This was a perfect stop for a staycation since it was open on Labor Day. It was pretty quiet, which…read morewe didn't mind. There were so many types of flowers, some of which I've never seen, and it leads out to Lake Merritt itself. My family and I took our time to look at everything and we there for about an hour. *Verdict: Free to the public, this is a great place to soak in the sun and escape from the hustle and bustle of the city!

A lot of times, after my run around the lake, I like to come here and just walk around, it's so…read moreserene and peaceful here! It really doesn't feel like 7 acres in here at first, but once you explore all of these gardens, you get a feel of just how expansive it is in here. It's free to enter, but also has limited hours. It's open weekdays from 8AM-3PM and weekends from 8AM-4PM. You will find people sitting on the many benches in here conversing, or just taking in the scenery. I've been walking through here for a long time, always enjoy being here!!

A great Museum in Downtown Alameda!!!…read more I've been here a few times, as it's free to enter, but it does close early!! They also accept donations!! From the outside, it doesn't seem very big, but once you go inside, it's larger than you think. The different rooms here are interesting, some are like classic home dining rooms, others feature businesses, Neptune Beach, the Fire Department, just an assortment of old artifacts from the past. There's a very impressive train right when you enter. Also, the people working here are very nice, very knowledgeable and inviting!! Everything is neat and organized, and to really see everything, it probably takes more than just one visit!!! The Island of Alameda has a lot of very interesting history, and this museum definitely showcases all of it!!!

This is a precious gem of a museum with delightful vignettes on Alameda history and an intriguing…read morepresentation of general historical pieces including Victorian fashion items. I particularly appreciated the inviting welcome and information provided. My personal favorite was the extensive display about Neptune Beach. Did you know that it was once the largest amusement part on the West Coast or that Johnny Weissmuller (AKA the original Tarzan and Olympic swimmer) won a swimming competition there? Note: its open hours are on the weekends only. And I also enjoyed how instead of charging for admission, they offer a clever and unique second hand store for purchases to support operation. I happily found and bought the classic "Operation" game for my granddaughter. I hope you get a chance to check out this treasure soon!

It feels so important to have this museum, especially in Downtown Oakland. It is easily accessible…read moreby BART and free admission, though I recommend donating to help support. It is a small space but the exhibits are curated nicely. I went during the Happy Birthday Oscar exhibit and it was emotional but informative.

Easy to get to on the Bart transit system. You only walk…read moreabout a block from train station. Building is clearly labeled. Aliyah was welcoming when we walked in. We signed in using tablet. Aliyah explained the best place to start exhibit. There is comfortable se as ting to look at books and watch the video. Good information to add to what you may already know or not know. Great merchandise in store and online. Would definitely pop in again!

Its a small place which is perfect for an infant or toddler who has not been to a museum before. I…read morelove how it's both indoor and outdoor. Average time spent may vary from 20 mins to 2 hours. Groupon has good rates for it - like 50% off so do check that out! The staff is friendly and the small planes are cute. They do have a picnic table outside if you want to bring a snack and eat outside. They do have their own free parking lot which makes it convenient.

We came here for open cockpit day on Father's Day. My husband is an airplane enthusiast and also…read moreloves Indiana Jones so this was a perfect fit. We paid the extra ten dollars for the Solent flying boat tour and he was able to sit in the same seat as Harrison Ford in Raiders of the last Ark! We also were able to sit in the cockpit of several other planes. Several aviation groups were tabling. The European miniature Train enthusiasts had a large display set up. All of the staff and volunteers were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It was a great day. We will definitely be back.

USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum has become one of those rare places that works equally well…read morefor a deep dive into naval history, a family day out, or even a completely unexpected anime convention. The sheer scale of this Essex-class aircraft carrier hits you the moment you walk up. It's currently the largest military museum in the San Francisco Bay Area, and you can explore three main levels: the massive hangar deck, the upper flight deck where aircraft like the Gulf War-veteran F-14 Tomcat sit nose to nose, and the mid-level deck with everything from the kitchen to the medical bay. The ship is such a labyrinth of passageways that you'll struggle to fit it all into one visit, but somehow that maze-like quality adds to the immersion rather than feeling frustrating. On our visit, we loved wandering on our own through the Apollo exhibit, which includes an authentic Block 1 command module and the Mobile Quarantine Facility that held the Apollo 11 astronauts after their splashdown. One of the quietest surprises is how reflective the ship feels despite its enormous size. Even on busy days, there are long stretches where you can walk through entire sections with nobody else around, just the hum of the bay and the distant lights of San Francisco across the water. The ship is sometimes called the "Grey Ghost," and on a foggy Alameda afternoon, you'll understand why. Parking is completely free in the lot across the street, and it's worth setting aside at least two to three hours to really soak everything in. For anyone in the Bay Area looking for a memorable, hands-on history lesson, this location delivers. And if you happen to visit during CarrierCon, you get to see the flight deck transformed into an anime convention complete with VTuber panels, cosplay meetups, and after-hours dance parties.

