Things to Do with Kids in Temecula: Family Guide

Although Temecula is best known for wine country, and therefore, activities centered around adults, I think you’ll find we do have quite a lot here for families as well.

These highlights may not include theme parks or world-class museums, but if you’re willing to go where the locals go for fun, there’s plenty to keep kids busy.

Having raised both my kids here over the past 20+ years (and they’re all grown up now), I’ve checked around to see what’s changed. This guide rounds up all the latest things to do with kids in Temecula.

Pennypickle’s Workshop

If you do nothing else on this list, do this one. Pennypickle’s Workshop—officially the Temecula Children’s Museum—is the steampunk-styled “home” of a fictional inventor, Professor Phineas T. Pennypickle, packed with hands-on gadgets, science experiments, and inventions designed so kids learn without realizing they’re learning.

It’s won a THEA award from the Themed Entertainment Association and a Nickelodeon Parents’ Pick Award for Best Museum. This one’s an easy way to spend a few hours in the A.C. on a hot day engaging busy hands and minds.

Our moms clubs visited this place when my kids were young at least once a year. And our kids especially loved the real hot air balloon basket you can climb into and pretend to fly!

Where: (42081 Main Street), Old Town Temecula
Admission: $10 for adults and children 18 months and up; free under 18 months
Hours: Closed Mondays. Tuesday–Saturday, three sessions a day (roughly 10am–noon, 12:30–2:30pm, 3–5pm); Sunday, two sessions (12:30–2:30pm, 3–5pm). No advance registration needed for a regular visit—just show up for a session.
Good to know: It’s geared toward elementary-age kids but has plenty for toddlers too. They also run themed birthday party packages if you’re looking for a venue.

trampoline parks are a great way to spend indoor time with kids in temecula

Trampoline Parks & Indoor Playgrounds

Sky Zone Temecula (26201 Ynez Road): A full trampoline park with parkour elements, a foam pit, freestyle jump courts, and—notably for families with little ones—a dedicated Toddler Zone set aside just for younger kids so they’re not competing with flying teenagers. Day passes run roughly $39–45, memberships are available for regulars, and they do birthday parties. Note: you’ll need special grip socks, which you buy there (you can’t bring your own, but you can bring the ones you already bought there previously). Can’t tell you how many times we’d forgotten ours and had to buy more over the years.
Candeeland Temecula (40820 Winchester Road, bottom floor of Promenade Temecula): A candy-and-Willy-Wonka-themed indoor playground with slides and climbing structures, split into two separate play areas by age group—a good pick for toddlers and younger kids especially. Grip socks and a signed waiver are required (same setup as Sky Zone). They also handle birthday parties and field trip groups. I wish this one would’ve been around when my kids were the right age for it!
Uptown Jungle Fun Park (Murrieta): An indoor trampoline park and play area with a separate kids’ play zone for younger children and a parents’ lounge if you need a break—a solid alternative a few minutes up the road.

mini golf is one of the great things to do with kids in temecula

More Play, Creativity, & Entertainment

A few spots covered in more detail elsewhere in this series that are worth a special mention for Temecula family-friendly activities:

Portals Entertainment Center Blacklight laser tag, two 9-hole mini golf courses, and an arcade, all indoors—a great option on a triple-digit summer day that unfortunately, are not uncommon here late in summer.
Mulligan Family Fun Center (Murrieta, about 10 minutes away): Go-karts, mini golf, an arcade, and rides—a classic for birthdays and group outings. (This one’s all outdoors except the arcade and laser tag and is a true favorite in the area because there’s something for every-aged kid. I still love driving those go-carts.) They also have an elaborate splash pad now that includes waterslides. It’s small relative to the big waterparks in southern California, but it’s right here and perfect for a summer afternoon with kids.
Coin-Op Game Room (Old Town): This one’s a 21+ bar most evenings for retro arcade games, but it’s open for all ages everyday until 8pm as of this writing. It’s right on the main drag in Old Town, so I included it because if you’re just in town visiting and perhaps eating at one of the restaurants in Old Town, it makes for a nice second stop to burn off dessert.
Round1 Bowling & Arcade (Promenade mall): Bowling, arcade games, and private karaoke rooms under one roof. Teens and middle-schoolers especially love this place and it’s still relatively new. With the large number of great restaurants available at the Promenade, this one can also round out a shopping day well. There’s also a movie theater at the mall if you want to make a full day out of it.

a dog with wagging tail that we made at Painted Earth

Painted Earth (very close to Old Town and the Duck Pond) A pottery-painting studio that caters to both children and adults. No reservations required, and you only pay for what you make. This one’s perfect for older kids or for that creative younger kid in the group who has no problem sitting still for a few hours. Just be aware that it does take about a week for them to fire your pottery and have it ready for you to take home, but you could probably ask to take it as-is and have your own local pottery place fire it for you.

