Since studying at UC Berkeley takes up most of a student’s time (along with extracurriculars, clubs, commuting, work-study, fraternity/sorority recruitments, or other activities, like part-time jobs and internships), it is difficult to notice just how awesome the city of Berkeley, California, actually is when you stop to look, wander around and wonder (yes, that’s two different verbs) at the marvels it has to offer to its denizens (and vexed scholar students!) There are SO many things to do; it’s Downtown Berkeley, after all!
Whenever I think of it, the city seems like an endless maze of ‘stuff,’ a labyrinth designed to be student-friendly, and relatively cheap, exactly and specifically made for the student budget that consists of either Venmo money, or less than $5 in cash (seriously, it’s truly amazing how little cash students carry nowadays; it adds irony to the fact of me being an Economics-intended major). Read on for the top 10 fun free things to do around UC Berkeley that involve moderate to little to no money at all!
* Note: Most of these activities require university identification via your Cal 1 Card. So, if you’re a student, most of the below things are free, and if you’re not, they’re still accessible to you, but only for a certain cost – usually (and wishfully!) small. Enjoy!
1. Explore the UC Botanical Garden
The University of California Botanical Garden is a 34-acre botanical garden located on the University of California, Berkeley campus, in Strawberry Canyon. Almost all freshmen at Cal have went to this scenic destination. People typically spend up to 2 hours at this place, since it has so much rich history; seriously, this beautiful garden was established in 1890, over a century ago! The majestic variety of plants and nature in this place is enough to release all cortisol and midterm/assignment/CS project stress away. It is a non-profit research garden that acts as a great place to walk, and take delightful pictures to show off to your peers (and brag about) later on. Plus, there are ample $1 per hour parking spaces right across the garden, according to a nice Google review! So, go ahead and promenade in the lawn.
2. Saunter into Berkeley Marina
Located at the foot of University Avenue on San Francisco Bay, in CA, (have you ever noticed how every single university is surrounded/bordered by some form of a “University Avenue”?), the Marina consists of 52 acres of water and 1100 berths that can accommodate vessels 16 feet to 84 feet in length. The berths include lockers, electrical outlets, night lighting, and – most important of all – restrooms with showers! Personal hygiene is key to success in all aspects of past, present and future life. The harbor features parking as well as a full service boat yard with an on-the-water Fuel Dock. And for my grumbling tummy, there are 3 yummy restaurants (I’m guessing seafood due to proximity to the Bay) on the south side of the Marina. There are also multiple design and construction projects going on right now, as well, as on the Berkeley Marina website: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Marina_Home .
One of the most amazing traits of this place is the free compost giveaway: On the last Saturday of the month, from February through October of each year, the City of Berkeley offers free compost for Berkeley residents, weather permitting. It’s first-come, first-served, but Berkeley ID is required – so the compost is not entirely free. I’m personally not a huge fan of compost but it is highly valuable for plant growth. But, since it contains decaying organic matter, please keep it far away from your cute pets and poochies; or else, they might get harmed or sick!
3. Trek All Over Downtown Berkeley and Explore (Urban) Mother Nature
Maybe “Father” Nature, is more appropriate?
Known as the central business district of the City of Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley reminds me of the hustle and bustle of city life (like my own Californian version of NYC), and of how synonymous technology and Millennials have become (and ubiquitous). It is the Bay Area, after all. San Francisco can be viewed across the Bay, providing a marvelous scene for the eyes. Best of all, the reason this location is included in this list, is because all UC Berkeley Students must pay $70 as part of their mandatory tuition and fees, to get a ClassPass, which guarantees free rides on any and all AC Transit buses. As a former commuter student, I’m all too familiar with AC Transit, B.A.R.T. (stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains and Amtrak train stations; they were my homes.
Downtown is the mass transit hub of Berkeley, with several AC Transit and UC Berkeley bus lines converging on the city’s busiest BART station, as well as the location of Berkeley’s civic center, high school, and Berkeley City College. There are so many niche and high-profile restaurants and small food-joints in this place, that I’m afraid to start counting them, since I’m scared it’ll take up too much of my time. They make for productive study spots, but I’ll leave that for another story.
The variety is amazing too, but it’s not surprising, considering Berkeley is highly eclectic (read: Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop along Shattuck Avenue!)
4. Stroll Inside the Lawrence Hall of Science
Situated above the hills of Cal campus, the Lawrence Hall of Science holds several amazing permanent exhibits, including a huge astronomical structure, an outdoor science park, an interactive globe displaying real scientific data from Earth, a play area, and – my favorite – an exhibit featuring state-of-the-art nanotechnology. You might love the insect zoo, the seismograph, and a larger-than-life DNA sculpture that sits there, too. I would stay away from the hissing cockroaches, though, if I (arachnophobic) were you….
5. Meander Through the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)
I’ve walked more times past this place than I have by campus bathrooms (it’s eccentric, but true). The new BAMPFA, equipped with all new updates and renovations, opened in 2016, and is a combined art museum and repertory movie theater and archive, associated with UC Berkeley. This building specializes in international films and includes a library of documentation. It cost a lot ($250,000) when it first opened, and included 45 valuable paintings.
This artistic centre for study and education features delightful masterpieces of art in its gallery, as well as a cute gift store, and holds talks by well-known, knowledgeable historians and other intellectuals. Although specific parts of this visual art centre, consisting of a theater, gallery, and museum – among many other components of this place – differ in price and admission, the galleries are free to BAMPFA members, UC Berkeley students, faculty and staff, but costs $10 for non-UC Berkeley students, the disabled, as well as persons aged 65+.
However, fear not!
Beware of Free First Thursdays: when galleries are free for all on the first Thursday of each month! Such a dose of philosophy, art, and the like type of wisdom is sure to cheer up any person (overwhelmed Cal collegiette or not) soon!
