Location: Berkeley
Top Things to do in Berkeley
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Top 10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Berkeley, California (CA)
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. 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.
2. Monterey Market
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By 441peggyw - Saint Paul, United States
Monterey Market has had the freshest, most flavorful produce around. During citrus season, they carry a large range of options for your table. They have the largest range of mushrooms I’ve seen anywhere. If you are curious about trying some different produce, this is the place. I have always found staff to ge very helpful.
3. University of California, Berkeley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 924 reviews
California's most prestigious public university is the home of liberalism and revolution.
Reviewed By Kittygal - Los Angeles, United States
I've loved this campus since I first visited for football and basketball games against my alma mater, UCLA. And during my law school days across the bay, I'd escape to study at the Boalt library on occasion. I returned for a visit during my first post Covid trip to the Bay Area. It was great to see the timeless beauty of the campus and marvel at all the new construction. Glad the old stand bys are still there, too (Rasputin's, Bear's Lair, Golden Bear, Smokehouse). During my grad school days, we often said that you could see the bell tower from SF on an exceptionally fine, clear day. And I'm here to say that during my recent visit, I could see clear to the Golden Gate Bridge from my vantage point at the base of the bell tower. Happily, some things only get better with time.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 477 reviews
Past Strawberry Canyon is the 34-acre Botanical Garden, which holds about 13,000 species of plants. The species are organized according to regions of the world, and the garden has a great collection of native Californian plants. Bring a picnic basket and enjoy the collections, Garden Store, and Plant Deck. Be sure to check out the glasshouses, Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden, and Redwood Grove. The Garden is open from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. every day of the year except the first Tuesday of each month, Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and 25, December 31, January 1, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Online advanced admission tickets are required for all visitors, including Garden Members.
Reviewed By 107JohnM107
The University of California Botanical Garden is a sneaky attraction. The opening sections of native California plants near the entrance is nice, but not enthralling. But walks farther from the entrance build slowly to a strong crescendo -- so many different plants from so many different areas of the world. The cactus section was particularly impressive; the greenhouse collection of flesh-eating plants was creepy but delightful, too. And throughout the garden are plenty of comfortable wood benches for pondering the wealth of thriving plant life, plus distant views of San Francisco Bay and its bridges. All in all, a magical place for the gardener and plant lover alike.
7. Blake Garden
8. Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 36 reviews
Reviewed By Groomer4life - Fair Oaks, United States
So beautiful! It doesn’t even cost anything to enter. Nice place to go with well behaved kids that can stay on the paths. It was really cool to see so many endangered and extinct plants there. Some of the plants were dormant because of it being winter. My kids(10 & 6 years old) really enjoyed it too. They also have special times where they do guided tours. The only part that was not my favorite was driving up the very vertical Marin Rd to get to the botanical garden. I highly recommend visiting to enjoy the outdoors and the beauty around us.
9. Berkeley Marina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 280 reviews
One of the recommended windsurfing launch spots.
Reviewed By 745CatherineK - Berkeley, United States
Great views of the bay. Off leash dog area but a nice easy walk around Cesar Chavez is a treat. Path is paved for a good portion and flat so strollers and wheelchairs can enjoy the park. You can have lunch at the several restaurants available and kids can enjoy building stuff at the adventure playground or learn to windsurf or fly their kite. There is even a yearly kite festival.
10. Tilden Regional Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 542 reviews
Tilden is one of Berkeley's oldest and most popular parks that offers a variety of family-fun activities like pony rides and carousels.
Reviewed By 992eileent
Great place to see incredible Bay area views! Beautiful picnic areas for friends and family. The carousel is amazing with snack bar and lots if history, and the mini steam train is a must for kids and adults, alike,a beautiful ride through the redwoods!
