Location: Berkeley
Top Things to do in Berkeley
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10 Things to do Good for a Rainy Day in Berkeley That You Shouldn't Miss
The counter-culture, flower power center of the 60s, bohemian Berkeley has evolved into a culinary and cultural travel scene. Shift into low gear and people-watch along quirky Telegraph Avenue while checking out the bookstores and cafes. After strolling through the UC Berkeley campus, the Berkeley Rose Garden and the Downtown Arts District, head into the hills for an outdoor adventure in Tilden Park or cruise down to the waterfront park, where the San Francisco skyline sparkles across the bay.
Restaurants in Berkeley
1. The Bone Room
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14 reviews
Bizarre natural history store that sells such odd items as fossils, dried reptiles and mounted scorpions.
2. Freight and Salvage Coffee House
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 81 reviews
Legendary Berkeley-based nonprofit folk music performance venue that really rocks.
Reviewed By Pamwiltravel - Arcata, United States
Freight and Salvage feels like a gathering of friends even if you don't know ANYONE! The calendar of events, both music and community, is stellar. I saw Booker T there. It was such a delightful evening. I want to be one of the people that goes there OFTEN! It's an important community resource and has been in Berkeley for ages. Staying power!
3. Moe's Books
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By hlazer
This historic independent bookstore is a must. Superb range of books and posters/art, a knowledgeable staff, fine selection of rare books, and a great poetry reading series (free!). Check the Moe's calender.
4. Berkeley Repertory Theatre
5. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 40 reviews
Internationally recognized for its art and film programming, BAMPFA is UC Berkeley’s primary visual arts venue with its screenings of some four hundred films and presentations of up to twenty exhibitions annually. BAMPFA’s collection of over 19,000 works of art dates from 3000 BCE to the present day and includes important holdings of Neolithic Chinese ceramics, Ming and Qing Dynasty Chinese painting, Old Master works on paper, Italian Baroque painting, early American painting, Abstract Expressionist painting, contemporary photography, and Conceptual art. The collection also includes over 17,500 films and videos, including the largest collection of Japanese cinema outside of Japan, impressive holdings of Soviet cinema, West Coast avant-garde film, seminal video art, as well as hundreds of thousands of articles, reviews, posters, and other ephemera related to the history of film—many of which are digitally scanned and accessible online. BAMPFA is closed as it moves into its new state-of-the-art building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The new BAMPFA opens to the public in late January 2016.
Reviewed By bbrown1036
Multiple exhibitions, with changes happening all the time. All forms of media are represented, with a large exterior screen on the north side.
6. Lawrence Hall of Science
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 179 reviews
The Lawrence Hall of Science is UC Berkeley's Public Science Center. Join us and discover your inner scientist through fun and hands-on explorations in engineering, physics, astronomy, and more! Visit the Hall's Science on a Sphere® and take control of a planet on a 6-ft diameter globe, meet an animal friend in the Animal Discovery Room, and design, build, and test your own creations in Design Quest. Looking for even more ways to explore science? Add a Planetarium or National Geographic 3D Theater show to your visit (Planetarium and 3D Theater admission is extra).
Reviewed By Oaklandmom222
Maybe you have to be inclined towards math and science, but my 6 & 9yo truly love it here, and would live here if we let them. It’s all very hands-on, no kid-unfriendly read-only exhibits. Science and math concepts presented as games, experiments, and crafts/building. Thousands and thousands of those little keva plank blocks to build structures higher than you. Outdoor play area (water play, life-sized whale, super-sized DNA climbing structure). Build and shoot off paper rockets. Hefty supply of Legos. Stop-motion animation. 3-D documentaries. Family-friendly cafeteria (and outside grounds) with arguably the best views in the Bay Area. Temporary exhibit changes every few months, but always enjoyed. Ample parking lot next door is $1/hr.
7. Kitchen on Fire
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Voted 25 Best Cooking Classes in America (Daily Meal and Voss Water). Fun one-day classes. Home Chef Cooking School programs. We also offer Private Cooking Parties, Corporate Team Buildings, and Corporate Wellness Programs. Virtual Cooking Classes and Team Building.
8. The Fairmont Spa at the Claremont
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 82 reviews
The Fairmont Spa is thrilled to announce that we have reopened for limited services. Moving forward, in a phased manner with guest and employee health and safety as our absolute priority, select massage experiences are available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm (last service). Per new guidance sent out by Alameda County, we cannot accept walk-in appointments. We are offering 50 min & 80 min Therapeutic Massage & Deep Tissue Massage only. Both the guest & the provider must wear face coverings for the entire treatment, and the provider will also be wearing a plastic shield and gloves. All wet amenities and lockers are closed, so the guest will be escorted straight from Spa Reception to the treatment room, where clothes hangers are provided & will be escorted back to Spa Reception to depart following their treatment. Day Spa guests must enter through the main entrance of the hotel and go through the Health Desk prior to arrival to the Spa.
Reviewed By AuntyJ
I had a wonderful massage at the spa yesterday. The wet areas (hot tubs, showers) are closed at this time and they have gone to great lengths to abide by the county's health mandates during COVID; physically distancing, masking, and extensive cleaning. Efleda is the absolute best massage therapist ever ! Efleda specializes in finding & "fixing" all the spots causing my aches & pains without me even mentioning where those pesky spots might be. She works her magic, deftly encouraging each sore muscle back into its rightful position. When I left the spa, I was treated to a beautiful Bay Area sunset - it was like a beautiful ribbon tied onto the gift of an excellent massage. Gift yourself or someone else a massage with Efleda, you won't be sorry, I promise.
9. Zellerbach Hall
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Zellerbach Hall is a multi-venue performance facility on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, west of Lower Sproul Plaza. Zellerbach Auditorium is the main performance venue for Cal Performances, a presenting and producing arts organization. The facility is suitable for dance, theater, and opera, and has a built-in concert shell that provides an excellent acoustical enclosure for symphonic and other classical music performances.
Reviewed By TV2451
We've attended many concerts here and always enjoyed good sight lines and good acoustics. There is a parking garage underneath. The theater is right on campus.
10. Berkeley Visitor Information Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Visitor Information Center is your go-to resource for what to do, where to stay and dine, and how to get around town. FREE Maps, visitors guides (in foreign languages too), tips and more! Come in and chat with our destination experts for insight on the best things to do and see, as well as their personal favorites. Berkeley's Visitor Information Center is located at 2030 Addison St., suite 102, one block north of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station. Open weekdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (closed daily 1-2 pm for lunch), the
