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The return of tens of thousands of Cal students to Berkeley, including all those lanyard-donning freshmen, signals one thing: summer is drawing to a close.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of fun things to do outdoors in Berkeley before mild summer turns to hot, hazy fall — from East Bay staples like the steam trains in Tilden Regional Park to lesser-known treasures like lawn bowling and tours of Berkeley’s historic tank houses. It’s culled from our much longer roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley.
We hope this list will inspire you to go out and explore while the air’s still nice. Have something you think belongs on this list? Email us at the-scene@berkeleyside.org.
⚫ Take up the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club’s standing offer of a free introductory lesson on its field in Poet’s Corner. A full membership for Berkeley residents is $200 per year. Read our story about the charming ancient sport, which came to the Americas in the 1600s and was played by George Washington. Call (510) 841-2174 to schedule a lesson. You’re encouraged to come with a group of four or six friends.
🧘 Outdoor Yoga Berkeley offers daily yoga classes at Ohlone Park, near Hearst and McGee avenues. No registration is required — just show up with a mat and props. Check the website for details and its Instagram for weather cancellations. Suggested donation: $13
🎶 Attend a show at the picturesque Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley. The amphitheater opened in 1903 with an address by President Theodore Roosevelt and recently underwent renovations. Tip: bring layers for evening shows, as the venue gets chilly once the fog rolls in. Check the website for upcoming events.
⛵ The nonprofit Cal Sailing Club offers free introductory sails at its Open Houses (heavy rain and excessive winds cancel). The rides are given on a first-come-first-serve basis by skippers trained in safe boating practices. You’ll typically get to choose between sailing on a larger, more stable keelboat or speedy, rockier dinghy. Check the website for details and a schedule — the next Open House is Sept. 22. 124 University Avenue
👞 Take a tour of the East Bay’s windmill-topped water towers, led by Berkeley tank house historian Aaron Goldstein. Read our story about Goldstein, an architect by day who became fascinated by the towers during long pandemic walks. Email aaronsamuelgoldstein@gmail.com to join a tour.
🌷 Blake Garden is both a botanical garden open to the public and a teaching facility for the UC Berkeley Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. The 10.5-acre garden is located in Kensington, about 4 miles from the UC Berkeley campus, and used to teach students landscape architecture and environmental planning. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, with a free public tour at 2 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. To join the tour, email blakegarden@berkeley.edu. Blake Garden, 70 Rincon Road, Kensington. FREE
🐮 Visit the Tilden Little Farm and feed the animals lettuce or celery (please don’t feed them anything else). Built in 1955, the farm features cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, turkey, chickens and pigs. Read our story. Open daily, 5 a.m.-10 p.m. unless otherwise posted. FREE
📦 A trip to Codornices Park, located across the street from the Rose Garden (they’re connected via a tunnel), isn’t complete without descending the popular 40-foot concrete slide. Bring a flattened cardboard box to sit on to avoid scrapes. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🪴The 34-acre UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley, established in 1890, features more than 10,000 types of plants, including many rare and endangered species. (There’s also a garden shop where you can buy plants and other garden-related gifts.) Garden open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Shop open daily, 10:30-4:30 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays. $18
🚶 Go on one of the 21 self-guided walking tours highlighted in Berkeley residents Robert Johnson and Janet Byron’s Berkeley Walks ($22) and learn about the city’s diverse architecture, unusual gardens and secret pathways and parks. There are also some free walking tours available for PDF download on their website. .
