The Dish & Spoon Cafe
$Inside Fairytale Town
The park’s year-round snack bar: hot dogs, PB&J, fruit, popcorn and ice cream.
Good for: Lunch without leaving the park.
Skip if: you want a sit-down meal.
Report a problemGUIDE Sacramento · City of Trees
Things to do with toddlers and little kids in Sacramento: the parent guide.
Sacramento’s best toddler stops sit in two clusters: Land Park and the Old Sacramento riverfront.
Around town8 spots · checked Oct 28
The Sacramento places we go back to, again and again.
The places we go back to all year. Where to eat with a toddler, where to burn off energy when it rains, where to splash, what’s worth the admission, and where to spend a night without going far.
Eat
Kid-friendly restaurants
Places where a dropped fork is no big deal and nobody minds a little noise.
Featured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Sacramento that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Play
Indoor play and rainy days
For rainy mornings, cold afternoons and anyone who needs to run in circles for an hour. For toddler classes and every indoor playground we’ve checked, with prices and sock rules, see indoor play in Sacramento.
Free
Sacramento Public Library
Citywide and county
Free family, baby and bilingual story times at branches from Natomas to Elk Grove and Galt. Branches close Sundays and Mondays.
Good for: A free weekday morning.
Skip if: it’s Sunday or Monday.
Report a problemFeatured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Sacramento that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Splash & ride
Parks and outdoor play
Pools, fountains, zoos and theme parks: the big all-day outings.
Land Park, 3901 Land Park Drive$
Fairytale Town
A storybook play park across from the zoo, with nursery-rhyme play sets, farm animals and a new Story Center with a daily 11am story. From November through February it’s open Thursday to Sunday only.
Tickets
- Kids 2 and up (weekdays) $10
- Adults $10
- 1 and under
Good for: A morning with kids 1 to 7.
Skip if: it’s Monday to Wednesday between November and February; it’s closed.
Nov–Feb: Thu–Sun 10am–4pm · Mar–Oct: daily 9am–4pm (weather permitting)Site ↗ for Fairytale Town
Report a problemFeatured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Sacramento that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Explore
Museums, zoos and big outings
Museums, animals and farm days that hold a little one’s attention.
Sacramento Zoo
$$Land Park, Land Park Drive & 16th Ave.
A compact zoo in William Land Park with free street parking and double strollers to rent. Ticket prices change by date, so buy ahead.
Good for: A stroller morning next to Fairytale Town.
Skip if: you arrive after 3pm in winter; from Nov 2 the zoo closes at 3.
Entry 9am–4pm, grounds open until 5pm · closes at 3pm Nov 2 – Jan 31Site ↗ for Sacramento Zoo
Report a problemSacramento Children’s Museum
$$Rancho Cordova, 2701 Prospect Park Drive
Hands-on play for little kids, next to Rancho Cordova City Hall. Strollers are discouraged inside, and there’s a small snack area by the front.
Good for: A rainy morning with kids under 6.
Skip if: it’s Monday; it’s closed.
Tue–Fri 10am–3pm, Sat–Sun 10am–4pm · closed MonSite ↗ for Sacramento Children’s Museum
Report a problemCalifornia State Railroad Museum
$Old Sacramento, 125 I Street
Full-size locomotives and rail cars under one roof on the Old Sacramento waterfront. Kids 5 and under get in free.
Tickets
- Kids 6–17 $6
- Adults $12
- 5 and under
Good for: A rainy day with a train fan.
Skip if: it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Day; it’s closed.
Daily 10am–5pm · last admission 4:30pmSite ↗ for California State Railroad Museum
Report a problemCrocker Art Museum
$Downtown, 216 O Street
Sacramento’s art museum, free for kids 5 and under, with a big free Noon Year’s Eve for families on Dec 31.
Tickets
- Kids 6–17 $8
- Adults $15
- 5 and under
Good for: A quiet indoor hour downtown.
Skip if: it’s Monday or Tuesday; it’s closed.
Wed and Fri–Sun 10am–5pm, Thu 10am–9pm · closed Mon–TueSite ↗ for Crocker Art Museum
Report a problemMOSAC (SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity)
$$Riverfront, 400 Jibboom Street
The science museum in the old riverside power station, with more than 100 hands-on exhibits and a planetarium.
Good for: Preschoolers who like buttons and water tables.
Skip if: it’s Tuesday; it’s closed.
