Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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but younger kids are also welcome as long as they stay within arm's reach of their parents.
The park is so popular that gr oups arriving with 5 or mor e children must r eserve well
ahead of time (3 weeks or more) and pay a fee, star ting at $55 for 2 hours.
Berkeley Marina (south of University Ave.). & 510/981-6720. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/marinaexp/
adventplgd.html. Free for children supervised by a parent/guardian; on Sat k ids over 7 can be dr opped
off unaccompanied for a 3-hr. session for $7. Weekends and school holidays 11am-4pm; summer week-
days 9am-5pm. Closed when raining and also Dec 24-26 and Dec 31- Jan 1. Phone t o confirm. To get
there: By car: Take I-80 to Powell St. Make a left under the freeway and a right onto Frontage Rd. Follow
Frontage Rd. to University Ave. Take a left onto University and follow the signs for the marina.
The Berkeley Hall of Health Ages 3 to 12. Located across the street from Habitot
(see below), The B erkeley H all of H ealth is an interactiv e museum designed to teach
children about the human body, nutrition, and health. The museum includes hands-on
exhibits on the human heart, the inside of the body, and how to prevent diseases.
2230 Shattuck A ve., lower level. & 510/549-1564. www.hallofhealth.org. Suggested donation $3 per
person, children under 3 fr ee. Tues-Sat 10am-4pm. To get there: By BART: Exit at the Berkeley station;
walk 1 block south t o the museum. By car : Take I-80 to the University Ave. exit. Drive east (toward the
hills) until you reach Shattuck Ave. Take a right on Shattuck and another right on K ittredge St. There is
parking in the garage across from the main entrance.
Habitot Childr en's Museum Ages infant to 7. A hands-on exhibition center
,
Habitot helps childr en develop and explor e creative and interactiv e skills that they will
use for life. This delightful museum pr ovides opportunities to explor e art, science, his-
tory, architecture, and technology through several exhibits. Each gallery offers a specific,
age-appropriate activity. A t Waterworks, kids can experience differ ent types of water
activity: a flo wing river ramp, a pumping station, and a water table. The Little Town
Grocery & Cafe provides a miniature shopping experience with kid-siz e shopping carts
and plastic fr uits, vegetables, and breads that kids can also sor t themselves into grocery
bins. Cash registers with working buttons and play money help them practice counting
and encourage interactive play. The Infant-Toddler Garden, designed for crawlers, has
carpeted walls depicting a gar den mural landscape and interactiv e activities including a
carrot patch, a pretend pond, and shapes to Velcro to the wall—all surrounded by a white
picket fence. At the Drop-in Art Studio, kids of all ages can paint or draw their own wall
murals, participate in various organized art activities, or create their own masterpieces on
paper. A Wiggle Wall allows children to feel their way thr ough an “underground” laby-
rinth. The Rocketship exhibit , which occasionally trav els to other childr en's museums,
allows aspiring astr onauts to don astr onaut costumes, manipulate the mission contr ol
panel, and contemplate their futur es in outer space. H abitot has kiddy cars and to ys
available to play with, offers special outr each programs to neighborhood families with
special needs, and works closely with the Head Start program.
2065 K ittredge St. (near Shattuck A ve.), Berkeley. & 510/647-1111. w ww.habitot.org. Admission $8
children, $7 adults , under 12 months fr ee. Mon-Thurs 9:30am-12:30pm; F ri-Sat 9:30am-4:30pm; Sun
(Oct-Mar only) 9:30am-4:30pm. Closed major holidays and Sun Apr-Sept. To get there: See “The Berke-
ley Hall of Health,” above. The entrance to the museum is on the lower level of the parking garage.
Shorebird Park Nature Center Ages 4 to 12. Here families can learn about S an
Francisco Bay ecology. Exhibits include a 100-gallon aquarium featuring marine plants
and animals found in the San Francisco Bay. There are several wildlife displays to see and
explore as well as a touch table, where kids can gently handle different species of marine
life.
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