Redwood Valley Railway is a fun miniature train ride in Tilden Park. 

One of the East Bay Regional Park District's three oldest parks, Tilden Park is one of the best. There are tons of different activities for kids within the very large park. Tilden Park is comprised of 2,079 acres and there is a merry-go-round (carousel), little farm, hiking, and a botanical garden all within the park up in the Berkeley hills above University of California, Berkeley (also referred to as UC Berkeley or CAL). One of the fun activities is riding the Redwood Valley Railway, also known as the Tilden Steam Train. There are four different entrances to Tilden Park and you'll want to take the Grizzy Peak Boulevard entrance into the private and free paved parking lot. From there you will proceed to the ticket booth where you can pay with cash, Visa or MasterCard only. Children under 2 ride free and all other riders are $3.50. You can buy a five-ride ticket for $14 which is convenient for my family of five. The train is open top and bench seating in the miniature steam train. You will ride through part of Tilden Park where you see some other trains in their train yard. You will ride through the redwoods which is my favorite part because they are my favorite tree. At Christmastime, they have Santa visits and a jolly and festively decorated ride through the forest. 

After the train ride, I like to explore more of Tilden Park and visit the free botanical garden, eat a picnic on the grassy meadow by the Brazil Room, visit the free Little Farm and feed the animals (bring lettuce or celery only), and the merry-go-round. Exploring Tilden Park is a solid full day of activity. Cell service is unavailable for much of the park.