Tilden Park for Kids

Tilden Park is HUGE, so you can enter it from Orinda or Berkeley. It’s a popular site for groups and families on weekends, and has so much to do it never gets old. So many of the activities are perfect for children!

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​Tilden Park has many hiking trails, and some of them are well suited for hiking with little legs. For the very young ones, there are paved options that are both wheelchair and stroller friendly. When you need a little rest, head to the train station!

Redwood Valley Railway is fit for kids and loads of fun! On each 12-minute ride, the passengers ride through some beautiful views of redwoods on a charming scaled-for-kids steam train. Children under 2 are free to ride; everyone else is charged $3 per ride.

Leave your dogs behind, because Tilden Park already has animals: a whole Little Farm, in fact! This place is a favorite for most kids under ten, but is fun for all ages!

How many kids growing up in a city have feed a goat or pet a cow? This Little Farm also has pigs, chickens, horses, bunnies, geese, and ducks — all free to visit! The animals are in pens, but the bars make access easy for all sizes and some creature is sure to approach an outstretched hand offering a treat.

You have to bring your own produce! The cows and goats will happily munch on your leftover lettuce or cast-away celery. The farm doesn’t allow other outside food (so no bread for the birds or carrots for the rabbits), but they also don’t sell any lettuce or celery.

Beware the weather: after a good rain, the dirt hill turns into a muddy mess. Wear good shoes and bring a friend who can help wrangle a stroller around a puddle, if necessary. 

Don’t leave without visiting the merry-go-round carousel. The iconic carousel is a beautiful antique ride that was made by hand in 1911. It moved to Tilden Park in the 1940s and has been giving rides and smiles ever since! It does cost $3.50 to ride, or you can buy a pack of 7 tickets for $20. 

The carousel site is also perfect for a birthday party. Photos of the guests on the carousel creatures are PRICELESS and the lawn outside has plenty of picnic tables to serve everyone cake. Tilden Park will work with you to plan a merry-go-round party — they will take care of a balloon bouquet, table cloths, ice cream cups, and 42 carousel ride tickets for a set rate of $250. Additional add-ons, like cotton candy, pizzas, cupcakes, lemonade, and games, are also available so you can be sure to get exactly what you and your child want. Visit tildenmerrygoround.org for more information and pricing!

Pace yourselves with this park: come back multiple days to try everything out!