San Pablo Lytton Casino

San Pablo Lytton Casino is located in neighbouring San Pablo, California, just 20 minutes from Oakland. Pomo Indians own and run this casino, which has Class II gambling machines as well as card games like blackjack, baccarat, poker, and pai gow. After you’ve finished on the casino floor, dine at the Broiler Restaurant and Lounge. Alternatively grab a quick bite at the casino snack bar.

Oaks Card Club

The Oaks Card Club, as the name implies, only offers card games such as blackjack, stud poker, Texas Hold ’em, pan and Omaha hi-lo.  This casino, located just over two miles outside downtown Oakland, has been a Bay Area gambling institution since the 1890s. The venue has 40 gaming tables and runs a variety of weekly events. On-site, the Oaks Corner Hof-Brau & Grill has tableside service for those who wish to dine while they play.

The Palance Poker Casino

The Palace Poker Casino focuses exclusively on poker and takes pride in its tiny and intimate personal atmosphere. This casino is located around 25 minutes south of Oakland in Hayward, California. It hosts daily no-limit Hold ’em tournaments as well as many house promotions. The Palace also has a 50,000 “Bad Beat” jackpot, which means that when the jackpot reaches $50,000, every Texas Hold ’em player in the room gets a share of it. The Palace Cafe also serves food to hungry gamblers on-site.

Lucky Chances

Lucky Chances is a 20-mile drive from Oakland and is located in Colma, California, across the Bay and south of San Francisco. This card room has 50 tables and includes poker games as well as Asian and Vegas-style games like blackjack, baccarat, and Pai Gow. In addition, the casino holds tournaments and promotes ongoing offers such as double jackpots on certain days of the week. After betting, visit the casino’s Cafe Colma, which has Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, and American cuisine.

Artichoke Joe´s

Artichoke Joe’s, a casino with historic origins in the Bay Area, is located in San Bruno, California. It’s around 20 miles from Oakland and three miles from San Francisco International Airport. What began as a one-room pool hall in 1916 by Joseph Sammut has grown into a 20,000-square-foot card casino owned by Sammut’s family. Artichoke Joe’s provides a variety of classic card games, including seven-card stud, baccarat, California blackjack and Pai Gow poker. The casino’s restaurant also offers Asian and American food.

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Lori Fogarty, OMCA Director and CEO, expressed her eagerness and excitement to welcome people back into this cherished community space, originally built in 1969. The renovations have been in the works for a long time. Planning started five years ago and construction started in February 2020 last year.

“If there is a silver lining to this [past] year, it is that we are finally releasing and showing our rebuilt garden,” Fogarty added. “We’re overjoyed that we’re finally open, and we have this very lovely new outdoor space.”

The museum’s new landscaping was created by renowned architects Walter Hood and Mark Cavagnero.

The idea, according to museum employees, was to create a more appealing community area for informal gatherings and activities.

The main garden at the rear of the museum, which has panoramic views of Oakland and Lake Merritt, has been mostly neglected. There was originally a concrete wall facing Lake Merritt. Now three gates on the 12th Street side connect visitors travelling between the lake and the museum.

The company realized they wanted to change something during the 2015 Warriors Championship celebration at the Lake Merritt amphitheater. They noticed how close the museum was to Lake Merritt but how far removed they felt from it.

“A million people lived in the area surrounding the lake. Standing on one of these terraces, looking down, we realized nobody knows we’re here.” It was this experience that sowed the seeds for the dismantling of the concrete wall, the construction of the new entrance, and the addition of two new ADA-accessible ramps to the campus.

The museum’s staff also wanted a better space for community events, such as the successful Friday Nights at OMCA series, which began in 2013. The Friday night programs, held on the museum’s 10th Street side, provided after-hours admission to the galleries as well as local food sellers, live music, and activities. More community programming will now be possible with the renovated gardens.

The museum cafe has also had a substantial upgrade.

Town Fare, now helmed by famous local chef and restaurateur Tanya Holland, serves plant-based, seasonal soul food in a fast and casual format.

At present, the restaurant does not provide a sit-down service.
Town Fare will eventually be open to the public even outside of the OMCA’s work hours. Guests will then be able to enjoy a meal at any time.

At the moment guests who want to tour the gardens must check to receive free, timed access.
In the future, the museum will make outdoor areas accessible to the public even while the museum is closed. There will be no need for tickets.

To visit the Oakland Museum of California, guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Regardless of vaccination status, masks are essential. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays.

