I'm genuinely surprised that after all these years, I have never written a review for Lake Chabot…read more Situated just east of San Leandro, this man-made lake covers 317 acres and offers a bevy of fun activities to do including fishing (both around the shoreline as well as on a boat), hiking, boating, and picnic grounds. The path looping around Lake Chabot is fully paved and a very easy and flat hike. I also use to come here with friends to rent a boat at the docks and go fishing out on the water. Although I never caught anything, it was still really serene to get out on the relatively flat waters early in the morning with the prospect of potentially catching dinner. There are also fish cleaning stations and bathrooms near the main marina. Dogs are a common sight here but must remain leashed. Additionally, there is a daily $2 dog fee to enter with your furry companions. Parking is also available at the entrance for $5, or you can just park at the street level and walk in like I always do. The free curb parking does fill up fast though, so make sure to arrive early to secure a spot. You can also launch your own boat with a $3 launch fee.

Lake Chabot Regional Park is an absolutely beautiful place and easily one of the most peaceful…read moreoutdoor spaces in the area. From the moment you arrive, it feels like a true escape from the city--quiet, expansive, and surrounded by nature. The scenery alone is worth the visit. The lake is stunning, especially when the light hits the water, and the surrounding hills and greenery make it feel immersive and calming. It's the kind of place that instantly slows you down and helps you breathe a little deeper. One of the biggest highlights is the sheer number of trails available. There are so many options, whether you're looking for a casual walk, a longer hike, or something more challenging. The trails are well maintained and offer a great mix of lake views, wooded areas, and open stretches. It's also a great park because it works for so many different types of outings. You'll see hikers, runners, cyclists, families, and people just enjoying time outdoors. There's plenty of space, so it never feels overcrowded, even when it's busy. Lake Chabot Regional Park is a true gem. The natural beauty, variety of trails, and peaceful atmosphere make it a place you'll want to return to again and again. Whether you're local or just visiting, it's absolutely worth spending time here.

I had somehow made it my entire adult life in the East Bay and had never been to the Oakland Zoo,…read moreso when my friend who has kids offered to take me with her membership, of course I had to! It's the perfect mid-size zoo with fun animals, some level of uniqueness, and manageable size to do in 2-3 hours or less. Came on a Tuesday around opening time 9:30am-noon ish, which in my opinion was the perfect time to come because the animals were so active, and we left right before it got super busy with young kids field trips. Honestly, I had a blast. You do have to pay $6 or have a ticket to ride the train to see the wallaroos and emus in the "Australian" area. Pros: - The animals were so active in the morning when I went. I heard a lion roar for the first time, got up close to the glass where a grizzly bear was playing in the water, the giraffes and meerkats were so cute. - Lots of places where you can take a break from the sun - loved that little telescope area where you can look at the bay and skyline - My friend let me borrow her "key" to learn other random fun facts about animals - The gondola was so cool haha I get the hype. It's fun to look down and see the animals from afar - You can get free parking if you're a teacher and bring your ID! - The volunteers were so knowledgeable and nice! - The little trading card concept is fun if you have kids too - lots of really cute photo-ops along the way if you have kids Cons: - can get SUPER crowded and loud when a bunch of kids come - since I think it's very popular for field trips or summer camps as expected. I also think I may have felt differently about it if I had to pay for my own ticket - so thank you to all my friends in the East Bay who have kids and memberships (I didn't realize it was such a common membership to have lol). - A lot of the "key boxes" were not functioning - give this zoo more funding lol! - In the summer if you go too late, it can actually get so full that they don't let any more people who don't have memberships Overall this was a great experience and I would 10/10 come again - it won't BLOW your mind, but if you enjoy animals, it's such an accessible place and honestly such a great local attraction to spend a couple hours at.

Very expensive for nothing - admission was way $$$$$. This place is awful- we were on a school…read morefield trip when a lady (short haired lesbian) working there began screaming at one of my students when they laughed loudly as they saw a chimp / orangutan peeing. She was awful, pointed her finger in his face rudely and obviously didn't need to be working in a place where there are a lot of children. She could have explained nicely that if he was loud - it disturbs the sleeping animals. But she turned a learning opportunity into a bad memory. This place is a money grab and nothing is worth it. Most of the animals were either hiding or sleeping during our time there. Upside: Gondola was the best part and the food too. But I'll never go back!

