This weekend we took a trip the the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive*.  I have such delightful memories of this place when it was in its old location and I was in my blissfully easy pre kid days.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but was blown away with how kid friendly BAMPFA is now. 

In addition to the current Masako Miki exhibit, which is a giant felted wonderland, there is a children’s art area in which kids can use a ton of supplies to make whatever they can dream up. There is also a sweet reading and building area, and really great interactive seating area where kiddos can move large soft benches to make forts and climbing structures.  They also show films and have tons of special events.  Even though we went on a Sunday it was not overly crowded and most visitors were families with kids.  We spent about 2 hours at the museum with only one meltdown (over leaving the gift shop without getting to buy anything) so I’d call that a success.  

Since it’s across the street from the UC Berkeley campus there are so many reasonable, casual and kid friendly eating places within a block or two of the museum.  We ate at Comal Next Door, the causal Mexican food sister restaurant to one of our favorite (pre kid) places.  Other great options include Cancun, Saturn Cafe & Sliver Pizzeria.  

We also walked around the UC Berkeley campus for an hour or so, rounding out a really nice day in the East Bay. 

The best part was that since we just joined the Petaluma Museum we get into most Bay Area museums for free.  It’s an awesome perk and makes supporting our local museum even more rewarding.  

*https://bampfa.org/