We might be biased, but the best thing to do on a Friday night in Oakland is visiting OMCA for a collection of food trucks and late-night exhibits. For those new to the area, Oakland’s Lake Merritt is a 3.4 mile lake packed with a collection of gardens, an amusement park, and many more activities nearby. Whether you’re looking to spend the day eating, relaxing, or learning, here’s way more than a day’s worth of activities for you the next time you visit Lake Merritt.
Museums
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) highlights the history of California through the lens of Oakland. They go above and beyond the typical museum experience by serving as a garden and event space in their architecturally spectacular buildings and gardens. Kick off the weekend by visiting Friday nights at OMCA with Off the Grid. There’s live music, food trucks, and late night access to the museum’s galleries and exhibitions. Check out OMCA’s current exhibits.The SF Chronicle named it one of this summer’s best live series around the Bay Area.
The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (The MADE) is a brief 16 minute walk from OMCA or a 4 minute Uber ride. On Fridays, they’re open from 11 AM to 9 PM, so you can stop by either before or after visiting OMCA. Admission is $20. It has fully playable exhibits dedicated to digital art and gaming. Learn about the history of video games and how the museum is working to preserve them in playable form. The space also offers education programs, speaker series, and game tournaments.
Bird watching
Being the nation’s oldest designated wildlife refuge, Lake Merritt is a great place for afternoon birdwatching and just steps away from the Oakland Museum of California. If you visit on a Friday, load upon snacks from our food trucks at Friday nights at OMCA. Black-crowned night herons, snowy egrets, scaups, brown pelicans, and great blue herons are spotted regularly in the evening. According to the city of Oakland, exotic birds like Egyptian geese and Mandarin ducks appear from time to time. Some great places to sit and birdwatch are the Lake Merritt amphitheater (2 minute walk from OMCA) and the Rotary Nature Center (8 minute drive from OMCA).
Events
Why spend money on overpriced food when you can stop by at OMCA and fuel up with something affordable and delicious instead. Thankfully, Friday nights at OMCA is conveniently placed near venues and theaters so you can pick up a meal from one of our creators before heading to an event.
Only a 5 minute Uber ride from OMCA, you’ll find The Fox Theater. This live music venue is inside of a historic building that also serves as an art school, bar, restaurant, and courtyard. This summer’s performances include partynextdoor, YG, The Marias, Ice Spice, The Script, and more. Check out the upcoming shows at Fox Theater. Most shows start around 8PM, so load up on calories at OMCA before heading to the show.
If there’s no Friday evening show at the Fox Theater, consider visiting Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Their events begin around 8PM, so fuel up at OMCA before heading out. It’s only a 6 minute drive away. Check out Yoshi’s event schedule for upcoming artists, event times, and prices (admission varies).
Jack London Square is a short distance from Lake Merritt that provides a waterfront view. There’s a collection of shops, breweries, restaurants, and activities to enjoy. During the summer, there’s movie showings on the lawn, jazz workshops, live music, and farmers markets. Don’t miss out on Heinold’s first and last chance saloon, a historical bar adorned with trinkets from a time past.
If you want to visit Oakland from San Francisco, jump on the Bart and hop off at the Lake Merritt stop. Check out the Bart schedule here. Another way to take a ride from Downtown SF to Jack London Square, hop on the San Francisco Bay Ferry. Check out the schedule here. There’s lots of space to sit down for a picnic, so fill your basket with your Off the Grid favorites at Friday nights at OMCA and unwind for the evening.
Experiences
Grand Lake Theater is an elegant historic palace where you can sit down for a movie. Each auditorium is uniquely styled. One is accented in gold, another has a 1920’s Egyptian style. As an added bonus, the theater doesn’t feature any commercials, they have affordable ticket prices, and they use two projectors to create an improved 3-D experience.
If you’re looking for something to do with your young children before the event, stop by Children’s Fairyland. It’s one of the earliest themed amusement parks in the United States. In fact, it’s said to be one of the places Walt Disney visited when looking for inspiration for DisneyLand. The park is designed for young children and the design revolves around fairy tales and farm animals. While you won’t find any high-speed roller coasters here, the park features a carousel, a mini Ferris wheel, and a train ride.
The Gardens at Lake Merritt is a collection of themed gardens spanning 7 acres. The bonsai contains a large collection of the meticulously trimmed trees. The bee hotel garden provides bees a wooden home and an assortment of flowers to pollinate. Stop by to discover the other unique garden styles.
If you’re looking for something fun to do elsewhere in the bay, check out our Off the Grid Markets Guide to see where else you can find us.
