Mar 13 2013
100 Things to do in Oakland
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1. Reach for the stars at the Chabot Space and Science Center 2. Hug a really big tree at Redwood Regional Park 3. Catch the America’s Cup spirit by honing your sailing skills at J World Performance Sailing at Jack London Square 4. Sample some great wines and get some exercise by joining a cycling trip with East Bay Winery Bicycle Tours 5. Rediscover the glamour of Hollywood with a classic movie at the Paramount Theatre 6. Bite into a ripe peach at one of Oakland’s Farmers Markets 7. Sip tasty teas at the Tea Garden at Numi Tea 8. Pay a visit to the Remember Them bronze statue in Uptown, honoring our champions of humanity 9. Stretch your neck with the giraffes at the Oakland Zoo 10. Captain a kayak on the Oakland Estuary 11. Toast to Jack London with a beer at Heinold’s First & Last Chance Saloon 12. Enjoy the sounds of music at Woodminster Amphitheatre 13. Cheer for the home team at an Oakland A’s game 14. Relive a moment from the movie UP! with a cone at Fenton’s Creamery 15. Gaze at the amazing architecture at The Cathedral of Christ the Light by Lake Merritt. 16. Groove with the jazz at Yoshi’s Oakland 17. Shop ’til you drop along Piedmont Avenue 18. Board a yacht at Strictly Sail boat show in Jack London Square 19. Become a kid again at Children’s Fairyland 20. Rock your socks off during a concert at the ORACLE Arena 21. Travel presidential style with a cruise on the USS Potomac 22. Retrace Amelia Earhart’s flight route at the Oakland Aviation Museum 23. See the sun set over San Francisco with a cocktail on the top deck of the Alameda/Oakland ferry 24. Catch the latest sounds at the Fox Oakland 25. Dance with the sugarplum fairies at the Nutcracker 26. Serenade your sweetheart in an authentic Italian gondola at Lake Merritt 27. Join the Raider Nation at the O.Co Coliseum 28. Let the kids’ creativity loose at the Museum of Children’s Art 29. Track down your ancestors at the Mormon Temple 30. Lace up your running shoes for the annual Oakland Running Festival in March 31. Ogle the ceiling at the Rotunda Building 32. Stroll through the streets of Old Oakland, enjoying the shops and architecture 33. Trace your family history at the California Genealogical Society 34. Tickle your taste buds at the Eat Real Festival 35. Whoop it up with the Black Cowboys in the annual Black Cowboys Parade 36. Bask in the sun or take a swim at Lake Temescal 37. Relax with a massage at the Claremont Hotel and Spa 38. Mingle at the mansion in Dunsmuir-Hellman Historic Estate 39. Celebrate all things Californian at the Oakland Museum of California 40. Write your own future with custom fortunes at a cookie factory tour in Chinatown 41. Find your form at one of Oakland’s many art galleries and open studios 42. Let your soul soar to the sounds of the Art and Soul Festival 43. Savor some souvlaki at the annual Festival of Greece 44. Honor black history at the African American Museum and Library of Oakland 45. Say hi to Santa at the Oakland Holiday Parade 46. Pull strings or just buy a ticket to see the puppet show at Children’s Fairyland 47. Lace your skates at the Oakland Ice Center 48. Fly through the sky at the Trapeze Arts circus school 49. Stop and smell the roses at the Morcom Amphitheatre of Roses 50. Root for the Golden State Warriors 51. Remember the Victorian age at the Camron-Stanford House on Lake Merritt 52. Master the making of mosaics at the Institute of Mosaic Art 53. Ace some shots at the Davie Tennis Stadium 54. Soothe your soul with a concert by the Oakland East Bay Symphony 55. Hook a fish dish at a waterfront restaurant at Jack London Square 56. Bask in the blues with your barbecue at Everett & Jones 57. Trot along the top of the Bay Area Ridge Trail on horseback 58. Swim laps at Roberts Pool 59. Wonder at the Wurlitzer before a movie at the Grand Lake Theater 60. Identify birds at Lake Merritt’s Rotary Nature Center, the country’s oldest wildlife refuge 61. Catch an art or history exhibit before your flight at Oakland International Airport 62. See what ‘There’ is at City Center. It’s a sculpture! 63. Listen to a Mariachi band at a Fruitvale district restaurant 64. Sing along at a seasonal concert at City Center 65. Visit the past and future on an Oakland walking tour 66. Marvel at the architectural beauty of Oakland’s buildings 67. Celebrate the exotic at Oakland’s Chinatown Streetfest 68. Board the floating lighthouse Lightship Relief at Jack London Square 69. Voice your opinion at a City Council meeting 70. Smell a rose on the Kaiser Center’s roof garden 71. Soar like a bird at the Rotary Nature Center 72. Submit your own Picasso into a public arts program 73. Ring in the New Year at the Lunar New Year Bazaar 74. Sing a sea chanty and chug a beer at Quinn’s Lighthouse and Pub 75. Visit Oakland’s architectural past at Preservation Park 76. Take a tofu tour at Hodo Soy 77. Find the latest looks at the unique boutiques in Rockridge 78. Feel crafty at Rock Paper Scissors arts collective 79. Enjoy the drama at a Theatre First theatrical performance 80. Watch some ruffled feathers at a burlesque night at Cafe Van Kleef 81. Take a cake decorating class at Miette at Jack London Square 82. Taste a Michelin-starred meal at Commis on Piedmont Avenue 83. Channel your inner pyromaniac with a class at The Crucible 84. Review restaurants A-Z at visitoakland.org 85. Keep up with the latest restaurant specials by following Visit Oakland’s Twitter feed 86. Savor the flavors of the Rockridge Market Hall 87. Stroll city galleries at First Friday Art Nights 88. Get lost in the beauty of the Cascades, a waterfall amidst the redwoods in Joaquin Miller Park 89. Learn about the race to space at Chabot Space and Science Center 90. Paddle a canoe or use your feet in a pedal boat at Lake Merritt Boating Center 91. Search the Web with free wifi at an Oakland Public Library 92. Park your bike inside as you sip your latte at The Actual Cafe 93. Honor the history of our local ancestors at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park 94. Participate in a pig roast on the third Sunday of each month at Chop Bar 95. Paint a digital self portrait to add to the collection at the Oakland Museum of California 96. Nibble on a pan dulce and other Mexican specialties at Pena’s Bakery 97. Sip a cocktail in the sun on the deck overlooking Lake Merritt at the Lake Chalet 98. Skip a drive to Napa and go wine tasting in Oakland, including sips at Urban Legend, Dasche Cellars and Irish Monkey Cellars 99. Learn to make cheese at the Institute for Urban Homesteading 100. Feel like a celebrity at Dancing Under the Stars at Jack London Square 101. Take a class or enjoy a concert at Piedmont Piano |
