# 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.

- Last checked: 2026-10-30
- One- and two-day plans with a nap in the middle
- Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/visiting/
- This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/index.md
- City guide (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/guide/index.md
- City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/llms.txt

## Top 2 can’t-miss spots

- **Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery Center** (Downtown, 3801 Chester Ave): Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The discovery center closes at 3:30pm. Cost: $5 kids, $10 adults. Site: https://kerncountymuseum.org/
- **CALM Zoo** (Northeast, 10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy): Closed Mondays. Cost: $8 kids, $12 adults. Site: https://calmzoo.org/

## If you have one day

1. **MORNING**: CALM Zoo (Animals before the heat · Northeast, 10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy · $8 kids, $12 adults). https://calmzoo.org/
2. **Nap**: Back to the hotel for nap. If your little one sleeps best in the car, take a loop.
3. **AFTER NAP**: Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery Center (Play at Lori Brock · Downtown, 3801 Chester Ave · $5 kids, $10 adults). https://kerncountymuseum.org/

## If you have two days

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

1. **MORNING**: Northeast Branch Library (Free storytime · Northeast, 2671 Oswell St · Free). https://kerncountylibrary.org/events/
2. **Nap**: Back to the hotel for nap. If your little one sleeps best in the car, take a loop.
3. **AFTER NAP**: Buena Vista Museum of Natural History (Fossils downtown · Downtown, 2018 Chester Avenue · $6 kids, $10 adults). https://www.buenavistamuseum.org/hours-and-admission

## Where to stay

- **Downtown Bakersfield** (dt): Near the Kern County Museum and Beale Library. Near Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery Center.

## Rainy-day backup plan

- **Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Discovery Center**: The discovery center is indoors.
- **Beale Library**: Indoors and free.

## Practical tips

- 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.


## Happening this week

- **Safe Halloween** (5–9pm) at Kern County Museum. $10 kids 4 and up, $5 adults, kids 3 and under free. https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/#e-safe_halloween
- **Costume Family Storytime** (Sat 1–2pm) at Beale Library. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/#e-costume_family_storytime
- **Magic Napoleon** (Fri 3–5pm) at Rathbun Library. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/#e-magic_napoleon

Full list with every outing: https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/index.md

## Holiday pages

- [Santa in Bakersfield: breakfast with Santa, photos and Santa trains (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/santa/index.md)
- [Christmas lights in Bakersfield for little kids (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/christmas-lights/index.md)

## About this list
- Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city.
- How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com).
- Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list.
- How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote.

## 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](https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/guide/#free) and [this weekend’s list](https://littlesweekly.com/bakersfield/).

### 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.