Golden Gate Park Kids

The Koret's Children Quarter is one of the city's oldest (it was established at the end of the 19th-century, though refurbished many times in the intervening years), and it's also one of the most compelling, thanks to a hand-carved carousel, proximity to the California Academy of Sciences, rope-climbing walls, a huge concrete slide, and all kinds of play structures.

This is an incredibly rich and well-staffed resource for everything science-related, from informative exhibits on the future of our planet, to an incredible planetarium, to a scaled-down rainforest complete with all sorts of live critters. On Thursday nights, they do a really fun adults-only party with numerous bars and amazing guest DJs.