I don't like airports at all, especially with two little ones in tow, however, this airport was a little different. They actually had some things that my children could look at and entertain them. It was of course crowded but their were aspects that were very kid friendly and I appreciated that for my little ones. Airports are boring enough for me, imagine children's idea of an airport! This place helped ease my mind. My children were immediately interested in the well known food chains and there were some cute shops around the airport that had child friendly toys/books/ souvenirs. This airport was much more comfortable for my family.
I never thought of airports as being fun or interesting places. But I had to change my mind with the San Francisco Airport - International Terminal. There is plenty to see and explore: art exhibits, a little museum, interesting stores and good restaurants. There is no chain restaurants so the food is pretty good. My daughters makes a point to get a meal there before we board the plane. The SFO website has exploration games that you can print out and will let you find treasures, time will literally fly.
On the departures/ticketing level of terminal 1, three beautiful aquariums are mesmerizing. In boarding area F, terminal 3, you can rent DVD players and movies for use at the airport, during a flight, or for your entire vacation. Near gate 87A, boarding area F, terminal 3, is the Kids’ Spot for interactive exploration with exhibits from the Exploratorium plus a crawling apparatus, a plasma wall, and other fun stuff. In termnals 1 and 3, special nursery rooms are set up for babies and toddlers who need a change.
About forty exhibitions at a time are on view throughout the airport, focusing onculture, art, history, and science. You might see Halloween costumes, Indonesian puppets, or American flags. Check the schedule and locations at www.sfoarts.org. In the international terminal is the Aviation Museum, showing vintage planes and exhibits of space travel (650–821–9909).
Don’t settle for junk food. Restaurants at SFO are among the most sophisticatedand varied of any airport in the world, from II Fornaio Caffe del Mondo to Max’s Eatz, Just Desserts, Jalapeno Taqueria, and Harbor Village Kitchen, a quick-serve version of one of the city’s top Chinese restaurants.
The Discovery Channel Store, Kids City, and Shift N’ Gears are a few of kids’ favorite shops among dozens of upscale retailers in the airport.