What a cool glowy wonderland!…read more Went for the first time with my hubs and 2 year old for the 5:30p slot and we had a great time. Each winter season the Oakland Zoo transforms into a colorful vibrant experience and my toddler was enthralled with all of the lit up animals and flowers. Tips -Get tickets as early as you can - they sell out fast. Tickets become available 1 month prior to arrival date. - Arrive early for your time slot, parking lots fill up. -Dress warmly, it got cold especially after taking the gondola on the higher level. I put a puff coat and thick blanket on my baby. -Peruse the ground level first, then go to gondola. Line wasn't so bad at 7p. -Food was pretty good and they have a nice selection and variety in the top level. Tickets are pretty pricy but hey it's an annual thing and they do such a great job with all the displays. The future Oakland display was awesome! Highly recommend for everyone, especially if you have kids. Also saw groups of friends and date nights.

GloFari at the Oakland Zoo has truly become a Bay Area staple for our family. We've been going…read moresince the Zoo Lights days, and it's been amazing to see how it's evolved into what GloFari is now. It honestly gets better every year. My kid is a teenager now and still looks forward to it, which says a lot. It's officially a family tradition at this point. This year felt extra special with all the Oakland touches woven throughout the displays. Seeing local icons like the Fox Theater, BART and other staples represented in lights was such a cool and thoughtful addition. It really felt like a celebration of the city. We loved it and will definitely keep the tradition going.

Went yesterday for the grand opening of the San Leandro Family Aquatic Center and had a really good…read moreexperience. The place was packed but everything still felt organized and clean. Shoutout to the front desk staff too -- they were really friendly and helpful from the start. Overall just a fun vibe and definitely worth checking out. Great if you have kids like me.

SO HAPPY IT FINALLY REOPENED! My toddler had an absolute blast here! They added a new water play…read morestructure with a giant tipping bucket. As the bucket slowly fills, the anticipation builds... then the bell sounds right before it dumps, sending all the kids running over to get splashed. It was so fun watching the excitement and laughter every time it tipped. A great spot for little ones to cool off and burn energy!

The golf courses are beautifully maintained, and have the perfect amount of challenge for the…read moreaverage mini-golfer. My family and I visited on Sunday morning, and the cashiers were pleasant and seemed to actually enjoy their job. Arcade was clean, and games were all operational. I highly recommend bringing your family or friends here. We will be back soon!

Roll up your sleeves, loosen your hips, steady your stance and get ready for some putt-putt at…read moreGolden Tee Golfland! Castro Valley hosts this mini golf spot that's an affiliate of the Golfland family and features its two 18-hole ranges perfect for beginners and experts alike. After a few rounds on the green, consider venturing into their arcades to play some good old fashioned video games (Time Crisis and other dual player shooters, Mario Kart and other racing games, and fighting games) and skill games (like skee ball, table air hockey, and claw machines). Be wary, however, for those who have game cards from other Golflands, they're location specific so they won't work here unless you have one from this spot. Starting from the giant parking lot which is just off of a busy street, you'll make your way through the gates and stroll up the long walkway to the front desk where you'll register to get your clubs and balls (you'll get your choice from among a few colors). From there, you'll have your pick of the two courses, one for novices and one for the more adventurous. Make your way through the obstacles and mark your scorecard to determine the winner of bragging rights! We came for a birthday party and logistically, they have the main room amongst the beginner course which is well lit from all the open windows but I believe they have another space near the arcade for those looking for a more enclosed, private gathering. Once the guests arrived, they hosted an orientation and got the members all equipped and ready to go. The youngsters had a lot of fun and can't wait to return! The staff were all very friendly and helpful. You'll interact with them more at the arcades especially if you'll be redeeming prizes with your hard-earned digital tickets. The ticket values on the top tier prizes were pretty large but for frequent visitors or lucky winners, you can get some pretty neat stuff here. The mini prizes definitely reminded me of my times at the arcades when I was a kid, very nostalgic! Overall, Golden Tee Golfland is a well-maintained, family friendly environment conducive to an awesome time outdoors as well as an exhilarating experience soaking up the old school arcade vibe. We accumulated a ton of steps during our visit here and the kids could not stop hitting the greens to get their fluorescently colored balls into the holes. The obstacles are fun - there are water effects and moving doors and bridges. While most of them functioned as expected, there were a few hiccups with some like balls getting stuck or certain doors just not functioning as expected. For wetter seasons, the holes for the balls do end up pooling which makes picking the balls out a bit of an unpleasant endeavor. For being exposed to the outdoors, the place was in pretty good shape, however. It's a bummer that the Golflands don't have a unified system for the game cards as it just incentivizes families to just pick one and stick with it instead of venturing out and exploring the other amazing locations like this one. If you're a local, this is a great place to take a date or the family - it'll tee you up for a good time!

