To be honest, the view from the observatory out towards the valley, with the fog layer sitting…read morebelow you like the biggest bowl of whipped cream known to man was just about as cool as the observatory. That alone was well worth it. The observatory too was neat. We happened to be campng there the night of the month they open it up. There was a nice video presenation (nothing you would not see on the discorvery channel but cool never the less), a QA with the on site volunteer and then they let the guests look through the various telescopes which were focused on the moons of Jupiter. They have one big honkin (about the size of a VW Bug) telescope but the volunteers also had about 1/2 dozen (6 if you must) other telescopes set up as well, so the kids were able to take a little more time on those. For anyone into astronomy it would be a must. Probably pretty entertaining for almost any 7 to 11 year old kid. Side note, the drive up has some sharp turns. My mothe rmade it up with a trailer on her truck but it was a bit hairy. The camp ground there is usable, but nothing too special. It was dry when we were there so we were not allowed to have a camp fire :(

It took me having to take astronomy at Hartnell to knlw about the observatory. I didnt know we had…read moreanything like this around. My professor required us to go up last week. The view is just so amazing. Its a little walk up to observatory so make sure you layer yourself. Its free bug there is a donation box. There are other people with other telescopes out that let you see things. I saw the milky way which is a haze. Its cool. The observatory itself is cool. The roof gets pushed off or rolls off. This is 100% a place everyone needs to check out at least once in their life.

I had the honor of escorting one very excited astrophotographer and his girlfriend (my Goddaughter)…read moreto experience a talk by Dr. Filipenko on the 150th anniversary of the James Lick Act of Congress. The talk started at 7:45 pm in the evening, and went well into 9 pm after the speaker allowed for a short Q&A session. I learned more about James Lick and how generational wealth was built than I'd ever imagined possible on a Sunday. Unfortunately for us, humidity was at an all time high, so we only had the opportunity to look at these massive telescopes, instead of gazing at the far away stars they were built to study. I did get to walk through The Chabot science center and see how fun it would be to come back with you get kids. Can you believe, you can even decorate a postcard that they will send to space. I would now like to design a piece of mail destined for space. Also, you can come out on Friday and Saturday nights and get the opportunity to look into the heavens with these giant creatures. I guess, this just means I have a rain check to visit Oakland in the near future.

This place is so great! It has a lot of kids to do and the planetarium show was awesome. The…read moretelescopes and observation deck was beautiful. The bottom floor is being renovated right now so I definitely want to come back when that is done. Great place to take kids of all ages!

Great night sky view, saw moon up close. Parking situation's good at night…read more Heads up that there's a lot people, with lines. Appreciate the staff there for hosting!

My boyfriend and I came over like around 6:30 friday We…read morewalked around before checking this place out Don't bother coming early because they definitely do not Don't bother making a line because the professor doesn't bother with it I give this a zero because there was no communication They didn't say anything about kids going first when they first opened the door nor when you go up the stairs and the professor is up there Two ladies were in front of us and they got to look into the telescope He proceeded to disregard my boyfriend and I. Even though we were standing right behind the two ladies I took my chance right away to look into it while he was talking to the ladies He then mumbled something and was trying to take the step stool away Let a little kid to see Then her father and when he finished. The professor was showing the kids the photo he took of the moon on his phone and was talking about how a meteor hit the moon and so forth I told my boyfriend to take the chance to see since no one was paying attention When he saw my boyfriend looking into it he immediately tried taking the step stool and mumbled to him that kids go first in a very low voice I felt disrespected and i was mad We walked out I get it.. I feel like I'm maybe over reacting But I don't like being disrespected when we did nothing wrong We waited, we were in line, we weren't talking at all when we walked in, he never mentioned that kids would go first when we got up there nor after the two ladies Definitely was not worth the disrespect

SOFIA or better yet the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy is a converted 747-SP that…read moreholds a telescope. The plane flies up to 40000 feet well above any atmospheric moisture for perfect conditions. The 747 SP #21441 began life as a special performance model of the 747 for Pan Am in 1977. Named in honor of Charles Lindbergh, The 'Clipper Lindbergh" was sold to United Airlines for its Pacific routes. NASA had the grandson of Charles rechristen the aircraft following its extensive modifications to honor the aviation pioneer. SOFIA carriers a 8.2 foot reflector telescope in the rear of the aircraft. A large moving door opens once the it reaches altitude and the observing begins! It replaced the Kuiper Airborne Observatory which can also be seen at Moffett Field.

