24 Cool, Hidden, And Unusual Things To Do In Berkeley, California

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Places Foods Stories Newsletters Sign In Join All the United States California Berkeley The Atlas Obscura Guide To Berkeley

26 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Berkeley, California

Updated June 11, 2025 Share Tweet Email Attractions Food & Drink Map Leaderboards Stories Hotel Deals

Unusual Attractions in Berkeley

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A storybook European village in Berkeley.
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A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.
Selection of Exhibits at the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents (photo by Joel Bernstein) Button Button Button
Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft fragrances. Places

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A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.
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An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.
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A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.
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The only museum of sake in the United States is nestled in an unlikely California college town. See All 26 Things To Do in Berkeley

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Berkeley

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The only museum of sake in the United States is nestled in an unlikely California college town.
Louis Trevino (left) and Vincent Medina (right) plate traditional food at Cafe Ohlone. Button Button Button
This restaurant offers the original California cuisine.
The temple is a converted Victorian. Button Button Button
Every Sunday, this Thai temple in Berkeley serves a backyard brunch. In partnership with KAYAK

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Berkeley, California

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Berkeley Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. leiris 2
  2. Rebekah Otto 2
  3. Annetta Black 2
  4. theoktitus 1
  5. serflac 1
Join the Ranks! Add an unusual place to Berkeley.

Places Edited

  1. MtnLady 11
  2. James Ricci 6
  3. Rachel 6
  4. breaingram 4
  5. hrnick 3

Places Visited

  1. flint 24
  2. dmochizuki 23
  3. russellnelson 23
  4. dntinsley 22
  5. polemonium 21

Recent Berkeley Activity

  • senatorpenning

    wants to go to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Eahero

    has been to Adventure Playground

  • thokettner

    has been to UC Berkeley's Nobel Laureate Parking Spaces

  • quinnmmk2010

    wants to go to Thornburg Village

  • kylaharris7

    wants to go to Berkeley Flea Market

Stories About Berkeley

The Secret Gardens Saving the World’s Rarest Plants

In greenhouses from Berkeley to Santa Barbara, a little-known rescue network protects endangered cycads from poachers, smugglers, and extinction. by Julie Zigoris June 11, 2025

Podcast: Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour

A unique Bay Area walking tour led by community historians. by The Podcast Team January 12, 2023 Chunks of ice floating in water? Nope: coarse salt.

The Microscopic Majesty of Sugars, Salts, and Spices

A molecular biologist turned food writer put kitchen staples under the microscope. by Anne Ewbank October 8, 2020 Spectators to the power struggle can come from miles around.

Acorn Woodpeckers Have Multi-Day Wars, and Birds Come From All Around to Watch

A window into complex avian sociopolitical lives. by Luna Shyr September 15, 2020 “The Tails of Two Kitties” was an award-winning entry at UC Berkeley’s 2019 Edible Books Festival.

Edible Book Festivals Are for Pun and Food Lovers

It's been widely celebrated for almost 20 years. by Anne Ewbank March 20, 2019 Louis Trevino (left) and Vincent Medina (right) get ready to serve a meal in the Ohlone Cafe.

Indigenous Cuisine Is Being Served in the Back of a Berkeley Bookstore

Café Ohlone features traditional recipes and foraged ingredients. by Richard Foss March 13, 2019 The view from the top of a staircase that helps make up Berkeley’s Covert Path.

Caring for—and Expanding—Berkeley's Hidden Network of Hillside Paths

The California city has over 130 different woodsy shortcuts cutting through its hills and streets. by Cara Giaimo April 4, 2018 Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields. Atlas Obscura Membership

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Tag » What To Do In Berkeley