We had a team building event this weekend and were looking to have some outdoor fun. Nathan brought…read moreeverything we needed and set up a great spread. We had a great time running around and I got to shoot my manager in the butt. Definitely recommend!

From the owner: We are proud to host Nerf events across the bay area! We use 3D printed blasters made in-house from…read moreour team here in San Jose. We also offer custom printed blasters as well if you want to have a party favor that everyone talks about!

After 6 months training here. My son loves this place just more and more. Highly recommended.read more

This is the place to learn kung fu and get your weekly exercise on. Master Sunny and Master Danny…read moreteach very well, pushing you to work hard while keeping it fun. They know how to support students of all ages and level. Definitely give it a try if you want to learn kung fu, get some exercise, and have some fun.

Located less than 5 minutes from 580 off of the 150th and you're in a world away. Hike, fish, bike,…read morehave a picnic or host a large party/bbq on one of several reservable areas. $5.00 plus 2 for each dog---kind of an honor system but for less than 100 you can get an EBRP year round pass that allows you to visit a lot more parks as many times as you want. Easy decision. M-F seniors get 1/2 off on boat rentals and from there you can finds the fish...if you know what you're doing ;). Anthony Chabot was a man who was instrumental in the California gold rush in the lower Sierras. He helped develop and mastered the hydraulic mining techniques required to reduce mountains to piles of rock to be sifted for gold. After those operations were shut down over environmental concerns, he brought his craft here to help make this reservoir. Amazing really. Nice spot to decompress and get right. Some areas around the lake show clear signs that hydraulic action was used. Birds, frogs, squirrels, butterflies, deer and more.

Chabot Park is not Lake Chabot Regional Park, but it does lead to there with the trails…read more The entrance to this Park is a little dicey to get to, if you're not familiar with this area of the San Leandro/East Oakland border area, it's hard to explain how to get here. And I have a feeling the residents of this area would like to keep it that way, so I'll honor their unwritten code, lol!! The Park itself is very much like your in the woods, lots of trees and fallen trees. They do have restrooms and disc golf here, which seems to be pretty popular, someone always seem to be playing it. Lots of free parking also. But the best thing about this park is the trail that can lead you to Lake Chabot. It starts off all uphill for at least 1/2 mile, then you start downhill and can determine which way around the lake you want to go. If you stay on the paved trail, to the right, you'll cross a bridge which is the Chabot Dam and it's a faster route, although hilly, to Lake Chabot Regional Park. If you choose the dirt trail, to the left, you won't necessarily stay next to the lake the whole way, there's signs to keep you on track. Either way, it's a great walk or run, watch and listen for the bike riders, sometimes they are really speeding coming off those hills. And if you're going to walk all the way around, bring water. Also, there's not a lot of areas where you get phone service. Always enjoy coming here, convenient for me!!

My family and I come here twice a week, and it has truly become one of our favorite places. There's…read moresomething special about stepping onto this field, it's where we laugh, compete, and spend quality time together. The field itself is always in great shape, making every game enjoyable, but it's more than just a place to play. It's where memories are made, and where we all get to share in the love of the game. We're so grateful for this space and couldn't recommend it more!

We've rafted twice more with All-Outdoors since my last review - Goodwin Canyon in October 2022,…read moreand then Middle Fork American River again this past month (both 1-day trips). The last time we rafted Middle Fork American was on a cold, gloomy, drizzling day in October 2019 - so we had to give it another go in warmer weather. This time around was just as memorable. Two of us in the boat ended up falling out in the water at Tunnel Chute, which happened so fast that I barely knew what had happened - thankfully, there was a nice calmer stretch of water right after through the river tunnel, so we were easily able to get back into the raft. (Thank you to our guide, Troy, for hauling me back in, and for being an awesome guide in general!) Plus this was one of the photographer spots, so the action was all captured for us to laugh about later. Later, after our tasty sandwich picnic lunch, we had a few unexpected events happen, starting from the portage down Ruck-a-Chucky Falls. Shout-out to all three guides in our group - Troy, Shea, and AJ - for handling things so calmly and getting us all back where we were supposed to be! We had plenty of calm stretches floating down the river as well. The canyon is beautiful and quite peaceful. We saw a ton of dragonflies flying above our heads, masked ducks chilling on rocks and diving underwater, and wild grapes and blackberries growing alongside the river. We'll be back again for another trip with All-Outdoors! Maybe we'll try a 2-day or 3-day trip next time.

This rafting company is the best! We did the South Fork of the American River and had a blast. I…read morehighly recommend this trip and company. Ask for Markus to be your guide. You won't be disappointed.