Since studying at UC Berkeley takes up most of a student’s time, it is difficult to notice just how awesome the city of Berkeley, California, actually is when you stop to look. There are SO many things to do; it’s Downtown Berkeley after all! These are 10 cool and free things to do around UC Berkeley!
Note: Most of these activities require university identification via your Cal 1 Card. So, if you’re a student, most of the below things are free, and if you’re not, they’re still accessible to you, but only for a certain cost – usually small. Enjoy!
The University of California Botanical Garden is a 34-acre botanical garden located on the University of California, Berkeley campus, in Strawberry Canyon. If you ask any freshman if they have visited the garden, chances are they will say yes. People typically spend up to 2 hours here, since it has so much rich history and beautiful scenery. The Botanical Garden is known for all of the rare and beautiful plants that it is home to. The majestic variety of plants and nature in this place is enough to release all stress away.
Berkeley Marina, located at the foot of University Avenue on San Francisco Bay, in CA, is a beautiful place to go and marvel at the view. This is an awesome place to take a date to because the view is seriously breath-taking, especially at sunset!
Downtown Berkeley gives off the busy city vibes and reminds me of NYC. It is known as the business district, because of all of the buildings, restaurants, and retail shops. San Francisco can be viewed across the Bay, providing a marvelous scene.
Situated above the hills of Cal campus, the Lawrence Hall of Science holds several amazing permanent exhibits, including a huge astronomical structure, an outdoor science park, and an interactive globe displaying real scientific data from Earth. You might love the insect zoo, the seismograph, and a larger-than-life DNA sculpture that sits there, too.
I’ve walked more times past this place than I have by campus bathrooms (It’s true). The new BAMPFA, equipped with all new updates and renovations, opened in 2016, and is a combined art museum and repertory movie theater and archive, associated with UC Berkeley. This building specializes in international films and includes a library of documentation. You can take advantage of Free Thursdays which happen at the first Thursday of every month.
Sometimes, people hand out free Popsicles around campus on Fridays. If you are lucky enough to get one, try the Coconut Creme ones!
These symposiums and seminars are completely free and can connect you with a lot of awesome professionals! And if that isn’t enough to make you want to go, there are free dinner and refreshments at these events, win-win!
Free drop-in tutoring sessions are accessible for Cal students at the Student Learning Center (SLC) and the Math Lab! Attending tutoring sessions doesn’t seem like it would be fun, but it is an awesome opportunity to get some help on the subjects that you find more difficult. If you are bored and looking for something to do, give it a try!
I would recommend checking out the City of Berkeley website often – for dates, times, admission fees and other relevant details on local festivals going on in the city. There are always events and fairs going on that are definitely worth checking out!
This is a massive regional park located at Grizzly Peak Boulevard (I always love saying that address). Known as the ‘jewel of the system’, Tilden Park is one of the oldest parks in the East Bay and sets the recreational tone for the entire area.
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own!
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