USS Hornet (CV-12) is the 4th Essex class aircraft carrier built in 1943 and served in the Pacific…read moretheater fighting some of the biggest battles of WWII. Later, after her modernization overhauls, she would serve as recovery ship for the Apollo 11 & 12 moon missions. Now in her retirement, she serves as an aviation and space museum in Alameda, CA. Of the 24 Essex carriers that were built, only 4 remain as museum ships today. We were lucky to visit on a great day with fantastic weather! You have to drive to this remote location on the island of Alameda, a former naval base, where there is ample parking. Being so far away from downtown SF keeps the crowds away, but is not that great for the museum because it doesn't get enough visitors to sustain them financially, so they rely a lot on volunteers and donations. I heard that there are plans to move the ship over near Fisherman's Wharf, which will increase the flow of visitors. I hope that they will bring her in for a nice facelift before that because the old girl is looking a little ragged these days. Let's see how you look when you're 82 years old! From the pier you have to climb a set of stairs and walk over a sloped gangway high over the the water into the hangar. Her hangar deck and flight deck are pretty spacious with not a lot of aircraft exhibits because they are hard to come by these days and Hornet could use a nice sponsor to help. Even so, the exhibits they do have are significant. The historical aircraft span from the WWII ones she carried into combat like the FM-2 Wildcat fighter and the TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, to the jet age of the Vietnam War with the FJ-2 Fury, the F8U Crusader and F11F Tiger jet fighters and recent ones such as the F-14 Tomcat (of Top Gun fame), S-3 Viking sub hunter and the current F/A-18 Hornet. Below decks, you get to do the self-guided tour of the spaces occupied by the crew, from their sleeping racks to the mess decks to see how they lived day-to-day at sea for months. There are also additional docent led guided tours (at extra cost) that will take you up to the bridge in the island superstructure and also into the bowels of the ship's engine rooms. For me as a military history buff, this is what I like to do on vacations and I drag my poor wife along for the ride.

My guess is that there are plenty of Cal Students who spend their 4 years here and walk right past…read morethis place without giving it a second thought. I first noticed this Museum on the way to class a few weeks back and had some time recently to take a look. And I'm glad I did! The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology was founded in 1901. The original goal of the museum was to support systematic collecting efforts by archaeologists and ethnologists to support a department of Anthropology at the University of California. The Museum was originally located in San Francisco from 1903-1935, when it moved to the UC campus. On the Berkeley campus, the Museum was located in the former Civil Engineering Building until 1959, when it was moved to the newly built Kroeber Hall. This museum was also the final residence of Ishi, who lived there from 1911 until his death in 1916. The Museum houses an estimated 3.8 million objects plus extensive documentation that includes field notes, photographs, and sound/film recordings. Major collections include: - Approximately 9,000 California Indian baskets, representing almost every tribe in California and all of the region's basketry techniques. - A broad collection of approximately 20,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts. . - A large Peruvian collection, especially strong in pottery and textiles. - Approximately 16,000 African artifacts - An important collection of Oceanic objects, including collections from the Trobriand Islands and from excavations in Fiji and New Caledonia. It's all free (with a suggested voluntary donation) and well worth your time, including an extended look or even study.

11.2 afternoon. It is an exhibition about poison, prescription, prayer and pleasure: the world of…read moremind altering substances. It is a small museum. I spent 20 minutes to see it. I saw many stone carving, cups and bottles of China. The building is quiet at weekends. There are only two visitors. There ate sofas and chairs to sit on.

The Pardee Home Museum has been on my radar for a while as one of the few places in the East Bay to…read moreget afternoon tea. I ended up finally booking the garden for a large party this month and was impressed by the experience from start to finish. It's hard to believe that it's entirely volunteer-led! Everyone I met was clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the house, its history, and its preservation. Making a reservation was easy and the coordinators were kind and courteous during the whole process. The day-of place settings were beautiful and the food was some of the best I've had for tea in addition to being generous and variable in servings. There were even some kid-friendly items (including some non-caffeinated beverages) as I had a few young guests in attendance. The tour we had following our tea service was detailed and informative without being boring. The house itself is incredibly preserved and in immaculate condition. It was great learning about the history of the Pardee family and their influence in the Bay Area, California, and beyond. There were some interactive parts too including getting to touch some antique items and listen to some hand-cranked music players. I will undoubtedly be back sometime and highly encourage anyone who likes good food and vibes or learning about local history to book a visit themselves. If you have people from out-of-town visiting, the Pardee Home is an excellent first choice for doing something low-key and private but still touristy.

