Summer Fun: Ideas for great activities in the Bay Area Published: June 14, 2013 By: Sharon Page-Medrich Stern Grove Festival. Photo by flickr.com user panic. The Bay Area is known for both its natural beauty and vibrant multicultural arts and festivities. Forested areas, mountainous peaks, and coastal environments provide a vast array of exciting outdoor experiences. During the summer, Bay Area visitors and residents have a range of activities to engage in, such as free outdoor concerts, sports events, hiking and biking, to name a few. Whether you have recently completed a semester marked by diligence and hard work or have just been accepted into UC Berkeley and plan to arrive this summer, it’s time to experience some fun. Check out these ideas for great activities to do when you are not in the classroom. Get Festive Golden Gate Park Band (April 28 – October 6) Golden Gate Park, 501 Stanyan St., San Francisco www.goldengateparkband.org Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (May 1 – October 27) Mission St. in between 3rd St. and 4th St., San Francisco www.ybgf.org Bites Off Broadway (May 10-October 11) 365 45th Street, Oakland www.bitesoffbroadway.com San Mateo County Fair (June 8-16) 2495 S. Delaware St., San Mateo www.sanmateocountyfair.com Point Richmond Summer Music Festival (June 14 – September 27) Washington Ave. and Park Place, Richmond www.pointrichmondmusic.com Stern Grove Festival (June 16 – August 18) Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Ave., San Francisco www.sterngrove.org Temescal Street Fair Festival (July 7) Telegraph Avenue between 51st and 42nd www.temescaldistrict.org Pedalfest (July 20) Jack London Square, Oakland www.jacklondonsquare.com/eventDetail.php?PedalFest-313 Oakland Art and Soul (August 3-4) 14th Street & Broadway, Oakland www.artandsouloakland.com Eat Real Festival (September 27-29) Jack London Square, Oakland www.eatrealfest.com Be a Spectator View schedule for the America’s Cup sailing competition, three months beginning on July 4 View schedule for the Oakland Athletics, an American League professional baseball team. View schedule for the San Francisco Giants, a National League professional baseball team. Get Outdoors The Bay Area Hiker website offers a guide loaded with suggestions for great places to visit. Here are just a few to begin to inspire you: North Bay / Marin Angel Island State Park Marin Headlands: Gerbode Valley Loop Robert Louis Stevenson State Park Samuel P. Taylor State Park Sugarloaf Ridge State Park East Bay Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Mission Peak Regional Preserve Mount Diablo State Park: Mary Bowerman Interpretive Trail Mount Diablo State Park: Mitchell Canyon-Eagle Peak Loop Peninsula and South Bay: Castle Rock State Park McNee Ranch State Park Monte Bello Open Space Preserve San Bruno Mountain County Park
Stern Grove Festival. Photo by flickr.com user panic. The Bay Area is known for both its natural beauty and vibrant multicultural arts and festivities. Forested areas, mountainous peaks, and coastal environments provide a vast array of exciting outdoor experiences. During the summer, Bay Area visitors and residents have a range of activities to engage in, such as free outdoor concerts, sports events, hiking and biking, to name a few. Whether you have recently completed a semester marked by diligence and hard work or have just been accepted into UC Berkeley and plan to arrive this summer, it’s time to experience some fun. Check out these ideas for great activities to do when you are not in the classroom. Get Festive Golden Gate Park Band (April 28 – October 6) Golden Gate Park, 501 Stanyan St., San Francisco www.goldengateparkband.org Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (May 1 – October 27) Mission St. in between 3rd St. and 4th St., San Francisco www.ybgf.org Bites Off Broadway (May 10-October 11) 365 45th Street, Oakland www.bitesoffbroadway.com San Mateo County Fair (June 8-16) 2495 S. Delaware St., San Mateo www.sanmateocountyfair.com Point Richmond Summer Music Festival (June 14 – September 27) Washington Ave. and Park Place, Richmond www.pointrichmondmusic.com Stern Grove Festival (June 16 – August 18) Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Ave., San Francisco www.sterngrove.org Temescal Street Fair Festival (July 7) Telegraph Avenue between 51st and 42nd www.temescaldistrict.org Pedalfest (July 20) Jack London Square, Oakland www.jacklondonsquare.com/eventDetail.php?PedalFest-313 Oakland Art and Soul (August 3-4) 14th Street & Broadway, Oakland www.artandsouloakland.com Eat Real Festival (September 27-29) Jack London Square, Oakland www.eatrealfest.com Be a Spectator View schedule for the America’s Cup sailing competition, three months beginning on July 4 View schedule for the Oakland Athletics, an American League professional baseball team. View schedule for the San Francisco Giants, a National League professional baseball team. Get Outdoors The Bay Area Hiker website offers a guide loaded with suggestions for great places to visit. Here are just a few to begin to inspire you: North Bay / Marin Angel Island State Park Marin Headlands: Gerbode Valley Loop Robert Louis Stevenson State Park Samuel P. Taylor State Park Sugarloaf Ridge State Park East Bay Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Mission Peak Regional Preserve Mount Diablo State Park: Mary Bowerman Interpretive Trail Mount Diablo State Park: Mitchell Canyon-Eagle Peak Loop Peninsula and South Bay: Castle Rock State Park McNee Ranch State Park Monte Bello Open Space Preserve San Bruno Mountain County Park