Everything was lovely and beautiful. The garden has 9 different areas, each categorized by…read morecontinent or region: Southern Africa, Deserts of the Americas, Asia, Australasia, Mediterranean, South America, Mexico/Central America, Eastern North America, and California. We spent two hours exploring the garden, but we didn't have to see Mexico/Central America and California sections. The collection was really diverse. I remembered taking a plant science course at UCD, and many of the materials and pictures we used were from UC Botanical Garden. For me, it's like I finally get to see these plants in person. Highly recommended for plant lovers!

Absolutely beautiful. There are thousands of plants, flowers & trees to see. 34acres, so wear…read morecomfortable shoes. It's nice to explore on your own but I'd suggest a tour. The redwood feature is separate and a must see. You can spend 2-4 hrs taking everything in. We're definitely returning in the spring! #GoSee

Visited today with BB -- our first time here. We definitely picked the wrong season, as most of the…read moreroses have already been pruned. Even so, the garden itself is peaceful and well maintained. What really stood out was the view -- you can see the Golden Gate Bridge from the garden, which is beautiful and unexpected. There's also a constant sound of rushing water nearby (not sure if that's always there), but it added to the calm and made the few roses still in bloom more enjoyable. The garden is wheelchair accessible, though I will note the hill leading up to the entrance is very steep. They do have public restrooms and tennis courts on site, which is nice. Street parking only -- and be careful, cars come around the bend quickly. Overall, even though we missed peak bloom season, it was still worth the visit for the views and the atmosphere. I'd love to come back in the spring when everything is in full bloom.

Great place for our daughter High School Grad photos! She loves flowers so we decided to come here…read moreand she loved it! Beautiful day and lots of beautiful areas to take photos! Parking is limited but we were able to get a spot super close when we drove up!

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!!

Simply the best! I used WOW Farm Flowers for my wedding. I had Jess make my bouquet and ordered…read morebuckets to make the table arrangements myself. Jess did an amazing job with my bouquet. So many compliments. And all in all, the flowers were reasonably priced, and she was an easy person to work with. The flowers were beautiful! Plus, I feel great about supporting a West Oakland nonprofit.

Beautiful gardens hidden away in a busy city…read more Sad to see a group of teen throwing trash into the lake. They don't even respect their own area.

I went for one of their Intro to Bonsai classes (doesn't teach how to do bonsai, just fundamentals…read moreof what bonsai is, how to appreciate, etc), and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a one hour intro led by a volunteer, who was knowledgeable and also answered a lot of our questions. Afterwards, they took us around the garden and gave us an overview of some of the trees in the garden. Membership is also available and fairly affordable - also seems to come with a lot of good perks! Regardless if you go for the class or not, it's a very nice and tranquil way to spend an hour or two.

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 park is especially beautiful today. The flowers are deliciously in bloom. There's a delightful…read moresurprise at every turn.

This is an awesome annual street fair featuring a mile-long stretch of vendors and entertainers on…read moreSolano Avenue. Such diverse offerings, it's hard to run out of things to see and do. Rescue pigeons and doves, Berkeley Humane with cats and puppies available for adoption, 3-D Theater tent, karaoke, face & body art, an artisan and art fair, massage tents, magic shows, balloon artists, the Big Bubble People (creating giant bubbles for the kids as well as bubble play), judo demos, taiko drumming performances, lots of dance routines, and plenty of live music entertainment, at least one stage/tent on every block with different bands playing throughout the day, in addition to youth orchestras... and there were a LOT of blocks that seemed to never end (I was planning to watch The Long Walk later that day, and felt like I was actually living it here before even seeing the film). Community organization booths included the Happy Day montessori school and Child Therapy Institute, among others. And there was no shortage of food and drink options to grab a snack or meal, a combination of local brick-and-mortar businesses along the street as well as food trucks and vendor tents serving anything and everything, from mediterranean bites to asian fusion to cajun cuisine, along with classic dishes like pizza, hot dogs, and loaded fries. I picked up lunch from Tante's food stand and enjoyed a delicious hot link and potato-spinach knish. The only downsides to this event were the crowds, making it hard to move around at times, and the parking situation which was difficult in the surrounding neighborhood streets.

Great annual community event. Bring a hat and water if it's a sunny day. There are so many stands…read morerelated to the community businesses and high school organizations, as well as several vendors for food, crafts, cute trinkets. This event has a tradition of happening a week after school starts. Good way to discover the businesses and organizations in Albany/Berkeley.