Location: Alameda
Top Things to do in Alameda
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What to do and see in Alameda, California (CA): The Best Hidden Gems Things to do
Alameda (/ˌæləˈmiːdə/ AL-ə-MEE-də; Spanish: [ala'meða]) is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to and south of Oakland and east of San Francisco across the San Francisco Bay. Bay Farm Island, a portion of which is also known as "Harbor Bay Isle", is not actually an island, and is part of the mainland adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. The city's estimated 2017 population was 79,928. Alameda is a charter city, rather than a general law city, allowing the city to provide for any form of government. Alameda became a charter city and adopted a council–manager government in 1916, which it retains to the present.
Restaurants in Alameda
1. St. George Spirits
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 137 reviews
Reviewed By mini - Fremont, United States
We went to St. George Spirits in Alameda. They offer tours and tastings. Its in the Alameda area where there are several wineries/distilleries/breweries to visit.
2. The Hangar 1 Distillery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 51 reviews
At the Hangar 1 Distillery, we're passionate about distilling. Our spirits are made one batch at a time in California, U.S.A.
Reviewed By samraha2016
Decided to take the tour and tasting at Hangar 1 Vodka on a perfect sunny day - we took Bart and then Lyft. Housed in a former US Naval air base, actually in a hangar. Huge space. Very knowledgeable woman tour guide who dispelled the myth that vodka comes from potatoes; introduced us to the process of distilling, and infusions, and the history of this particular craft vodka business which is headed by a woman - Caley Shoemaker. Confession: I don't usually drink vodka, but my friend doesn't like gin ... so I compromised! We were educated about how to smell and taste & the various flavors were great. For me, the Buddha Hand (a kind of citron) and the pink peppercorn. There's a bar upstairs, a store, and a seating area outside where we headed for the great view of San Francisco's skyline. We were about 13 on the tour. Check out other spots in the area too, we got sliders from a food truck, sampled wine, and there's also gin tasting at St. George Spirits.
3. Pacific Pinball Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 114 reviews
The Pacific Pinball Museum is an interactive museum offering a chronological and historical selection of rare bagatelles and early games, to over 90 playable pinball machines from the 1940’s to present day all set to "FreePlay" Throughout the museum are hand painted murals, vintage jukeboxes and rotating exhibits. We also have a room for parties, events, fundraisers and field-trips. The Pacific Pinball Museum is a must-see spot for Art, History and Science enthusiasts alike, plus you get to play Pinball! The museum was founded in 2004 and is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Pinball, one of America's favorite pastimes. In & Out All Day Admission Fees: Adults: $20 Seniors (62+), First Responders, Veterans/Military, Educators & Students w/ ID: $15 Family Pass (2 adults and 2 kids ages 5-17): $50 Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 for $20 All Day! Children 5-7 yrs $10 ( 4 and Under are FREE with paying adult) Just want to take a look? FREE!
Reviewed By klpopp - Sacramento, United States
This is a pinball lovers dream! All day rate rocks. The machines are in great shape, the staff is friendly and there are a ton of great restaurants nearby for quick refueling. This was our 4th trip and we’ll keep coming.
4. Rock Wall Wine Company
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 87 reviews
The Rock Wall Wine Company represents a new chapter in the East Bay winemaking scene. The winery offers wine lovers one of the most unique experiences in the wine world. Shauna Rosenblum is the winemaker for Rock Wall Wine Company. She learned everything she knows about winemaking from her father Kent Rosenblum who was known as the "King of Zin". The Rock Wall Wine Company is founded on the philosophy of the right grape in the right place and are the result of many long-term relationships with acclaimed vineyards. Grapes are sourced from all over California which creates a diverse winemaking environment, complete with different grape varieties, styles and regional flavor profiles. Ideally situated in Alameda, California, the winery boasts spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline, and more importantly its locale allows the winemaking team to be regionally centralized so fruit can be picked and transported to the winery within a few hours.
Reviewed By GGWD - Tampa, United States
We met a friend there. It is located in one of the old areas by the Hangars at the former Naval Air Station Alameda, right on a taxiway to the main runway (not used anymore). Cool place. 4-6 Half Off By the Glass so we got to try out some great wines. The bottles they produce are very cool looking. Food was AMAZING. The Burger with Blueberry and Blue Cheese was incredible with the Buffalo Fries. Super Good!
5. Faction Brewing
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
Reviewed By SwingerJ - San Diego, United States
The San Francisco Bay Area is perhaps the most expensive place to live in America. And at a time when most craft beers are costing $7-10+ each, somehow Faction has been able to continue to sell a good selection tasty craft pints for only $5...that's amazing! There are other choices $6+, but for the cheap SOAB such as myself and others like me, this is just fantastic. How can they economically do this? Makes no financial sense to me...but it could be the sheer volume that helps keep costs down. This place is always busy, yet we almost always find a place to sit pretty quickly. Pro Tip: On a lovely sunny day, wear sunscreen and maybe bring a hat.