Playgrounds & Splash Pads

I’ve always been impressed with Temecula’s parks and recreation department. We have more than 40 community parks, and a genuinely good spread of playgrounds and seasonal splash pads:

a splash pad is a fun way to spend time with kids in temecula

Eagle Soar Playground & Splash Pad at Margarita Community Park / Michael “Mike” Naggar Community Park (29119 Margarita Road): Built as an inclusive, accessible playground with sensory and gross-motor activities and a Universal Swing designed for kids of all abilities. The splash pad runs seasonally, Tuesday–Sunday, roughly 9am–1pm and 2pm–6pm (closed in rainy weather).
CRC Splash Pad at Ronald Reagan Sports Park (30875 Rancho Vista Road): A newer splash pad next to the Community Recreation Center pool, generally open Monday–Saturday, 9am–noon and 1pm–6pm (hours can vary seasonally).
Ronald Reagan Sports Park itself is worth a full visit beyond the splash pad—128 acres with playgrounds, a community pool, pickleball, a skate park, and a pump track, all in one place.
Other well-regarded playgrounds: Sam Hicks Memorial Park sits at the north end of Old Town which makes it an easy fit for a stroll through town with kids. Vail Ranch Park, Winchester Creek Park, Pauba Ridge Park, and Temeku Hills Park are local favorites, each with its own character. Meadows Park was always one of our regular stops, too.
Temecula Duck Pond and Harveston Lake Park both are easy, paved walking loops with water views built in—good for a shorter outing and stroller walks. Harveston has a playground on the loop. Old Town has a paved 1.1 mile, out-and-back trail called Old Town Creek Walk that many tourists don’t notice because it runs behind the main shopping district (west). It’s called a creek walk, but it only fills with water during our rainy seasons because it’s technically a catch basin to prevent flooding, not a constant body of water. It’s a lovely place for an evening stroll, especially if you’re staying in a hotel near Old Town.

Visiting an alpaca farm is one of the many fun things to do with kids in temecula — Our visit to the Alpaca Hacienda several years back

Animals & Nature for Kids

Sugarplum Zoo: A small, family-scaled zoo experience with loads of wild animals, and not just the farm variety.
Hawk Ranch: Up-close visits with a herd of alpacas—a hit with younger kids especially. While the farm used to take visitors in Temecula where it was called The Alpaca Hacienda, the alpacas are now housed at Hawk Ranch in Murrieta alongside other furry creatures, where they have farm tours and even a wedding venue.
U-pick farms. We are, at our core, a rural area, so this category is full of options, all of which make for one of the most interesting, best local experiences for families in Temecula:
Temecula Berry Company For blueberries; this one’s fairly close to wine country and has been around a while. We used to go every year late in June. It’s gorgeous.
Sunmist Tangerine Farm in De Luz, which is basically the mountains you’ll see behind Old Town from the 15 freeway. They grow tangerines and lemons. This one’s so cool because you’re welcome to spend hours there hiking through the orchard and soaking up all the quiet, stunning scenery of the region. You can even BYO picnic. Open 10am-2pm.

Peltzer Farms entrance in Temecula wine country with rooster statue greeting visitors — Peltzer Farms entrance

Peltzer Farms has free admission, with a fall pumpkin patch, pig races, a petting zoo, and some years a corn maze. This one’s inside wine country and has its own tasting room and wedding venue. It’s huge and a don’t-miss if you’re here in the fall. Not as much to do the rest of the year except in winter, for the ice-skating rink and seeing the grounds all decked out for the holidays.
Kenny’s Strawberry Farm is another neat stop located just a short drive outside of town in Rainbow, CA.
The Blackberry Fields is another super interesting, newer berry-picking option here in Temecula.
UPick Murrieta is a reservation-only option with tours. It’s a bit further but is an extremely scenic, mountain-and-rural drive in Tenaja not far from the Santa Rosa Plateau hiking trails. I haven’t tried this one yet but I plan to. All of these are subject to seasonal availability, so confirm with their websites before you go.

funny sign that says unattended children will be given espresso and a free kitten

Library Programs for Kids

I must say, I’m a huge believer in getting kids reading early in life and frequently, so we basically never missed a storytime when my kids were growing up. Both of Temecula’s public libraries run kids’ programming that are worth building a visit around:

Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library (Pauba Road): A dedicated Kids Library with puppets, toys, and an outdoor Children’s Garden, plus regular story times, movie nights, and board game nights—all free.
Grace Mellman Community Library (County Center Drive): Storytime and a rotating calendar of family programming, including free movie nights. This one is lovely but smaller. If you like a little wow-factor in your children’s libraries like I do, hit up the Ron Roberts location.

Practical Tips

Birthday parties: Pennypickle’s, Sky Zone, Candeeland, Portals Entertainment Center, and Mulligan Family Fun Center all run dedicated birthday party packages if you’re planning a celebration rather than just an outing. A quick search for other options will bring up others.
Best for toddlers: Sky Zone’s Toddler Zone, Candeeland, Pennypickle’s (with an adult alongside), the Eagle Soar inclusive playground, and the splash pads.
Best for elementary-age kids: Pennypickle’s sessions, Sky Zone’s full park, Portals’ laser tag and mini golf, Painted Earth, and the U-pick farms.
Free options: Both libraries’ programming, the playgrounds and splash pads, and the Duck Pond/Harveston Lake walks cost nothing.

Finally, a short list of the best wineries to visit with the kids in tow. These are all welcoming to families and generally have run-around-friendly grounds where kids can play and families will feel welcome: Longshadow Ranch, Peltzer, Wilson Creek (has a small playground), Ponte, and Mount Palomar. Read my full guide on Temecula’s wineries starting here if you’d like, although it’s geared toward adult visits.

I hope you found a few things to fit into your visit to Temecula with children, or if you’re a new local resident, I hope your calendar is now filling up quickly!

This guide is part of our full series on things to do in Temecula—check out the complete hub guide (coming soon) for everything else the valley has to offer, from hiking, cycling, wine tasting, breweries, and hot air balloons.