Recreation and Leisure
There are several museums to see in Berkeley. A few of them are the Judah L. Magnes Museum (2911 Russell Street), the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles (2982 Adeline Street), the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (103 Kroeber Hall at Bancroft Way), and the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2626 Bancroft Way).
The Judah L. Magnes Museum features items related to Jewish history, life and culture. The Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles is all about historical lace, textiles and costumes. Visitors can call for more information. The Anthropology museum is full of artifacts from Native California, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and even artifacts from ancient Egypt and the Mediterranian. Call with any questions. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is as the name suggests. It’s all about historical and contemporary art and film.
Berkeley is full of beautiful community parks. A few of the most popular ones for visitors are the Botanic Garden at Tilden Park on Wildcat Canyon Road (510.841.8732), the Peralta/Hopkins and the Rose Garden at the corner of Euclid Avene and Bayview Place.
The Botanic Garden is a 10-acre park with a stunning collection of native plants. It’s open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lush vegetation, works of art and outdoor meeting places are attractions in the Peralta/Hopkins Community Gardens. And the Rose Garden is named after the 3,000 rose bushes and 250 rose varieties it carries on 3.64 acres of lush land. Reservations recommended.
Nature lovers can also visit the Shorebird Nature Center to see a 100-gallon saltwater aquarium with all sorts of sea creatures from the San Francisco Bay area, and the hands-on wildlife exhibits. The Center is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If visitors are traveling with small children, the Adventure Playground by the Shorebird Nature Center is an ideal location to let children play in the playground’s boats, forts and towers. School year hours are on weekends only 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Summer hours on weekdays are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and weekends 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sports enthusiasts can check out Cal Athletics at #4426, 210 Memorial Stadium. Call for ticket information to see any one of the 27 sports teams compete from August to May of each year.
The Tilden Park Golf Course offers an 18-hold golf course with driving range and practice green for golfing visitors. The Tilden Park also offers a scenic steam train ride 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekends and holidays (except Thanksgiving and Christmas) year round. During the summer (June 14 through Labor Day) rides from noon to 5:00 p.m. weekdays are also available. Cost is $1.75 per ride and $7 for a five-ride family ticket. Children under the age of two are free.