Very beautiful location and venue , enjoyed celebrating a friends birthday . Nice kitchen and space…read morefor special events, plenty of parking. Location can be tricky for Uber and Lyfts .

If you're looking for a cheap and fun thing to do with a group of friends, Boating at Lake Merritt…read moreis it! My friends and I decided to come here and rent two rowboats for a nice day out on the lake. There is a deposit for each boat and we paid the non resident fee to boat. We grabbed our life jackets and we were off! We enjoyed sights all over the lake... the bird sanctuary was super cool and you can see the birds take off. We broke our paddle on the rowboat by rowing a little too hard, but the staff was so nice and gave us a new paddle. We all had so much fun learning to row and being in the water. I would definitely recommend this place!

This place is awesome…read more We practice dragonboat out of this site. It's got plenty of parking, a public bathroom (and a private one if the Aquatic Center is open) and it provides programming for kids in the area. A bunch of other clubs rent their facilities ... but I think their long term vision is eventually to bring all the programming in house - and really make it for the kids and the community. They have a girls crew team that practices out of here. I attended a fundraiser for that a few nights ago and it's really a great cause. I'm all for programs that encourages, build confidence, supports young women. Sometimes there are weird people in the parking lots (some of those weird people are my teammates), and they need to take care of geese poop ... but I think all of these issues are ones that with more funding and support, can be easily improved upon. This place has easy access from the freeways, it's close to a bunch of businesses for after practice drinks / dining and compared to other practice sites, you won't get malaria or West Nile virus.

Why haven't more people been to this place? It is AWESOME!!! The first time I came here was for a…read moreretirement party upstairs. This summer however I'm taking kayaking here through Laney with my best friend. She's moving to Hawaii and wouldn't it be cool to kayak with her in Hawaii? Anyways...it is the first week of class and I am LOVING IT! The facility is clean, the workers are all so nice and friendly. The classes are awesome. I thought my kayaking class would be just us playing in the water however, the very first day we were learning the rules of water traffic, how to go forwards, backwards, stop, and even how to rescue a kayak buddy if they were to fall into the water. How cool is that? I cannot wait to see what we are going to learn next!!! I will update this review at the end of classes.

Was a guest here recently and spent a couple days enjoying the clubhouse and its many ameneties…read more BYC has been out on the point at this marina since 1939. One of the best views of the entire bay is had from this vantage point out on the edge of the marina. A great place to watch the storms roll in. This private members only club has a great interior, with a banquet hall and full commerical kitchen, aling with a full bar and lounge area. Direct access the the marina through controlled gates provides security for members and guests alike. 4 Stars the BYC is a groove unto its own vibe 00955

Loved it! Was here because a friend was in the Friday evening boat race. They have lounging, a bar,…read moreand grill. The drinks and food were great. It was nice because during the boat race they were open to the public, met a lot of nice people. Had a Pina Colada and a Painkiller at an excellent price. Love the wrap around deck too which was beautiful to see SF from and the boat race.

We just did an amazing team building event with OLBC. On short notice, they provided us with four…read morecoaches and led a fun tournament for our staff, then we hosted an ice cream bar in their beautiful historic clubhouse. Team building events help support this all-volunteer organization. Such a fun day!

If you have ever played bocce, this is just like it. The biggest difference is the balls are oblong…read moreso they roll at a curve--making it a little tricky--but a great challenge! As well as offering a club membership and free lessons to beginners, it is also a great place to host a fun daytime event. The pros: - A full kitchen, so you can self-cater - Indoor tables, chairs, etc. - A lesson/intro into lawn bowling, plus an hour++ to play - Reasonably priced - Fun and easy for all types of folks Cons: - Children under 12 are not permitted to play - Contacts a little tricky to reach a first, but they deliver! Check them out and support this organization that's been around for over 100 years! That's some Lake Merritt History!!

BAD is a volunteer-run organization, consisting of four home teams and both competitive and…read morerecreational skating programs. We attended the season opener at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium this past Saturday, the SF Rolling Dead vs the Oakland Outlaws, and it was entertaining and interesting learning about the sport, as this was our first time watching. The first whistle took place two hours after the doors opened. We arrived a bit early, so we checked out the merchandise vendors in the lobby, and got a couple drinks from the bar, the Crimson Cowboy (Oakland Outlaws themed cocktail) and Vodka Grim-let (SF Rolling Dead themed cocktail). They were both delish, as we rooted for the Bunnies during the juniors game, before start time for the main event. Pickles N Smoke also sold bbq dishes on site, but there was a long line for this, especially at intermission. The game lasted no more than one and a half hours, including the break. And watching the players on the floor do their thing made me wanna go skating too (without the full contact). Never knew how much I'd enjoy the roller derby :)

This is a community based organization with its heart in the right place. It's a safe place for all…read morewho want to express themselves as well as spectate a fast and furious sport (where safety is always important).