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The zoo is located in the 525-acre Knowland Park in the Oakland Hills, and is home to over 700 indigenous and exotic animals. The teaching center features cultural exhibitions, and kids will love the new butterfly garden and the amusements area, which includes a roller coaster, an endangered animal carousel, and a train. A gondola ride with unmatched Bay Area vistas will transport you up the hill to The California Trail. Check out the native animals such as Grizzly Bears, Bison, Grey Wolves, and more!

How to Discover Oakland Zoo

The Oakland Zoo is located in the Grass Valley area. Founded in 1922 by the Conservation Society of California, it is a non-profit organisation commited to wildlife conservation on a local and worldwide scale. At least 850 native and exotic animals live at the zoo and it’s famous worldwide for its highly regarded animal care. In particular its elephant care program. The zoo also has a 17,000 sq foot, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, which is the largest wild animal medical facility in Northern California.

Origins

In 1922, naturalist Henry A. Snow founded the Oakland Zoo near 19th and Harrison Streets in downtown Oakland. Snow Park now stands on the site of the zoo’s original location. Over the years it has moved many times, first to Sequoia Park, then to Joaquin Miller Park, and eventually to Durant Park in 1939. California purchased the area under the chairmanship of the California State Park Commission, Joseph R. Knowland, and christened the park Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park in 1950.

New exhibits

Many new exhibits are available to see and discover at Oakland zoo, including those for chimps and hamadryas baboons. The building of the sun bear display, which aired on Animal Planet Ultimate Zoos completed in 1995. The white-handed gibbons now reside on a verdant island deep in the Rainforest. The African Savannah includes camels, lions, elephants, hyenas, meerkats, and other animals and started in 1998.

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These 10 East Bay sports pubs provide a social setting where you can watch the game, drink beer, eat, and shout at the refs.

Grand Oaks

Grand Oaks, one of the oldest sports bars on this list, started in 1988 and has an old school, locals’ hangout atmosphere. Whilst you can get a pint and a burger here, this is the only sports bar in Oakland where you can order escargot and a ribeye steak while watching the game.

Mad Oak Bar

Mad Oak, one of the East Bay’s only rooftop bars, attracts regulars with its spacious patio and deck, rotating food pop-ups, extensive bar, and 40 brews on tap. It’s a terrific place to watch a game leisurely, with multiple TVs on silent unless it’s a significant sporting event, like a Warriors playoff game, in which case the sound will be up and everyone will be dressed in blue and gold.

The Athletic Club

The Athletic Club is one of the most serious sports bars in Oakland, with two floors, 40 screens, and 20 different sound zones. Following in the footsteps of the San Francisco version, the Oakland bar provides serious comfort in a choice of bar, booth, or dining table settings – and you can reserve your seats ahead of a big game. There’s also a fully stocked bar, a huge food menu and an up-to-date calendar on the website.

George and Walt’s

With around a dozen TVs, a full bar, reasonable priced beers, and basic bar fare, Rockridge’s classic and friendly neighborhood tavern is a laid-back, no-frills venue to watch sports. There aren’t many establishments like it in the otherwise affluent neighborhood.

Fort Green

Fort Green, from the same team that brought you The Miranda and Drexl, is an elegant sports bar in an art deco property in Old Oakland. Retro cocktails, boozy slushies, buckets of beer, wine, and Ferraris on tap are available, along with appetizers or pizza. If you don’t want to watch the game, Fort Green also has Hoop Fever, shuffle board, and board games.

Pappy’s Grill & Sports Bar

Pappy’s Grill & Sports Bar, named after legendary UC Berkeley football coach Pappy Waldorf, is the place to go to watch Cal games with raucous fans. There are two full bars, 16 beers on tap, 15 TVs, and a massive 205-inch HD projection screen, so everyone will be able to view the game. If you’re hungry Pappy’s serves burgers, sandwiches, and salads.

Bobby G’s Pizzeria

This Berkeley pizza joint has TVs on the walls so you can see the game from wherever you are. There is only beer and wine available, but the beer selection is local and fresh, with around a dozen taps. While watching Sunday morning football, share a New York-style pizza or a pan-fried breakfast pizza. Bobby G’s has a schedule of the games that will be shown on its website.

Hometown Heroes

With Warriors and Athletics memorabilia on the walls and games on the TVs, the East Bay branch of Hometown Heroes celebrates the sports teams of Oakland. It’s a bit small, and the TVs are difficult to see from the huge patio, but Hometown Heroes overcomes all that with spectacular drinks like the Rickey Henderson (rum, blue curacao, pineapple) and refined Filipino food via the pop-up Likha.

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