Berkeley Date Spots
Great Places for Student Dates Around Berkeley
A new semester at Cal means meeting new people and developing new relationships. This isn’t always easy and it can be even harder when you’re trying to figure out what to do. Fortunately, we’ve pulled together a collection of spots sure to make your next evening (romantic or otherwise) a blast.
Tilden Regional Park
Tilden offers a lot to choose from. If you like running or hiking it has tons of challenging and scenic trails, and if you want something less physically intensive but still fun you can check out the Little Farm. It’s a cute spot full of all types of animals from chickens to cows. Finally, if you’re after a little water and sun you can check out Lake Anza at the far end of the park. Most of these locations can easily be reached by bus or, if you’re super adventurous, walking.
Lawrence Hall of Science
You can usually catch the bus to and from here (alternatively, you can hike up or down as well). The Lawrence Hall is a great spot if you and your date have an interest in science and technology. They have a ton of interesting and interactive exhibits that refresh often so you can hit this place up more than once. It’s also free for Cal Students.
Victory Point Cafe
In North Berkeley on Shattuck, for $10 for you and your date you can hang out at Victory Point and play from their collection of 800+ board and card games. Games are a great way to deal with first-date jitters or a good solution to general awkwardness early on in the relationship. They also offer a nice selection of snacks, coffee, and other drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) so it also doubles as a pretty nice cafe. If you need a quite spot it tends to be relatively empty most mornings and early afternoons.
University of California Botanical Garden
Like the Lawrence Hall, the UC Botanial Garden can be reached through campus shuttles. It's a beautiful spot to explore if you're interested in a talking/walking date and you can bring food along too if you’re thinking about having a picnic. They also hold special events and summer concerts so it’s a good idea to check out their website before you go. Another plus is that it’s free for Cal Students.
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Pretty easy to get to since it's right in downtown Berkeley. BAMPFA has great rotating art collections and some interesting film screenings. They also offer free admission and discounts on films for Berkeley students. If you’re looking for a fun evening activity, they occasionally host nighttime movies on the crescent lawn across the street so keep an eye on their calendar for updates.
Dorothy Bolte Park
A bit of a hike up Grizzly Peak but that makes the place pretty quiet and intimate. It’s also a good option for a picnic and it offers a great view of the Bay Area along with the sunset.
Ashby Market
There's usually a lot of interesting stuff for sale at the Ashby Flea Market so it can be a fun activity to go around looking and finding deals. It’s great if you’re looking for a place full of conversation starters but you certainly won’t be able to spend the whole day here. This is honestly a much better option if you plan to fold in a visit to the Thai Temple nearby for their fantastic Sunday Thai brunch.
Berkeley Rose Garden
Across from Codornices Park. the Berkeley Rose Garden is a lovely little venue that's a great spot to end a date or hold a dinner date. A popular combination is picking up a pizza from the Cheese Board downtown and taking it up here to watch the sunset. Come about an hour early for a good spot.
Here's to a Great Night
You’re now prepared for guaranteed good times. All that’s left is for you to find that plus one. If you’re looking for more great recommendations you can now find them on the Gojurn app (now available for iOS and Android). Discover an awesome place you think deserves to be on this list? Let us know about it here.