fill a rainy hour well.
2. Spend an afternoon at the Children's Library or the Mitchell Park Library.
3. Visit the free Cantor Arts Center on the Stanford campus.
4. See a show at the city-run Palo Alto Children's Theatre, where young people perform.
5. Catch a family-friendly classic at the Stanford Theatre on University Avenue when one is on the schedule.
6. Browse the stores at Stanford Shopping Center between showers.

Check the weather guide to see what to expect during your dates.

If you need a base, family suites and rental homes give you more room than a standard hotel room. You can browse vacation rentals near Palo Alto or compare family-friendly hotels.

Frequently asked questions