Oakland

You can eat a taco here that will leave you speechless, desperate for more, until you have pork and leek dumplings and decide those are your gastronomic destiny. You can play an Atari 2600 in a museum and drink a beer under a wall of skulls before listening to some of the nation's freshest hip-hop – live.

These days, Oakland is where San Francisco's diversity and radicalism have fled to escape an astronomical cost of living. Oaklanders are fiercely proud their home retains the mixed ethnic tableau and unapologetic left-wing politics San Francisco once enshrined, and they know this backdrop is threatened by million-dollar residential homes, already present even in middle-class neighborhoods.

Is this the last of what the Bay Area was? We're not sure, but between the food, nightlife and fabulous outdoors scene, Oakland is a great example of what the Bay Area can be.

Explore Oakland

Chabot Space & Science Center
Stargazers will go gaga over this kid-oriented science and technology center in the Oakland Hills with loads of exhibits on subjects such as space travel…
Oakland Museum of California
Every museum has an educational mission, and this one is dedicated to California. You'll find rotating exhibitions on artistic and scientific themes, and…
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Museum of Art & Digital Entertainment
If you love video games, the MADE is the heaven you go to when you die and are all out of extra lives. It's a museum of sorts, but more a sort of time…
C
Crown Memorial State Beach
Along the western shore of Alameda Island, Robert W Crown Memorial State Park sees flocks of East Bay locals on a sunny day. The sandy beach stretches 2.5…
Lake Merritt
An urban respite, Lake Merritt is a popular place to stroll or go running (a 3.5-mile paved path circles the lake), with bonsai and botanical gardens, a…
USS Potomac
Franklin D Roosevelt’s ‘floating White House,’ the 165ft USS Potomac, is moored at Clay and Water Sts by the ferry dock, and is open for dockside tours…
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Jack London Square
The area where writer and adventurer Jack London once raised hell now bears his name. The pretty waterfront location is worth a stroll, especially when…
C
Children's Fairyland
This 10-acre kiddie attraction dates from 1950, and we're not sure if it's been overhauled since. We mean that as a compliment! Children's Fairyland, with…
R
Redwood Regional Park
Nestled along the Oakland hills, Redwood Regional Park covers 1830 acres of land and is home to the last grove of Coast Redwoods in the East Bay. Explore…

Chabot Space & Science Center
Stargazers will go gaga over this kid-oriented science and technology center in the Oakland Hills with loads of exhibits on subjects such as space travel…
Oakland Museum of California
Every museum has an educational mission, and this one is dedicated to California. You'll find rotating exhibitions on artistic and scientific themes, and…
M
Museum of Art & Digital Entertainment
If you love video games, the MADE is the heaven you go to when you die and are all out of extra lives. It's a museum of sorts, but more a sort of time…
C
Crown Memorial State Beach
Along the western shore of Alameda Island, Robert W Crown Memorial State Park sees flocks of East Bay locals on a sunny day. The sandy beach stretches 2.5…
Lake Merritt
An urban respite, Lake Merritt is a popular place to stroll or go running (a 3.5-mile paved path circles the lake), with bonsai and botanical gardens, a…
USS Potomac
Franklin D Roosevelt’s ‘floating White House,’ the 165ft USS Potomac, is moored at Clay and Water Sts by the ferry dock, and is open for dockside tours…
J
Jack London Square
The area where writer and adventurer Jack London once raised hell now bears his name. The pretty waterfront location is worth a stroll, especially when…
C
Children's Fairyland
This 10-acre kiddie attraction dates from 1950, and we're not sure if it's been overhauled since. We mean that as a compliment! Children's Fairyland, with…
R
Redwood Regional Park
Nestled along the Oakland hills, Redwood Regional Park covers 1830 acres of land and is home to the last grove of Coast Redwoods in the East Bay. Explore…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Oakland.

See
Chabot Space & Science Center
Stargazers will go gaga over this kid-oriented science and technology center in the Oakland Hills with loads of exhibits on subjects such as space travel…
See
Oakland Museum of California
Every museum has an educational mission, and this one is dedicated to California. You'll find rotating exhibitions on artistic and scientific themes, and…
See
Museum of Art & Digital Entertainment
If you love video games, the MADE is the heaven you go to when you die and are all out of extra lives. It's a museum of sorts, but more a sort of time…
See
Crown Memorial State Beach
Along the western shore of Alameda Island, Robert W Crown Memorial State Park sees flocks of East Bay locals on a sunny day. The sandy beach stretches 2.5…
See
Lake Merritt
An urban respite, Lake Merritt is a popular place to stroll or go running (a 3.5-mile paved path circles the lake), with bonsai and botanical gardens, a…
See
USS Potomac
Franklin D Roosevelt’s ‘floating White House,’ the 165ft USS Potomac, is moored at Clay and Water Sts by the ferry dock, and is open for dockside tours…
See
Jack London Square
The area where writer and adventurer Jack London once raised hell now bears his name. The pretty waterfront location is worth a stroll, especially when…
See
Children's Fairyland
This 10-acre kiddie attraction dates from 1950, and we're not sure if it's been overhauled since. We mean that as a compliment! Children's Fairyland, with…
See
Redwood Regional Park
Nestled along the Oakland hills, Redwood Regional Park covers 1830 acres of land and is home to the last grove of Coast Redwoods in the East Bay. Explore…

Guidebooks

Purchase our award-winning guidebooks

Get to the heart of Oakland with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.