Location: Berkeley
Top Things to do in Berkeley
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Things to do in Berkeley, California (CA): The Best Museums
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.
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1. Shibumi Gallery on Fourth
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
2. Berkeley Art Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Berkeley Art Center (BAC) serves the diverse and creative citizens of Berkeley, through the presentation of visual art exhibitions, musical performances and literary programs relevant to its unique community.
Reviewed By jaimeleecurrier - Berkeley, United States
This gallery always surprises me when I’m strolling (or jogging) through Live Oak Park. I’ve seen many great exhibits and the space is beautiful.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 54 reviews
Reviewed By Frank-in-SF - San Francisco, United States
I have been visiting BAMPFA for the past couple of years on the first Thursday of the month, which is a free admission day. I always find their exhibits interesting if not fascinating. The building is impressive, the gallery spaces range in size from intimate to cavernous, making each perfectly scaled for the works presented. They have some gems in their permanent collection, which are not on permanent display but are instead intermingled with loans in their themed temporary exhibits. The staff at the front desk and bookstore are pleasant and helpful. I find their bookstore/gift shop to be very good, considering that BAMPFA is not a major museum. I would definitely recommend a visit on these free days. I've never actually paid admission, but I think it would be worth it, especially for those who aren't in town for these free Thursdays.
7. Takara Sake USA
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16 reviews
Sake Brewery. Offering Sake Tasting Room & Sake Museum at our brewery. Takara Sake USA Inc. was established in 1983 in Berkeley, CA. We have taken pure snow melt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and superior rice from the fertile Sacramento Valley. To this we apply traditional sake-making craftsmanship and modern technology to produce a sake truly represent our terroir. Home for Sho Chiku Bai brand and many more.
Reviewed By edwardm577 - Alameda, United States
As we arrived to the building, you get the immediate scent of Sake being made. We are then invited to see a film on the process of how Sake is made. The museum shows the equipment used from the early 19th century. The tasting room attendant Mariko was very helpful explaining the various products they represent. We left having a tremendous appreciation for this incredible beverage that goes backs many centuries. This is a very diversified beverage.
8. Aftel Archive of Curious Scents
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 18 reviews
A small museum devoted to natural aromatics and artifacts. Smell more than 300 essences -- & take 3 samples home. Touch & smell raw botanical materials that become perfume essences, pour over turn-of-the-century perfume books, compare 100-year-old essences to their modern counterparts. Every item in the Archive is authentic & original, some dating back hundreds of years. Open Saturdays.
Reviewed By 290audreyb - San Francisco, United States
This intimate museum has a lot to offer! The experience: I bought a ticket in advance with a group of friends. After walking down a tree-shaded lane to the entrance, we were personally greeted by the museum's owner and founder, Mandy Aftel. She gave us a short orientation and then we were free to explore the displays at our own pace. The small space limits the number of visitors, which means we got to interact - smell - everything at our own pace. The bright, cozy space and 1 hour time slot of the visit expertly curates a vast topic into a manageable, delightful experience. My favorites: - Smelling a single perfume broken down into its 9 ingredients and "chords" of top, middle and base notes - Comparing modern versions of a scent extract with antique versions - Seeing and touching things like frankincense and myrrh, the stuff of fables. My recommendation: Great for perfume/beauty enthusiasts, history fans of all stripes, cabinet of curiosity lovers, natural science devotees, and those who simply like to smell all kinds things (you know who you are). I do hope Ms. Aftel gives gallery talks some day. I'd love to learn more about some of the subjects to which the museum introduced me!
9. Habitot Children's Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 25 reviews
Hands-on exhibits, a drop-in art studio and special weekend events for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers! **Please note Habitot is closed March 13th through March 31st in response to recommendations by the CDC**.
10. Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 18 reviews
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