Fun and free things to do near BART

Bring the kids to a free Home Depot Kid's Workshop. Photo courtesy of Home Depot. 

Looking for free things to do in the Bay Area? We’ve got good news! Plenty of activities near BART don’t cost a pretty penny. From walking tours to free museum days, fitness classes, and kid’s programs — here’s our list of fun and free BARTable things to do around the Bay.

 Use BART's Trip Planner for detailed routes and transit options.

Take a trek around the city during a free walking tour—photo courtesy of Free Tour Company. 

Free walking tours near BART

Want to learn more about the beautiful Bay Area? Try a walking tour, like SF City Guides. With over 70 unique tours focusing on architecture, music, landmarks, history, and more — you can pick your favorite tour and let BART take you to the starting point.

Similarly, Free SF Tour offers walks throughout the city. These include the daily “Original Free SF Tour" and the “Free SF Tour en Español,” as well as tours of the Mission/Castro, Chinatown/Little Italy and Little Italy/Lombard St. 

Free Tours by Foot uses expert guides to lead parties in an “All in One,” five-hour walk to see the city’s most famous sights, or a shorter, two-hour “Original San Francisco” tour that will take you to the cafés of Little Italy and the Financial District. Other offered tours last one to three and a half hours and include Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and the Castro.

Another great option is GuruWalk. Their free tours include the “Food & History Tour of San Francisco’s Chinatown” and "Hidden Stairways of San Francisco,” amongst others.

More free walking tours near BART include the James R. Browning United States Courthouse one-hour docent-led tours of the old post office lobby and select courtrooms on certain Tuesdays, and the San Francisco City Hall tour highlighting the history and architecture of City Hall every Friday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

SF's Museum of Modern Art hosts free admission days monthly. Photo courtesy of SFMOMA.

Free museum days near BART

The Bay Area offers an abundance of world-class museums with incredible exhibits and beautiful art. Luckily, many of them offer free admission days. Take advantage and check out a new space or return to an old favorite!

Wednesdays

The GLBT Historical Society Museum is free on the first Wednesday of the month. Take BART to 16^th St Mission to visit the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender history and culture in the U.S. just 1.0 mile away.

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is also free on Wednesdays. Enjoy a multidisciplinary art center featuring exhibitions, performances, film/video and rotating art exhibits with a focus on contemporary and emerging artists from the Bay Area and beyond. It’s a short 0.2 mile walk from Montgomery St.

Thursdays

The brilliant SFMOMA is free for Bay Area residents on the first Thursday of the month, but also check out their free family days, free community days and always free to see areas. Take BART to Montgomery St to visit one of the largest modern art museums in the U.S. only 0.3 miles away at 151 3rd St. 

On the East Bay side, check out BAMPFA, where the galleries are also free on the first Thursday of the month. Take BART to Downtown Berkeley to visit this Berkeley Art Museum 0.1 mile away from the station. After enjoying the art, check out what films are on view.

Fridays

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is free on the first Friday of each month. Take BART to Montgomery St to learn more about Jewish life 0.3 miles away at 736 Mission St.

Saturdays

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is free every second Saturday. Take BART to Montgomery St to see one of the few museums in the world focusing on the African Diaspora.0.2 miles away at 685 Mission St.

Sundays

The Asian Art Museum is free on the first Sunday of each month. Take BART to Civic Center/UN Plaza to witness artwork from major Asian cultures only 0.1 miles away at 200 Larkin St.

The Oakland Museum of California is another free option on the first Sunday of each month. Take BART to Lake Merritt to enjoy OMCA’s Galleries of California Art, History and Natural Sciences 0.1 miles away at 1000 Oak St.

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is also free on second Sundays!

Free every day!

Take BART to Embarcadero to visit the San Francisco Railway Museum and learn more about San Francisco’s rail transit history 0.3 miles away at 77 Steuart St. Also, don’t miss the iconic Cable Car Museum. Take BART to Powell St to learn about the history of cable cars 0.8 miles away at 1201 Mason St.

Get moving at Salesforce tower—photo courtesy of Transbay Joint Powers Authority. 

Free fitness classes near BART

Luckily, it’s easy to stay fit in the Bay Area without breaking the bank. With so many fun options for free fitness classes near BART, take your pick and get moving.

The Salesforce Transit Center (0.2 Miles from Montgomery St) offers free activities on the rooftop park. From weekly yoga classes to Bollywood dancing, salsa, bootcamps, Zumba and much more, you can find a free fitness class most days of the week. Check out the schedule here.

Additional weekly fitness classes near BART include salsa dancing at Brooklyn Basin (1.2 miles from Lake Merritt), Zumba at Civic Center Plaza (0.1 mile from Civic Center/UN Plaza), yoga at Thrive City (transfer from Powell St to Muni T), Oakland Works Wednesdays in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza (482 feet from 12^th St/Oakland City Center), and bootcamps at 1 Hotel San Francisco (0.5 miles from Embarcadero), to name a few. 

Kids will enjoy storytime at the Rockridge Branch Library. Photo courtesy of Oakland Public Library.

Free activities for kids near BART

From library storytimes and Home Depot Kids' Workshops to Habitot Children’s Museum events and outdoor musical fun atop the Salesforce rooftop garden, there are plenty of free activities for kids near BART.

On weekends, hop on BART to Downtown Berkeley for Family Story Time at Berkeley Public Library on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. It’s only 0.2 miles away and babies, toddlers, preschoolers and families are welcome for stories and songs inside the Central Children's Room on the 4th Floor of the Central Branch! For older kiddos (ages 1 to 5) head to Rockridge to visit the Rockridge Branch Library for Family Storytime.

If weekdays work better, the West Oakland Branch library offers Family storytime on Tuesdays from 11–11:30 a.m. for ages 0 to 6 with a 30-minute playtime after. Similarly, every Wednesday from August 21–Nov. 20, head to Temescal Library for Baby Bounce. Best for kids aged 0 to 12 months, expect songs, books, and socializing. It’s 0.8 miles from MacArthur at 5205 Telegraph Ave.

Also, on the first Saturday of each month (between 9 a.m.–12 p.m.), head to a Home Depot near BART for free in-person Kids' Workshops. All participating children will not only get to keep their project but will also receive a certificate of achievement, a workshop apron and a commemorative pin (while supplies last).

BARTable Home Depots:

• Colma (2 Colma Blvd.) is 0.9 miles from Colma.
• Oakland (4000 Alameda Ave) is 1.0 mile from Fruitvale.
• El Cerrito (11939 San Pablo Ave.) is 0.5 miles from El Cerrito del Norte.
• Pleasanton (6000 Johnson Dr.) is 0.9 miles from Dublin/Pleasanton.

For more super cool hands-on activities, like rocket building, art and STEM projects, a baby ball pit and much more, check out Habitot Children’s Museum for BARTable mobile museum events, just 0.9 miles from Ashby.

The Salesforce Transit Center also offers free kid’s activities on the rooftop park. From the Blue Bear School of Music every Tuesday to family storytime on Wednesdays and Happily Ever Laughter for magical outdoor fun every Friday, there’s tons to do here.

What's your favorite BARTable Free Activity in the Bay?

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