6. USS Hornet Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 542 reviews
The USS Hornet spent almost three decades traveling the world's oceans in service to our nation. The USS Hornet Museum, a State and National Historic Landmark, is berthed at Pier 3 on the former naval air station in Alameda. The ship's active duty years spanned the 1940's - 60's. The historic aircraft carrier was a key participant in WWII, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the recovery of the first two lunar landing space missions - Apollo 11 and 12. She was stored in a naval mothball fleet from 1970-1995. When the Museum opened in 1998, it was the only sea, air and space museum on the West Coast. The Museum is a great resource for local and international visitors. Open 7 days a week (only closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day) with a large percentage of the ship accessible for visiting. There are over a hundred restored spaces and dozens of exhibits to learn about the Hornets' career and what it was like to live and work aboard her.
Reviewed By vipimehta - Los Altos, United States
In the Bay Area there is no dearth of things to do. But a visit to the USS Hornet is certainly without doubt a thing to do or a must must do. It is a nearly fully restored and permanently berthed post war legendary aircraft carrier located in what used to be NAS Alameda and now Alameda Point, off Oakland and not so far from San Francisco. It is open to the public as a museum. It does take somewhat confusing drive through empty fields and parking lots of an old military base to get to the ship itself and GPS helps. But once you arrive it's a sight to behold. You then get onto the carrier which requires going up a flight of stairs followed by walking an inclined gangway giving you a real feel of going aboard a ship. And you step into the USS Hornet. When you enter, you are greeted at a small desk located in the huge hanger deck and pay the entry fee of $20 but concessions are available as an online check will reveal. The admission fee includes highly recommended guided tours conducted by very knowledgeable docents who are all Veterans and are very friendly, courteous and full of good humor. We were talking to a docent, George, and in the meanwhile we missed the tour time. Since he was not required at that time he helpfully offered to take us around and so we had a very enjoyable exclusive private tour to explore the ship. He took us down several decks that you cannot access unless accompanied by an authorized person. George, was great. He gave us so much history and information about how the ship worked and operated. The only familiarity with aircraft carriers is what one has seen in some war movies but this is for real. It is massive, which makes it that much more awe-inspiring to know that this very ship was there at the forefront of WWII in the Pacific with exemplary record of combat accomplishments. So one is literally "stepping into history". This record is displayed on a huge board just as you turn left from the reception desk. It shows that during WWII it destroyed more than 1400 enemy aircraft and sunk and damaged more than 500 warships and though it was attacked several times never took any direct bomb or torpedo hit. It was also deployed in the Viet Nam war in the seventies and also as a recovery vessel for the Apollo space missions. The ship and museum is so huge that exploring it is actually a pretty decent workout. Walking shoes are very advisable. It's a lot of work going up and down the stairs, climbing ladders weaving through narrow corridors, passageways and bulkheads, tight spaces and steep stairwells which sometimes feels eerie and awesome at the same time but all of which invite exploration. We got to see how the crew of the USS Hornet lived. George took us through, the infirmary, sleeping area with rows of bunks, the kitchens and dining halls, coffee bars and many other posts and hubs. We also went down to the engine room and saw the huge boilers and large turbines and power generators. After all this was in the steam era. The huge fuel and oil storage tanks. George patiently answered all questions with good humor while imparting knowledge and many a rich humorous and tragic anecdotes. We saw the special designated area for the US Marine Corps, the munitions room with some bombs and torpedoes and also the 'brigs' or the prison area where unruly sailors or crew guilty of some petty crimes were confined. You then come out back to the huge hanger which is immediately below the flight deck where most of the aircraft are kept as due to the busy nature of the flight deck, only 20 or so aircraft may be on it at any one time. The fighter planes are taken from the storage deck to the flight deck by a pneumatic elevator. We saw some of the aircraft stored here as well as the elevator on one end of the hanger and the aircraft maintenance area on the other end. We then proceeded up to the magnificent flight deck which is the size of two football grounds. It really gives an idea of how big the carrier is. Walking around the Flight Deck is an awesome experience, and getting to check out some of the vintage aircraft up close is amazing. There's also some tremendous views of downtown San Francisco including the Golden Gate Bridge and Oakland from the end of the runway. The ship housed 90 aircraft and about 3400 personnel. It really makes one reflect on the country's history, military traditions, engineering, machinery and the sheer effort, skill, expertise and logistics that must have gone in to building this engineering super structure going even by today's highly advanced technology times. And to think that all this was done without any computers or even calculators as we know them today. It has seen the evolution of modern warfare and combat strategy. There must have been engineers, researchers, scientists, technicians, subject matter experts, and military brass working together on the design and construction, with each member of the team obviously top of the field in their specializations. And in a period when the war was raging elsewhere even then the task was completed in 16 months from start to finish!!! Mind boggles as respect, admiration and kudos for the extraordinary teamwork goes very high. It is a wonderful place that needs several hours and many visits to cover all there is to explore. We did not have time to see the Island - the Bridge and many other areas which we have left for the second visit which is a must and a hope that it comes soon.
