Bay Area Berkeley One-Day Family Trip 🇺🇸

Didn’t feel like joining the crowded National Day celebrations? 😌 So we went off the beaten path and planned a super chill day in Berkeley—both the kids and grandparents had a blast! We parked early at the Telegraph Channing Garage. There’s plenty of 2-hour street parking outside, but the garage feels safer and is fairly priced (first hour free! 🅿️). A 5-minute walk brought us to Sather Gate—perfect for those classic university photo ops 📸. The Berkeley campus isn’t huge; we strolled counterclockwise, stopping by the Campanile, the libraries, and various historic academic buildings. With the long weekend holiday, the campus was especially quiet—great for taking pictures without the crowds. Later, we walked to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) right next to campus. They currently have a quilt exhibition. Honestly, paying for the whole family to visit this small museum might not be worth it—but I used Discover & Go to get free tickets 🎟️. For free? Definitely worth a quick look! By noon, we’d packed plenty of snacks, so we headed straight to McLaughlin Eastshore State Park—already into Albany, just past Berkeley. That’s where you’ll find the famous Albany Bulb 🗿: a trail dotted with sculptures made from recycled trash, full of creativity and surprises. We found a sheltered spot along the Waterfront trail, laid out our picnic mat, and enjoyed sandwiches, fruits, and snacks 😋🍎. After eating, we started hiking. The trail was full of wonderful surprises—big climbable trees, various ocean-facing swings and rope setups. Fun for both kids and adults! Our little one absolutely loved climbing the trees 🌳💨. The coolest installation was a Marble Run made from concrete blocks, bricks, and construction waste. There was even a bucket of marbles—just like the glass ones we played with as kids! The kids explored all the possible paths and spent at least 20 minutes there. Drove over from the East Bay, spent only $4 on parking, and had a full day of fun with the whole family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. No crowds, no blazing sun—just a relaxed campus walk, ocean breeze, beach, and shaded trails. Totally worth it! 💯 (Pro tip: always bring at least a light jacket to Berkeley 😅 My mom was especially thankful I reminded her to bring a down vest—she wore it all day and was comfy all the way!) #BayAreaKids #BerkeleyDayTrip #FamilyFriendly #EastBayOutdoors #FreeActivities #BayAreaParks