If you get here at nine a.m. the park is yours. I wouldn't recommend getting here after ten or the park is jam packed with tour buses. There is no parking and the cement pathways fill up. The weather is pretty much the same year round. Cool! bring sweaters. Don't forget your camera. There are great trees to get inside of an take pictures of your little ones standing inside of majestic old growth redwoods. My son is a big fan on banana slugs and there are tons of them here. Our favorite time of year to go is actually in the winter when the lady bugs pile up on the fence posts (the wood gets completely covered) and when we can see salmon (coho but there are trout too) spawning up the creek! Go when it's the rainiest to get to see the fish. The trees protect you and seeing fish spawn last winter was very memorable.

Our son is a bit, o.k. very, active. Sitting through a whole play is not doable. I should say I am not interested in making him sit anyway but love the idea of him seeing plays and these are GREAT. An alternative to seeing the whole thing for us has been to go to the dress rehearsals. The rehearsals happen every weekend leading up to the play but the dress rehearsal runs happen the weekend before. This year, they are doing, "The Man of La Mancha." So the Sat and Sunday before (16th and 17th of may of this year '09) we'll be there. There is all the fun of a picnic and joy of the play but you don't have to worry about your kid running around disturbing people or the crowds in general. Last year we watched about half an hour of the Wizard of Oz and then went on a hike/picnic up to O'Rourke's bench (about a mile straight up from the Rock Springs parking lot - overlooks the ocean - great place to eat and climb around a tree and sit on a neat bench). They have a great website too. http://www.mountainplay.org/

This is a great hike. It's about two miles to the beach. My two year old can run almost the whole way there. The best thing is that it's stroller friendly the entire way. I use my double stroller and there are lots of families out there doing the same. This is NOT somewhere you want to let your child wander into the water though. The drop off into the ocean is very steep and we only let him in while we hold his hands. There is a little pool of warmer water that the kids can play in though without being held. I like to bring beach toys for digging in the sand and it's the best place for a picnic! Don't forget extra clothes for your wet kids!

This is a great museum and play place. There are structures to climb on and through, lots of friendly mommies and a GREAT crafts area. They have an area with stations where the kids can do art projects. If you can, it's a good idea to get a family pass. It's worth it (make up the difference with three visits in one year) and you can bring a friend with their kids that way. If you're not sure if it will work for your kid, go on the free day which is the first Wednesday of each month!
Check it out:
http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/home/

What?! A beach right here in central marin? Sweet! We love McNear's beach. The only reason I wouldn't give it a five-star rating is because it costs eight dollars to park here and I hate paying to park somewhere. It is fabulous to get to play at a kid friendly beach. Since it's the bay, the water is calm and kids can play in it. There is also a pool (with a beloved snack shack) which costs four extra dollars. We just enjoy the beach and the park (manicured lawn close to the water's edge for your picnic blanket).
We've seen birthday parties at the pool...might be something to look into if you want an outdoor party.