Cool Things To Do In The Bay Area

29 Places

San Jose, California

Lupe the Mammoth

A life-sized mammoth sculpture marks the spot where the remains of a Columbian mammoth were discovered in 2005.

James Ricci

Added by James Ricci

San Jose, California

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Fremont, California

Berkeley Mystery Walls

Neither Spanish settlers nor anyone since has been able to tell who built these strange California rock walls.

thirdthreshold

Added by thirdthreshold

Fremont, California

Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

This quaint archive of the silent era preserves and pays homage to a seminal moment in film history.

Added by meredithea

Cupertino, California

Electronics Flea Market

If you are looking for a used Russian battery, Chinese Ham Radio or other electronic oddities this Flea Market is a good place to start.

Rebekah Otto

Added by Rebekah Otto

Palo Alto, California

The Frenchman's Tower

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.

HaikuSeminar

Added by HaikuSeminar

Los Gatos, California

Mt. Umunhum Cube

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

Added by akornblatt

Mount Hamilton, California

Lick Observatory

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Pescadero, California

Elephant Seals of Año Nuevo State Park

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

Kevin OKeeffe

Added by Kevin OKeeffe

Pescadero, California

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

Mark Casey

Added by Mark Casey

Alameda, California

St. George Spirits

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Added by aerialdomo

San Francisco, California

Peephole Cinema

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.

Holly Prz

Added by Holly Prz

San Francisco, California

The Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.

San Francisco, California

Paxton Gate

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

Added by deckarddj

Oakland, California

Chapel of the Chimes

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Oakland, California

Mazzariello Labyrinth

Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

Added by lisaemily

San Francisco, California

Maltese Falcon Alleyway

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

Tre

San Francisco, California

The Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

San Francisco, California

Golden Gate Park Druid Circles

The stones that traveled from Spain to eventually become a holy place for San Francisco's nature worshippers.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

San Jose, California

Grave of Bert Barrett’s Left Arm

The rest of him lived another 61 years and was buried elsewhere.

James Ricci

Added by James Ricci

San Jose, California

Santana Row Chess Plaza

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.

Elise

San Francisco, California

Westin St. Francis Hotel

Only hotel where you can legally launder money.

Boonville, California

Boontling Language of Boonville

A local dialect born in the late 19th century is only spoken in this isolated California valley.

Added by hj2fowler

San Francisco, California

Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture

California's most comprehensive horticultural library.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Mill Valley, California

Nature Friends Tourist Club

Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."

Claymore

Added by Claymore

Palo Alto, California

Arizona Cactus Garden

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.

rebeccaclara

Added by rebeccaclara

Berkeley, California

Aftel Archive of Curious Scents

Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft perfume fragrances.

Added by mandy1

Mountain View, California

The Real Birthplace of Silicon Valley-The Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory

The first high-tech company in the valley that actually worked with silicon devices.

Added by rexyten