Mon and Wed–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat–Sun 10am–5pm · closed TueSite ↗ for MOSAC (SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity)
Report a problemFeatured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Sacramento that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
These don’t change week to week. Last checked . Hours and prices change, so check the place’s own site before you go. Know a spot we missed? Tell us at hello@littlesweekly.com.
No ticket needed
Free things to do
Where a family can go in Sacramento without paying for admission. For free days, free events and this week’s free outings, see every free thing to do in Sacramento.
Littlest explorers
Best for under 3s
Free or cheap for babies and toddlers, and easy with a stroller.
Land Park, 3901 Land Park DriveFairytale TownFree for 1 and under.$10 each1 and under
Land Park, Land Park Drive & 16th Ave.Sacramento ZooDouble strollers to rent at the entrance.
Old Sacramento, 125 I StreetCalifornia State Railroad MuseumFree for 5 and under.Kids $6Adults $125 and underIndoorRancho Cordova, 2701 Prospect Park DriveSacramento Children’s MuseumBuilt for kids under 6.IndoorEvery week
Library storytimes
Recurring and free. Times change by branch, so check the calendar. For every weekly storytime by day and branch, see library storytimes in Sacramento.
Tuesday–Saturday morningsSacramento Public Library
Free family, baby and bilingual story times across the city and county.
Schedule ↗Babies and 1-year-olds
Things to do with a baby or a 1-year-old in Sacramento
Baby storytimes, places where babies get in free, and where to change and feed. For rainy days, see indoor play places; for zero-cost ideas, see free things to do.
Baby and lap-sit storytimes
Fridays at 10:30am · Sylvan OaksBaby Storytime · Sacramento Public Library
For babies up to 18 months and a grown-up, in Citrus Heights.
Storytime calendar ↗Fridays at 11:30am · Arden - DimickBaby Storytime · Sacramento Public Library
For babies under 2 and a grown-up.
Storytime calendar ↗Saturdays at 10:30am · CentralBaby Storytime · Sacramento Public Library
Saturday morning at the Central Library downtown.
Storytime calendar ↗Thursdays at 10:30am · Fair OaksBaby Storytime · Sacramento Public Library
For babies up to 18 months and a grown-up.
Storytime calendar ↗Thursdays at 10am · OffsiteBaby Explore and Learn Playgroup · Sacramento Public Library
Held at the Pannell Meadowview Community Center.
Storytime calendar ↗Babies get in free
Fairytale Town
1 and under
Admission page ↗By season
Seasonal spots
Santa visits and Christmas lights only run part of the year, so they have their own pages with this season’s dates and prices. For holiday and indoor rinks with season dates, prices and skate aids, see ice skating with kids in Sacramento.
This week
What’s on this week in Sacramento
The guide is the evergreen list. Here’s what’s happening in Sacramento right now.
- Halloween Fun Day at Fairytale TownFairytale Town · Included with park admission
- Trick or Treat at the Sacramento Children’s MuseumSacramento Children’s Museum · Free
- Tractor Tales with Charlotte the TarantulaFairytale Town Story Center · Included with park admission
Good questions
Things to do with toddlers in Sacramento: the FAQ
Is Sacramento good for toddlers?
Yes. Fairytale Town and the zoo sit across the street from each other in Land Park, and the Children’s Museum is built for kids under 6.
What’s free for little kids in Sacramento?
Library story times, the Crocker and the Railroad Museum for kids 5 and under, and Fairytale Town for 1 and under.
What can we do in Sacramento on a rainy or cold day with a toddler?
Go indoors: Sacramento Public Library. They’re all under one roof, and most work for a short visit around nap time.
What can we do with a baby, 1-year-old or 2-year-old in Sacramento?
Fairytale Town: Free for 1 and under. Sacramento Zoo: Double strollers to rent at the entrance. California State Railroad Museum and Sacramento Children’s Museum are also easy with a baby or toddler. Free for the littlest: California State Railroad Museum (5 and under) and Crocker Art Museum (5 and under). See best for under 3s.
Where are the free storytimes in Sacramento?
Sacramento Public Library: Tuesday–Saturday mornings. Library storytimes don’t need a ticket, but times change by branch, so check the calendar first. See library storytimes, and this week’s dated sessions are on the Sacramento weekly list.
How do you choose the places in the Sacramento guide?
Every one of the 8 places is somewhere we’d take a baby, toddler or preschooler, with a note on who it suits and when to skip it. Prices, hours and menus come from each place’s own site, and 3 of them have checked admission or menu prices. The guide was last checked Oct 28, 2026. How we choose and check.
Get the list every Thursday.
One short email every Thursday evening with the five things we’d leave the house for in Sacramento.