City Munchkin is a blog about a new mom navigating parenting in the city. Stay tuned for more adventures, tips, and advice!
All in San Francisco
We go to a lot of coffee shops in this city and some are more kid friendly than others. I figured it would be useful to share the cafes we think are easiest to visit with kids. Below are my current top five kid-friendly cafes in SF, as well as a short description of why they made the list.
My friend Jamiee is the best at finding all the free days at local museums and attractions. She runs the instagram page @sanfranciscotoddler and finds all these places with her daughter. I asked her to do a guest blog post that showed all the free dates for the month of March and the calendar is below! We are thinking of updating this monthly, let us know what you think!
When we first moved into the city a year ago we were looking for nearby parks and ran across South Park. The city had just finished renovating it and adding a new play structure. I found this place to be very cool and we have been visiting regularly ever since.
Brunch food is my favorite type of food, but it can be hard to get into a good brunch spot in this city, especially with a toddler. So when I find one that is both tasty and kid-friendly, I want to tell everyone about it!
Once we run out of activity ideas for rainy days and we get stir crazy, we run to the California Academy of Sciences. There is so much to do under one roof that it keeps both of us entertained for a good part of the day!
We love going to the Presidio neighborhood for outdoor adventures. There is so much to do there! One of our favorite places to visit is Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line.
The Mission District is home to the largest number of murals in San Francisco. Hundreds of walls, doors, and fences are painted by artists to show cultural, political and artistic points of view. It's is most definitely the most colorful part of the city.
We love this boutique because it's basically a one-stop shop for fun and unique goods. They sell gifts, home goods, and furniture as well as a large selection of toys and baby items.
There are many coffee shop options in San Francisco but if you are looking for a cozy vibe, creative coffee art and a variety of latte flavors, you need to try Home Cafe.
We found a true gem in the outer sunset neighborhood. Black Bird Bookstore is a bright and cozy community Bookstore with an awesome section for kids. They also have FREE story time on Saturdays!
There are so many parks in this city. One of my favorites for views is Alta Plaza Park. It has panoramic views of the city from multiple places in the park. My favorites are the views from the top of the Pierce street stairs and the view from the playground.
The SF Zoo has some of the best playgrounds in town. Zoos, in general, are great places for kids but when we go all Atlas wants to do is play in the playground.
I consider Outerlands to be a very kid friendly restaurant. Not only that but the food is incredibly good! They serve locally sourced organic American fare and they are located in Outer Sunset.
General Store is a boutique located in the Outer Sunset that features handmade and locally made goods. It is a great place to shop for gifts.
Trouble Coffee is a funky hole in the wall coffee shop in Outer Sunset. It doesn't have a lot of seating inside but there's a bench outside and a little parklet where you can sit. I'm writing about it here because it's a great place to pick up a drink before heading to Ocean Beach or the Blackbird Bookstore next door
I originally posted on Instagram that, based on my experience at the Museum of Ice Cream, I didn't recommend taking a young toddler there. However, knowing that all kids are extremely different, I decided to write this post from another angle. Instead of saying whether or not you should take your tot, I am going to lay out what you should expect should you choose to go.
Mission Dolores Park is one of the largest and most versatile parks in the city. There is something for everyone here and depending on what day/time you go it can either be calm and peaceful or loud and lively.
Recently, we found a great brunch place in Palo Alto that is connected to the Anthropologie store. Because it is part of the store you can tell they keep the Anthropologie aesthetic in mind. Its decor is rustic and natural with things like hanging terrariums. This cute cafe is kid friendly and also serves a delicious brunch.
We love to visit this trendy neighborhood cafe when we go to Mission Bay Kids Park.
They serve great espresso blends and single origin coffee that is roasted on site.
These colorful Victorian houses, with fantastic views of the city behind them, are most known for their appearance in the TV show, Full House. But none of this is going to matter to your 2-year-old so how do you entertain a toddler if you want to go take pictures of the painted ladies?
