Oakland

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The Parkway Theater, Oakland, California

Grand Avenue side of Lake Merritt, Oakland, California

Fox Oakland Theatre (Oakland, CA), California

About Oakland

Oakland stands on land long home to the Ohlone people, later part of the vast Rancho San Antonio granted to the Peralta family in 1820. The town was incorporated in 1852 and named for the oak groves that covered the plain. In 1869 it became the western end of the first transcontinental railroad, and its port grew into one of the busiest on the West Coast.

Oakland is famous for its diversity and creativity. Downtown has the 1923 Tribune Tower and two of the grandest movie palaces in America, the Fox and the Paramount, and Chinatown is one of the oldest in California. The writer Jack London grew up here, and the waterfront square named for him now has restaurants, shops and ferries to San Francisco.

At the city's heart lies Lake Merritt, a tidal lagoon that became the first official wildlife refuge in the United States in 1870, ringed by a popular walking path, gardens and Children's Fairyland. The Oakland Museum of California tells the story of the state, and the hills above the city hold redwood forests, the Oakland Zoo and the Chabot Space and Science Center.

Best seasonMay to October for the sunniest weather; spring and fall are mild and great for the lake and the hills.

Ideal stayTwo days for Lake Merritt, downtown theaters, the museum and Jack London Square, plus the hills and redwoods.

ArrivingOakland International Airport serves the city, BART trains link it with San Francisco and the airport, and ferries run from Jack London Square.

12 Unforgettable Things to Do in Oakland

Parks 2

Lake Merritt

A tidal lagoon connected to the bay rather than a true lake, Lake Merritt sits right beside downtown and was declared a wildlife r...

Morcom Rose Garden

Hidden in a residential pocket near Grand Avenue, this terraced garden was laid out in the 1930s and later named for former mayor...

Family 3

Children's Fairyland

Opened in 1950 on the shore of Lake Merritt, Fairyland is one of the oldest storybook theme parks in the country, and Walt Disney...

Oakland Zoo

Set in the Oakland hills in Knowland Park, the zoo covers about a hundred acres and is known for its focus on conservation and spa...

Chabot Space and Science Center

High in the hills next to Joaquin Miller Park, this science center grew out of an observatory first founded for Oakland's public i...

Museums 1

Oakland Museum of California

Known locally as OMCA, this museum devotes itself entirely to California, telling the story of the state through art, history and...

Neighborhoods 2

Jack London Square

Oakland's waterfront district on the estuary is named after the writer Jack London, who grew up in the city and spent time in the...

Oakland Chinatown

Centered on the blocks around 8th and Webster Streets, Oakland's Chinatown is one of the oldest Chinese communities on the West Co...

Entertainment 2

Paramount Theatre

Designed by Timothy Pflueger and opened in 1931 as a movie palace, the Paramount is one of the finest Art Deco interiors in the Un...

Fox Oakland Theatre

With its exotic, almost temple-like facade topped by a glowing marquee on Telegraph Avenue, the Fox opened in 1928 as one of the g...

Nature 1

Redwood Regional Park

Just over the ridge from downtown, this park protects towering coast redwoods that regrew after the original giants were logged in...

History 1

Mountain View Cemetery

Laid out in 1863 with a plan by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park, this hillside cemetery is as much a pa...

Businesses in Oakland

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Top-rated local businesses in Oakland, with real reviews on WiserMap.

Vacuum Cleaner Repair Shop

Grand Lake Sew & Vac

3250 Grand Ave, Oakland

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Computer Repair Service

PC Professional

5.0(4)

1615 Webster St, Oakland

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Mobile Phone Repair

Phone repair - Compufon

3.7(3)

7211 International Blvd suite c, Oakland

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Shoe Repair Shop

Rockridge Shoe Repair

5.0(5)

4641 Telegraph Ave, Oakland

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health

Smoakland Weed Delivery

2537 Willow St Ste 8, Oakland, CA 94607, Oakland

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pest control service

Banner Pest Services

5.0(3)

2744 E 11th St, Oakland

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Photo credits

Photo: Basil D Soufi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: BayAreaMetro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Srishti Sethi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sanfranman59, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: Niranjan Arminius, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: BayAreaMetro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Sanfranman59, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Bohao Zhao, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: BayAreaMetro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Akos Kokai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Calibas, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

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Photo: The original uploader was Daniel Olsen at English Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

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Photo: Niranjan Arminius, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: The original uploader was Daniel Olsen at English Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: Mliu92, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Sanfranman59, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: User:Hank Chapot. Original uploader was Hank chapot at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

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Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0