6. Grab Free Popsicles Around Cal on Fridays
For some odd reason – but whatever reason it is, I adore it – for several Fridays on campus, I see two or three women wearing some sort of uniform T-shirts giving out free Popsicles on Sproul Plaza. These are usually the fruit-flavored ones that only come in Coconut Cream and Raspberry, for another peculiar reason (I preferred the Coconut ones more). I don’t know why they did what they did, why they never charged the students who huddled around them in happy delight, why they never demanded anything in exchange, or why they never objected when students like me and others wished for specific flavors, or asked (read: seized) for another box, as if we were paying for their services.
I was treating it like it was part of my own tuition bill.
The entire box (or, if lucky, BOXES) were always free of cost, and they ran out quick (but still lasted for a remarkable period of time, especially considering the fact that they were free). This is definitely one of the best free things to do around UC Berkeley. I never observed members of the general public or non-UC Berkeley Students avail this icy treat, though. It’s almost a first-come, first-served basis sort of an arrangement, so I’d be sure to head by the place fast, at around noon onwards to get these perks; I’m not entirely sure if they also continue giving them out in the Spring semester as well. Last Spring, they did not, but there was a replacement for that wonderful feature: Noose Yogurt packs! I grabbed three in one go, and ran faster than I did in high school gym class towards my apartment (in fear of popsicle sigma, perhaps)
Carpe Diem!
7. Nibble on Free Dinner and Refreshments at Symposiums and Seminars
As if there wasn’t another reason already for attending such talks, discussions and conversations to avail the pearls of wisdom, knowledge and edification through networking with academic and social superiors (professors and amazing graduate student instructors (GSIs)!) as part of Cal’s “world-class” education. There may be exceptions, but almost every time I read about an advertisement concerning some type of seminar or symposium, there is always some sort of a “free refreshments/lunch/dinner provided” kind of a message. I sometimes wonder if this is done to create an incentive to attend the event in the first place, to boost attendance, to make the generous individuals who funded the event happier or…
Who funds these events in the first place, and who arranges/transports the food too? How do they manage to get those food trucks past the Berkeley 24/7 “rush hour” status and highway traffic?
Whoever you gentle people are, kudos to you!
Most of these events with free food are for UC Berkeley students exclusively, though members of the general public might be able to attend, through fees/payments, in certain cases/instances. I’m sure most students (transfers?) know of ways of ‘sneaking in’ as well.
8. Attend Stellar Tutoring Sessions
Free drop-in tutoring sessions are freely accessible for Cal students at the Student Learning Center (SLC) as well as at the Math Lab, which is for Fall Program For Freshmen (FPF) students only (which is only in the Fall Semester only for first-time freshman students). There is tutoring available for Statistics, Calculus, Economics, Econometrics, and even Writing for those pesky complex rhetoric essays – all for free!
Seek knowledge. Locate Passion. Change the World.
Call me cliched: One choice can transform you (Divergent Movie, 2014).
Translation: The choice to attend tutoring sessions/review sessions and avail the edification associated with drop-in/Pod tutoring sessions can transform you.
There are even positions available to BECOME a tutor, to hone your leadership skills! Of course, I’m the more to-become-tutored type person, in order to gain some research readiness skills and good grades (not that tutors don’t get good grades themselves; quite the contrary). All these tutoring services are free for registered UC Berkeley students (“registered” meaning you’ve paid your tuition and fees to attend the university in the first place). The Pod tutoring offers specific learning experiences that allow you to not only master the content but network with a dynamic peer network who could help you know and tackle more than just the ‘MCQs or multiple-choice questions’ of the subject. I always love the SLC for their exam review sessions, their study groups, and their workshops on academic learning and time management skills that teach me how to learn and retain my learning in the first place. College makes you forget that sometimes (or maybe that’s just me)… I’m guessing the latter is more likely.
9. Discover the Cool Street Fairs Happenin’ in the City
I would recommend one to check out the City of Berkeley website often – for dates, times, admission fees and other relevant details on local festivals going on in the city, particularly for those happening close to campus (a large portion of them are). Just recently a week after Finals ended, there was a delightfully wonderful Holiday Fair going on near Telegraph Avenue in December, a popular and historic avenue within walking distance of Berkeley. Many other street fairs, with great themes, such as Berkeley Restaurant Week, and other winter-themed events happened during the Christmas Week of December 2016.
Fair Warning: Pay genuine heed to the traffic and pedestrian overcrowding on the roads, though; it reminds me of Berkeley Bowl’s narrow shopping aisles and parking situation sometimes. Claustrophobia may ensue. Check if these ‘hidden costs’ are worth it to your collegiette selves.
10. Check out Tilden Regional Park
This is a massive regional park located at Grizzly Peak Boulevard (I always love saying that address). Known as the ‘jewel of the system’, Tilden Park is one of the oldest parks in the East Bay and sets the recreational tone for the entire area, with its scenic beauty, landscapes, carousel rides, stroll-friendly grasses, and picture-perfect views. With opportunities to host picnics, to learn to swim, and much, much more, this park has variety to cheer up everyone!
A quick look at the website told me just how affordable this place is: most of the attractions are FREE while the ones that are not, are still free of charge for those under 1 year old. Adults may be charged small fees depending on the attraction (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden.htm). The “Native Here Nursery” has no admission fees, though the plant prices vary, which I thought was quite a quirky policy to place in such a natural habitat. Most of the fees require a phone call in order to be known; it’s still highly worth it, given all the variety of picnicking spots, farms, roads, golf courses, gardens, and merry-go-rounds the park proffers to the public!
This wilderness area may remind many of the frolicking young images of childhood memories…I’m already strolling down my own Memory Lane, another free thing to do on the UC Berkeley bucket list!