🪁 Fly a kite at the Berkeley Marina’s César Chávez Park whenever the wind blows. You can buy one from Highline Kites, a mobile kite shop run by Tom McAlister — the man behind the beloved Berkeley Kite Festival, which ran from 1986 until 2019. The kite shop is parked on Spinnaker Way most weekends. Saturday-Sundays, 1:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Basic kites start at $14
🪨 Indian Rock Park, located in the Northbrae neighborhood, offers stunning views of the Bay, especially at sunset, from atop a giant mass of rhyolite, millions of years old. It’s a popular destination to watch the sunset over a Cheeseboard pizza. Climbers make their way up the steep walls, but the stairways carved in the stone will also get you up to the top. Read our two-part series on the site’s history. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🪨 Here’s another rock with a scenic view. Head toward the back of Cragmont Rock Park, also located in the Northbrae neighborhood, and you’ll find a two-story cliff to climb. It’s a good place for beginners, but you’ll want to go with someone who can show you the ropes. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🍓 When Strawberry Creek Park was built in the 1980s on an abandoned rail yard, its centerpiece, a section of daylighted creek, marked a watershed moment (pardon the pun) in Berkeley’s environmental history. Today, it’s a popular place to hang out or attend the occasional live outdoor concert. We recommend stopping by the cozy Hidden Cafe while you’re there. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🏀 The 13-acre San Pablo Park, which opened in 1914, is the city’s oldest park. There’s a soccer field, softball field, and several basketball and tennis courts. Here’s how to reserve one of the city’s sports fields or courts. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🌳 Nestled a nondescript hillside oak grove, John Hinkel Park in North Berkeley is a neighborhood treasure that’s too great to gatekeep. Local theater groups Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and Inferno Theatre regularly put on free outdoor shows at the park’s 1934 outdoor amphitheater, which doubles as a great picnic spot (just don’t bring alcoholic beverages). One easy way to stay in the know about free theater productions is by subscribing to The Scene, Berkeleyside’s free weekly arts, culture and events newsletter. Park open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🌼 The Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve, which sits behind the fancy Claremont Hotel, offers sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. The .75 mile Stonewall Panoramic Trail takes you through a eucalyptus grove and up a short-but-steep hill. It’s a great place to go wildflower spotting; here’s a PDF guide from the East Bay Regional Park District. Open daily, 5 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE
🚂 Take a short scenic ride through Tilden on a real steam locomotive. The Redwood Valley Railway Company’s miniature trains have delighted East Bay families for more than 70 years. If you’re prone to mosquito bites, we recommend bringing bug spray. Saturday-Sunday (and most holidays and summer weekdays), 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $4
🛤️ Located a short walk downhill from the Redwood Valley train is the Golden Gate Live Steamers, the nation’s oldest live steam train club. You can ride the tiny steam trains, which run on propane (and member donations – the club is a nonprofit), for free. Read our story. Sundays, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. FREE
🎠 Here’s another Tilden gem: a merry-go-round built in New York in 1911 that was used in the Universal Studios film “So Ends Our Night” (1941). Reservations are encouraged but not required. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. $4
🌱 Take a docent-led tour of the 10-acre Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden on weekends and holidays. Read our story about its award-winning rock garden, which opened in 2022. Saturday, 2 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. FREE
🪘 The eclectic Berkeley Flea Market has been a South Berkeley staple since the ’70s. Browse through clothing, jewelry, fabric, soap, vinyls and other goods from local vendors — many of whom are retired or disabled — as community members jam out on the drums. Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ashby BART Station.
🐠 Volunteer to clean up the Berkeley coastline and compile data about trash and marine debris. Buckets, bags and gloves will be available. Meet at the Shorebird Park Nature Center at 160 University Ave. Third Saturdays, 9-11 a.m. FREE
🧺 The Downtown Berkeley Farmers Market, one of three in Berkeley, features locally grown produce, baked goods, prepared foods and more. Put on by the Ecology Center, the market accepts CalFresh EBT and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Center Street at MLK Jr. Way.
🥭 Trade cash for plastic coins at Wat Mongkolratanaram, or “Thai Temple.” Food sold in the temple’s backyard food court include curries, pad thai, fried chicken, beef noodle soup, taro fritters, and, if you’re lucky, mango sticky rice (which usually runs out before noon). Every Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 1911 Russell St.
🧺 The South Berkeley Farmers Market is held every Tuesday. 2-6:30 p.m., Adeline Street and 63rd Street.
🧺 The North Berkeley Farmers Market occurs every Thursday. 3-7 p.m., Shattuck Avenue and Vine Street.🚲 The East Bay Bike Party, founded in 2010 to promote community positivity and safe cycling, holds monthly group bicycle rides that are open to all ages. Bring blinkies, water, and snacks. Locations (and themes!) vary, but routes often go through Berkeley. Second Friday, 7:30 p.m. FREE
see our full list of Berkeley activities
Affordable things to do in Berkeley any day of the week
From farmers markets to trivia nights, we put together a roundup of events and activities held regularly in Berkeley.
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