Lawn Bowling is such a fun sport that appeals to all ages. Free lessons are available for new…read morebowlers. Check the website for details.

Looking for a FREE morning of fun in Berkeley? This is it!…read more I went here with a group of 8 on a Saturday morning. None of which had ever tried lawn bowling before (most of us hadn't even heard of it). We wandered in, not really sure what to expect since these days you don't get much for FREE, and were greeted by Ray who told us he would give us our FREE lesson. We were measured for our bowls (balls.....) and he explained the game to us and gave us some pointers. He was patient and made it fun. We did a couple of practice rounds and then Ray split us into teams and let us have some fun on our own. For FREE. There was another group there (looked slightly more experienced than our own group... ha) and they didn't seem to mind that we couldn't keep our bowls in our own lane. Everyone was very friendly. Lawn bowling is a lot like bocce ball... but more fun because the bowls have a slight curve to them so there's a bit more skill involved in the roll. We were there for a little over two hours and had a blast. We would definitely do this again! Did I mention this was all for FREE?

Heat wave in the 510!…read more Came here yesterday with the family to spend some time outdoors because the temperature reached 97 degrees! Parking: $5 and I didn't have any cash. Not a problem because I was able to use my card. There is street parking for free but it was way too hot to drag in our cooler. Spots: A bunch! A lot of tables and it was very busy but never felt that way because there were a lot of tables - grassy areas - for people to sit at. The grills are clean and we used two to cook on. There are lots of geese which means bird poop but we had picnic blankets to sit on. Bathroom: close by and clean! Such a plus. There is a boat rental (we didn't use this time) but also a small cafe where you can get food and icees. The kids were so happy :) Plenty of shade so it was nice to walk a bit and it didn't feel too bad.

I went fishing here with 3 other people over Labor Day weekend. Living in Hayward, I had no idea…read morethis was here right in my backyard. It's beautiful to watch the sun rise over the hills, the ducks float by and my friend's dog basically choke itself on its own leash wanting to explore the grounds. Be prepared to pay $5 to park, $14 (I think) for a day pass to fish and $40 for a boat for 3-4 hours and $50 CASH for a refundable deposit for the boat. They accept credit cards for the deposit but takes days to process. So bring cash. A friend almost caught a HUGE catfish. I recorded the action on my digital camera but the line broke and the darn thing swam away. So, folks, you too can get a bite. I think the best part of the day on Lake Chabot was laying on the boat with the morning sun shining and being utterly surrounded by peace. I will definitely make it out there again moreso to relax than fish. Also, there are hilly trails for hiking and biking.

Attended my first rodeo this past weekend, and the entertainment value was high, well trained bulls…read moreand horses keeping the crowd engaged... along with the humans running the show of course. Parking and event entry was quick and easy (though it cost $20 at Cow Palace). And there were several concession stands available serving typical snacks and treats like hot dogs, nachos, and even frozen beverages. The show started at 7:30pm, and various acts occurred for a little over two hours (before the main attraction). This included award presentations, an opportunity for moms from the crowd to enter the arena and race for a prize wearing only one shoe, corny jokes by the rodeo clown, saddle bronc riding (wild bucking horse trying to throw off the rider... similar to bull riding), horse barrel racing (female riders getting their horses to zoom around 3 barrels in the arena at the highest speed), and tie-down roping (cowboys wielding a lasso on the bull, competing for quickest time). I liked how the announcer explained the rules and animal ethics to the audience as some participants were disqualified during the roping challenge. The bull riding started around 9:45pm, and those spinning, twisting bulls were crazy! This 15-minute highlight of the event, with about 5 different bulls/riders, was followed by a bull jumper/stuntman performing acrobatics, dodging and doing flips in the air while being charged by a bull. The show ultimately ended around 10:15pm, and quickly turned into a country concert, opening up the arena to all, for live music entertainment. I enjoyed the event overall, and felt that Section 19 offered an ideal view of all the different acts. I do recommend coming a little early if sitting in the dress circle though, since it's "first come, first served" stadium seating and was pretty crowded. Cool and unique experience, and I will definitely return!

Never in my life have I had the desire to go to a rodeo! Then I got married and my husband loves…read moreit. Eye roll...as a gift I got tickets for us to attend. There's a ton of people who enjoy this sort of thing, so we parked far and walked. As we entered we were greeted at the door and thrown into the chaos. It's an adult circus complete with clowns, rings and lights. The animals do most of the performing. We wakes the whole arena. Saw the horses in the back on the dirt ground, looked at the food options and viewed the merch that was being sold. We found our seats and listened to the dj intro, watched all the events and left. Not my favorite but glad I experienced it once.