get down to it, experience at this venue is inconvenient, tickets cost depending on where you need…read moreto be, parking isn't cheap much less free, food/alcohol are best done if it matters before / after or at a picnic table outside the gate, the road up (and, therefore, down) is tedious though not imho particularly dangerous unless you're under the influence, and management of the crowd and traffic especially after dark lacks organization. but having listened to a lot of music at places like msg, red rocks, the greek in LA, avalon, fillmores, cbgb... an evening of powerful music here is better but it isn't for an average saturday night's entertainment, save it for something special... it's worth twice the price for the right seats. in my case, as a maturing moshpit headbanger from decades ago, this required seats maybe 15 feet from the right side of the stage. i nailed these three months ahead for a total price of about $500 for two, premium parking included. worth it. this was the second time i saw the jblze show, the first being last year's in napa. the mountain winery was much superior owing to both the medieval setting and the power of the sound system which was enough to blow your head away. i had thoughtfully brought along a set of earplugs for my associate's tender ears, but passed on the offer of free ones at the entry gate. my hearing not to mention other functions has survived massive assaults of self-destruction in the past so ear protection seems a bit late to me. i was here to encourage ear damage, with every screech, boom, thud of music from the hammer of the gods this group is the best of all ersatz led zep groups, and more than a "tribute band" owing to Jimmy Sakurai, a japanese guy who spent 30 years perfecting the live performance of guitarist jimmy page. "mr jimmy" while much too civilized to be page incarnate is for sure the absolute best at what he does. the experience is essential if you have any interest in knowing why the original band is still considered the progenitor, the ne plus ultra as it were, of modern heavy metal/blues rock. i won't go on lest i descend into mindless fandom. let's leave it the same as my previous review, if you failed to see the original led zeppelin in msg or wherever, back when it mattered, and you're curious, book tickets next time - one hopes they'll do it here again.

I went to the Mountain Winery to watch an alt rock concert in October, which was an excellent time…read moreof the year to be outside for an outdoor concert when it's not super hot or cold. The venue is beautiful for stage performances, and it's not massive so almost every seat has a good view. I was about five rows away from the stage, and it was incredible to see my favorite band and singer up close! Food and beverages are expensive, but that's typical. I think a can of Coke was more than $5. Don't bother trying to get an Uber back at night from this venue. Ubers are allowed up to the venue for pick ups I think half an hour or an hour after the show ends. I also think Uber won't bother picking up people here because it's a single, narrow, winding road up the mountain, which causes a ton of traffic. So drive up to the venue, carpool with friends, purchase the shuttle ride in advance, or brave through that hell hole situation.

Super cool place. Take time to learn the history (the plaque at the bottom of the stairs out front…read moreis excellent info). Great views of the city 360°!

Let me start by saying I chose to take the stairs route and felt delightfully rewarded by the view…read morefrom the top of the tower! They do have some onsite parking but bus transport is also an alternative since there is a stop there. To access the top deck, admission is $11 for adults. I paid cash as they charge a fee to use credit cards. This is an affordable tourist attraction. The deck isn't that big and can imagine it getting or being crowded and unable to take pics- I hope they have figured out a system to control number of guests upstairs at a time. It appears the tower is operated by volunteers. ARI is a HOOT! Lol There is a gift shop on the first floor. Please support local and spread the word! You can also enjoy view of the Golden Gate Bride and Bay Bridges. Lots of photo opportunities both inside and outside the grounds. . This would be a great spot for a picnic / date.

First time came to the observation deck, I think it is best spot to view the golden bridge, even…read morewas cloudy day we still able to get quiet a few very good shots of bridge, I can't imagine how great views would be in sunny days. It's very easy-accessible, you can drive and bike to there with short walk to the top, very windy at the top, bright a jacket and watch your hat is great idea. At almost 500 feet above the bay, this high cliff-top vantage point was a prime location for big coastal defense guns when the army was there.

Lovely group and hooray for raptors and good cause but the director is discriminatory…read more They gladly accept seniors with oncoming dementia but after training - an excellent veterinary fit volunteer as she was just getting diagnosed with sudden onset pots syndrome- and not aware what her limitations may be disclosed to the director He told her he "did not want to slow the group down" This is flat out discrimination .

Wow! It's beautiful! We've been here a lot of times but this was a good time to take pictures…read morebecause it was clear. There were no clouds or fog. The perfect time to take a picture is at sunset.