Berkeley Vacation Rentals

Top 9 Tourist Attractions to See in Berkeley, California

Widely popular for its prestigious university along with its likeness towards offbeat Bohemian culture, Berkeley is a lively city with a lot of things to do and visit with a set of unique attractions. The city is so much more than just a university town, be it the hills of Tilden park or water sports in the Bay, Berkeley has got something for everyone. Let’s check out some exciting things to do and visit in this city.

1. Tilden Park

Situated between the San Pablo Ridge and the Berkeley Hills, Tilden Park is an attractive and beautiful natural space with a lot of different recreational activities. With approximately 40 miles of hiking trails, a beautiful botanical garden and an 18-hole golf course, there is no chance that you or your family will get bored here.

Kids would love to ride the attractive carousel animals of the musical Merry-Go-Round which was hand crafted in 1913 with a range of animals. Not far from the Merry-Go-Round is a snack bar which sells favorite carnival foods like cotton candy, cookies, Coney Island hot dogs and Ice cream. For the ones who love farming, Tilden Little Farm is an awesome place to visit.

2. UC Botanical Garden

The University of California Botanical Garden is well known for its large collections and is considered to be one of the best places to visit in Berkeley. Located on the Centennial Drive, this 34-acre botanical garden has various rare and endangered plant species. Established in 1890, this place is breath-taking with an exceptional collection of more than 20,000 plants from almost every part of the world. A perfect place for picnics and nature walks, it has picnic tables in 4 different regions of the garden for your convenience. You can easily aces this site by taking the Berkeley campus shuttle or by a car as well.

3. Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive

Founded in 1963, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive started with a donation of funds and several beautiful paintings from Hans Hofmann, who was a renowned artist and teacher. The museum is associated with the University of California and was opened in 1970. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive reopened to public on 31st January, 2016 after moving into a new building designed by world famous architects Diller Scofidio +Renfro. The Pacific Film Archive has a library with an online database of films from across the world and also screens international films and other film festivals.

4. University of California

Considered as one of the country’s leading academic institutions, U.C. Berkeley is home to famous Nobel laureates, professors and an elite student body of more than 25000 undergraduates. The 178-acre campus is lush with oaks, shady redwoods and other trees. The Sather Tower is at the center of the campus and also is the most prominent landmark in here. Built in 1914, Sather Tower (also known as the Campanile bell) was constructed from Alaskan marble and is the 3rd tallest bell and clock tower in the world. There are various other famous landmarks on the campus such as Sather Gate – main entrance to the campus, the Bancroft Library, Sproul Plaza, Strawberry Canyon Recreational Area, Neoclassical Hearst Greek Theatre, Free Speech Movement Café and the California Memorial Stadium.

5. Lawrence Hall of Science

Another nice place to explore, the University of California Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is situated above the main university campus. The 45 seat Planetarium has interactive programs with superb digital projection systems to give the most realistic impression of our solar system along with the constellations, planets and their moons. If you love to gaze at the stars then don’t forget to bring your own telescope or binoculars and head to Lawrence Hall’s Plaza to enjoy the scene. This vantage point allows the viewers to easily see the planets and the galaxies in a clear night sky. If you are an animal lover, the Animal Discovery Room will be a fun place to explore.

6. Grizzly Peak

Located in Tilden Regional Park, Grizzly Peak is between Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Named after a California grizzly bear that lived in the same area until the late 1900s, Grizzly peak is just behind the Berkeley campus of the university. To make it easy for the people to visit the peak, Grizzly Peak Boulevard was constructed along the Berkeley Hills in 1932. There are a lot of fun activities to do at Grizzly Peak; there’s a picnic area with BBQ, a basketball court and a play and sand area.

7. Berkeley Marina

52 acres of water and more than 1000 berths on University Avenue – that’s Berkeley Marina for you. Not only this, there is a yacht club, a hotel, a fishing pier, numerous restaurants, biking and walking paths along with a host of other attractions that visitors to the marina can enjoy. For kids, the Adventure playground would be a paradise. Opened in 1979, the playground even has a zip line and many other things for children to have fun with such as boats, towers, forts etc. If you have time, check out the Shorebird Park Nature Center where you can explore the marine world closely.

8. Telegraph Avenue

A place which has retained some of the Bohemian vibe of the 1960s, Telegraph Avenue gets a lot of student crowd who visit to hang out, get a quick bite to eat and also do some shopping. It is essentially a place for students to just come out of the campus and hang out for sometime while having affordable food stuff on the go. There are various bookshops and vintage record stores that catch the eye of visitors passing by. You can get all your necessities here without travelling to far from the city center.

9. Music and Theatre Performances

There is no doubt that Berkeley is a world-class center of culture. It boasts of having some of the most fascinating theatre and music performances. Be it piano concerts, world dance, classical music, ballet and theatre – this place is a heaven for art such artists and audience. Don’t forget to visit the Central Works Theatre, just to see the Berkeley City Club which is a private club and a historic hotel built in 1930 and designed by Julia Morgan.

Well, the list is exhaustive but we’ve tried to bring out the best. Berkeley is considered to be an iconic hub for entertainment and gourmet dining. There are numerous restaurants here which serve the best delicacies in the west coast. We’re sure you’ll definitely have a good time here. Share your experience with us! We would love to hear your views about Berkeley.