Five Top-Notch Activities Worth Your Time in Berkeley, California

Just off the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay, your next excuse for adventure in Northern California has gone by the same name since its founding in the late nineteenth century. Home to a brilliant assortment of local and international art, together with a vibrant academic culture, and enough easy recreation to satisfy even the most dedicated adventurer. Discover why so many travelers fall for local sights and sounds, with our recommendations for the top five activities available to Berkeley visitors!

1. Berkeley Marina

The Berkeley Marina is an adventure in itself. Located in the western portion of the city, it’s a protected estate characterized by a picture-perfect waterfront, with more than 100 acres of wide open space. Outdoor trails, along with bird watching opportunities and the sheer wonder of the great outdoors, the Berkeley Marina more than deserves to serve as a go-to outing, whenever you’re in the area.

Bring the entire family along for the journey, and visit the Shorebird Park Nature Center onsite, with wonderful educational opportunities for any age. Then take the fun outside, where you can get to know the great Berkeley outdoors. If you decided to bring your well-behaved pet, rest assured that with more than fifteen acres of certified off-leash space, your four-legged friend will love the region as much as you do.

The Marina also hosts regular events, for some of the nation’s most recognized holidays! Whether you’re a dedicated or casual boater, or even just a visitor to the area, stop by to enjoy Fourth of July celebrations, as well as special safety courses, winter festivities, and more. After you’ve made the acquaintance of the marina itself, a wide diversity of restaurants and hotels will make quick work of your evening. For date night, an afternoon in the park, or your next family vacation, make sure to stop by Berkeley Marina.

2. Lawrence Hall of Science

Open every day of the week, the Lawrence Hall of Science offers hands-on, innovative learning that the entire family can easily enjoy. Whether you’re a local student, or simply a fan of exciting academia, you’ll find a constantly rotating portfolio of exhibits and displays, in the hills just above the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.

Among the marvels and token scientific items on display at the Hall is the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Ernest Orlando Lawrence, the namesake of the site itself. Permanent, staple attractions onsite include the Science on a Sphere, a seismograph synchronized to the UC Berkeley Seismographic Station, and the KidsLab, a safe play area for children in kindergarten and younger. Also of interest of brave visitors is the Insect Zoo, where visitors enjoy close proximity to creatures like hermit crabs, tarantulas, cockroaches, and more.

3. University of California Botanical Garden

Admittedly one of the most aesthetically pleasing locations in all of Berkeley area, this garden preserved and maintained by the local university offers locals and visitors alike the opportunity to gaze upon homegrown beauty. Open every day from morning until evening, it’s a must-see for any fan true botany fan.

Conveniently categorized by family, scientific, and common name, plant species are further denoted by specific tags, if they are rare or otherwise endangered. These tags allow visitors to recognize exactly what they’re looking at during a visit, as they meander through species arranged largely by geographic origin. Sourced from Mediterranean soils, the University of California Botanical Garden proves truly a world-class collection of diverse plant species. Take advantage of the knowledgeable botanical experts roaming the grounds, and stop by the Garden Shop on your way in or out, to bring the magic home with you.

4. Tilden Regional Park

This outdoor expanse of explorable open space is so much more than a neighborhood park. With more than 2,000 acres of untouched outdoor living, Tilden Regional Park is a personalized park experience in the making. Looking for a swim? Check out the cool waters of Lake Anza. Prefer to roam the grounds? Take in the sunshine as you stroll trails like Wildcat Peak or Pine Tree. Trailheads can help you to identify the difficult level of each individual adventure, allowing you to match your individual preferences with the ideal experience for you and the entire family!

Local public transportation can bring you remarkably close to the park grounds, where Northern California’s ample amounts of sunshine await. Attractions at the park include the Merry-Go-Round, Steam Train, and Little Farm, where children can watch and even interact with animals. There’s also the heralded Tilden Park Golf Course, tucked into stands of redwood, fir and oak forest in the Berkeley Hills, a San Francisco Bay Area classic.

5. Adventure Playground

For a playground to qualify as a top attraction, it must certainly prove its own worth. This is certainly the case when it comes to Berkeley’s Adventure Playground, ranked by National Geographic as a Top Ten Playground in the United States. Children of all ages find themselves captivated by the many opportunities at the Adventure Playground, everything from painting to fort-building.

Nearly forty years old, the Adventure Playground has become an iconic Berkeley classic space. Recognized by publications like the Boston Globe, Newsweek, and NPR, it’s a play space that consistently outranks the competition, for the sheer number of different activities available to youth. Watch your child enjoy a zip line, use tools to create something new, and climb across innovative platforms and play structures. The best part? Access is free to the Adventure Playground, provided your group contains less than five children.

Explore Berkeley’s Sights and Sounds

Berkeley, like so many explorable towns that decorate the California coastline, is known for drawing visitors outdoors, to witness picture-perfect lakes, hiking trails, sunsets, and more. And with a summer Mediterranean climate that typifies the majority of its days, you’ll rarely find yourself hampered by inclement weather conditions. Instead, Berkeley offers a package of activities that easily rivals those of California’s big-name cities, and offers visitors world-class attractions, without heavy accompanying price tags!

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Guest blog provided by Trip101.