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Walnut Creek lies in central Contra Costa County, in a valley at the foot of Mount Diablo, about 25 miles east of San Francisco. It grew from a crossroads settlement in the 1850s known as The Corners, took its name from the walnut trees along the creek, and became a farming town of walnut and pear orchards. The city was incorporated in 1914.
Today Walnut Creek is a lively shopping and dining destination. Its downtown, centered on Broadway Plaza and Main Street, is filled with shops, restaurants and outdoor cafes, and the Lesher Center for the Arts hosts theater, music and dance. Heather Farm Park has a lake with a fountain, gardens and a famous playground hill.
The city is surrounded by open space, with miles of trails in Shell Ridge, Lime Ridge and Acalanes Ridge, and the Ruth Bancroft Garden showcases dry garden plants from around the world. Mount Diablo State Park rises just to the east.
Downtown Walnut Creek is one of the East Bay's busiest dining and shopping districts, with tree-lined streets full of restaurants, cafes, wine bars and shops around Main Street and Locust Street. Public art and plazas break up the blocks. A free trolley has linked downtown with the BART station, and garages make parking easy.
Broadway Plaza is a large open-air shopping center in downtown Walnut Creek, with department stores, many fashion and home brands, and restaurants around landscaped walkways and fountains. It is especially busy during the holiday season. Use the plaza's garages, and combine shopping with a meal on nearby Main Street.
The Lesher Center for the Arts downtown has three theaters hosting musicals, plays, dance, concerts and the Center REP theater company, plus the Bedford Gallery. It is the main performing arts venue in central Contra Costa County. Buy tickets early for popular shows, and park in the garage next to the center.
The Bedford Gallery, inside the Lesher Center for the Arts, is a contemporary art museum showing changing exhibitions of painting, photography, sculpture and design, often with a strong regional focus. Shows change several times a year. Check what is on before you visit, and allow about an hour to see an exhibition.
The Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Larkey Park is a wildlife museum and rehabilitation hospital, with live native animals such as bald eagles, owls, foxes and reptiles that cannot return to the wild. Visitors can watch animal care through windows and meet animals in talks. Plan around the daily animal programs.
The Shadelands Ranch Museum is a 1903 Colonial Revival ranch house run by the Walnut Creek Historical Society, with period rooms and exhibits on the area's ranching and orchard history. Gardens surround the house. Docents lead tours on limited days, so check the schedule, and look for its special holiday events.
Borges Ranch is a historic cattle ranch in Shell Ridge Open Space, with a ranch house, blacksmith shop and barns showing ranch life in the early 1900s. Cattle still graze the surrounding hills. Grounds and trails are open daily, while the buildings open on certain weekends, so check the city's schedule.
Heather Farm Park is Walnut Creek's largest city park, with a natural pond, walking paths, playgrounds, sports fields, a dog park and a community center, built on a former horse ranch. Ducks, geese and turtles gather at the pond. It is busy on weekends, so come early for parking and picnic tables.
The Gardens at Heather Farm is a nonprofit garden of about six acres inside Heather Farm Park, with more than 20 themed gardens including roses, native plants, a sensory garden and water-wise displays. Entry is free and it is a peaceful place to walk. Visit in spring for the best blooms, and check for workshops.
The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a renowned dry garden created from the 1970s by Ruth Bancroft, with cacti, succulents, aloes and agaves from around the world on about three acres. It shows how beautiful a water-wise garden can be. Visit in late winter or spring when aloes bloom, and check for docent-led tours.
Shell Ridge Open Space covers rolling hills, oak woodland and grassland on the east side of Walnut Creek, with many miles of trails and fossil shells that give it its name. It is popular for hiking, running and horse riding. Trails are hot and exposed in summer, so go early, and watch for grazing cattle.
Acalanes Ridge Open Space covers the grassy ridge on the west side of Walnut Creek, with trails that climb to views of Mount Diablo, downtown and the surrounding valleys. Spring brings green hills and wildflowers. Trails are steep in places and have little shade, so hike in the morning and carry water on warm days.
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California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
California, United States
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