VISITING Bakersfield · Bako

Visiting Bakersfield with toddlers and little kids: the plan.

The Kern County Museum and Buena Vista Museum are both on Chester Avenue downtown, and CALM Zoo is a short drive northeast.

Top 2 can’t-miss spots

#1Downtown, 3801 Chester Ave

Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery Center

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The discovery center closes at 3:30pm.

Kids $5Adults $10Kids 2 and underIndoor

See it in the guide

#2Northeast, 10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy

Nap breaks built in

One day or two in Bakersfield

A couple of big stops, a real lunch and a nap in the middle. Tap a stop for the full listing.

If you have one day

MORNINGCALM ZooAnimals before the heat · Northeast, 10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy · $8 kids, $12 adults

NAPBack to the hotel for nap. If your little one sleeps best in the car, take a loop.

AFTER NAPKern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery CenterPlay at Lori Brock · Downtown, 3801 Chester Ave · $5 kids, $10 adults

If you have two days

Day 1 is the one-day plan above. Day 2:

MORNINGNortheast Branch LibraryFree storytime · Northeast, 2671 Oswell St · Free

NAPBack to the hotel for nap. If your little one sleeps best in the car, take a loop.

AFTER NAPBuena Vista Museum of Natural HistoryFossils downtown · Downtown, 2018 Chester Avenue · $6 kids, $10 adults

Where to stay

Kid-friendly areas near the big attractions

Pick the area by the stops you’ll make most, then plan around nap.

DTDowntown BakersfieldNear the Kern County Museum and Beale Library.Near Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery Center

Plan B

Rainy-day backup plan

If the forecast turns, swap the outdoor stop for one of these.

Downtown, 3801 Chester AveKern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery CenterThe discovery center is indoors.Kids $5Adults $10Kids 2 and underIndoor

Downtown, 701 Truxtun Ave.Beale LibraryIndoors and free.FreeIndoor

Before you go

Practical tips

Parking, strollers, changing tables and the best times to go.

Driving

You’ll want a car. CALM Zoo is northeast of town, off Alfred Harrell Highway.

Holidays

The Bakersfield Christmas Parade is downtown on Thursday, Dec 3, 2026, at 6pm.

Visiting in November or December?

Santa and Christmas lights in Bakersfield

If your trip lands in the holiday season, these two pages have the dates, prices and booking links.

Santa in BakersfieldBreakfast with Santa, Santa photos and Santa trains, with 2026 prices

Christmas lights in BakersfieldDrive-thru and walk-through displays, start times and 2026 prices

This week

Happening while you’re here

This week’s top events in Bakersfield. The full list, with hours and the forecast, is on the this-week page.

#15–9pm

Safe Halloween

Two evenings of trick-or-treating at the Kern County Museum. Kids get a trick-or-treat bag at the front gate, and a ticket is good for either night. Tickets are sold on Eventbrite and at the museum’s front desk.

Kern County Museum · Bakersfield

$10 kids 4 and upIndoor

Hours, food & parking

#2Sat 1–2pm

Costume Family Storytime

Wear a Halloween costume to an all-ages family storytime with stories, songs and movement downtown. Free.

Beale Library · Bakersfield

FreeIndoor

Hours, food & parking

#3Fri 3–5pm

Magic Napoleon

A magic show at the Rathbun branch during its Halloween party. Free.

Rathbun Library · Bakersfield

FreeIndoor

Hours, food & parking

See everything this week →

Good questions

Visiting Bakersfield with toddlers: the FAQ

Is Bakersfield kid-friendly?

For a family with kids under 6, yes. Our Bakersfield guide lists 5 places we checked for little kids, plus 2 free places and 3 picks for babies and toddlers. This page adds free storytimes at 1 library system. This week’s list has 11 dated outings for ages 0–6. See free things to do in Bakersfield and this weekend’s list.

Where should we stay with a toddler?

Downtown puts you near the Kern County Museum and Buena Vista Museum.

What if it’s too hot?

Go to the Lori Brock Discovery Center or a library storytime.

Get the list every Thursday.

One short email every Thursday evening with the five things we’d leave the house for in Bakersfield.