The Pardee Home Museum (Italianate architecture) was built by the Pardee family. Three generations…read morelived lived there from 1868 to 1981. The last survivor put the home in a trust that is run by a Board of Trustees. It's self-supporting and run by volunteers. The father (made money in the mines, was an eye doctor and a California State Senator) and his son was Governor of California who made the poppy flower CA's state flower; reformed prisons; and established the EBMUD. All furnishings and collections are original and left intact. The tour is about 1.5 hours. Tour was educational and interesting - it covers the entire residence of 3 floors. The tour guide was nice and knowledgeable. She kept the tour intense so you wanted to know more. She gave insights and tibits of the family. All questions were answered. The afternoon tea is delightful. The food is prepared from scratch with lots of love from the volunteers. They were friendly, personable and thoughtful. Since it was the day before Easter, they put some Easter bunny theme to the tea. Just lovely people who made a delcious three course of food assortment. I definitely recommend the tour to learn about Oakland history and to visit one of the last standing historical mansions. Tea was authentic - no crust on the bread :)

The Peralta family were a Spanish land grant family who at one time owned the area from the San…read moreLeandro Creek north, to El Cerrito and from the hills West to the Bay. The Casa Peralta in San Leandro was built in 1901 and has been restored to its appearance from the 1920's. Highlights include the history of Luis Maria Peralta and his sons. Spanish tiles inside the fence related the story of Don Quixote. The Casa Peralta is a Museum that is open on Saturdays and Sundays free of charge.

Today was an absolute shit show at Casa Peralta hosted by the San Leandro Improvement Association…read more(SLIA) and the Community Impact LAB (CIL)! It was horribly, FUCKING HORRIBLY, managed, unorganized and uncontrolled! I do understand that having 5 years Marine Corps service means I have a particular set of standards and ideas of customs and courtesies and organization requirements..... but today was just FUCKING NUTS! First: there very seriously should have been a MAXIMUM CAPACITY limit and it should have been enforced! Instead of there being a good 1000 people squeezed into this tiny ass fucking church! I would have rather been told " I'm sorry we're at capacity" and turned away than to have been flooded with hundreds upon hundreds of people in a tiny ass court yard! Second: there should have been someone there AT THE DAMN GATE to ENFORCE the rule that "3 years and younger" at the first egg hunt! My daughter got kneed in the head and knocked down by a greedy Fucking PARENT who was telling his (very obviously looking) 6+ old son "Run run! Go over there I see more eggs! Hurry before more people come in!" To which I shoved him into a fucking tree! (I hope you read this post and contact me to apologize to my two year old daughter you piece of shit cause you darted off like a bitch!) Then I heard another mother saying "oh sorry sweetheart I thought this was for 3 and up! (When they made it very clear through the sound system and everyone was told to be quiet that we were lining up for 3 and under) and then said "we'll don't put your eggs back we'll just come back in a few minutes for your turn!" I also had a clearly looking 8+ old kid reach his grimy Fucking hands into my child's basket when her head was turned and tried to get her TWO EGGS (which were the only eggs she was able to get) to which he got a fucking palm to the face! I don't know where his fucking irresponsible parents were, but don't worry, I'll discipline your child for you! NO ONE enforced the 8-10 eggs ONLY rule so I saw children (OLDER THAN 3 MOSTLY) with 20 eggs and 10 candies and I saw some with 2 eggs and no candies. It was the fucking hunger games! Thirdly: why the fuck were there no representatives to watch the egg hunts to enforce the "one parent with one kid rule" because I had more problems with asshole adults then I did with little shit head kids! It was heavily over crowded with ADULTS! Seriously what the fuck! Fourth: there was NO set timing on the petting zoo! Some kids had 10 minutes (causing a line reaching towards the entrance gate) some kids got hurried out after only a minute or two. Some kids didn't even get to pet the animals because NO one was parenting their children and the poor lady there was just so overwhelmed with kids jumping in and out and parents letting it happen that anyone with any sense was just leaving. Those poor bunnies were breathing so hard I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't make it through to tomorrow from being over stimulated and overwhelmed. Kids were grabbing and picking up and putting down and pushing on them and just being horribly handled that I'm sure they'll have anxiety issues after today. It was just a gaggle fuck! The face painting? A joke! The ONLY thing this place had going for it, was it was beautiful. Any other day I'm sure I'd love to be here and enjoy it. The ONLY good part about today was my mother and father in law at least made this place bearable by helping me protect my two toddlers! But today?! I will NEVER bring my kids back for any event hosted by these organizations! I understand, it was a free event and I appreciate that. HOWEVER, I would now much rather pay for $10+ per person for an event that will at least be much better controlled and managed and organized, than to show up to a free event and fight to the death just for breathing room. We will be redoing Easter tomorrow in an Apartment complex courtyard just the family just to feel like Easter wasn't a waste today!