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Whether you’re a Bay Area newbie or you’ve lived here all your life, you may be surprised to find that there are all sorts of fun things to do here that have entirely slipped past your radar — from a Beaux Arts water temple to a candy lab-inspired escape room, bonsai trees, Venetian gondolas and mysterious Skyballs. And we haven’t even mentioned the ultra-violet scorpions …
Here are 12 quirky, cool and irresistible things to do this summer and fall.
1 Frolic amid botanicals & brews
Everyone knows about the grand 19th-century Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Filled with flowers, plants and even a water-lily pond, the Victorian glass structure is a San Francisco icon. But on the third Friday of each month, it turns into a Botanicals & Brews beer garden. A vibrant light show illuminates the conservatory walls, as guests sip craft brews and wine at picnic tables outside, enjoying live music and food truck fare, before exploring the tropical plants inside.
Don’t miss: Sip suds from Triple Voodoo and Novel brewing companies, enjoy tasty bites from the Curry Up Now and Sabor Catracho trucks and bop to the beat of pop-funk fusion band Hush Crush from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Aug. 16. And it’s an Oktoberfest-themed botanical bash on Sept. 20, which features three breweries, a polka band, and schnitzel and bratwurst from the Little Red Riding Truck.
Details: Designed for ages 21 and up, Botanicals & Brews runs through November in Golden Gate Park. Timed admission tickets are $29 and include a craft brew; https://conservatoryofflowers.org.
2 Explore a Beaux Arts water temple
Who knew? In 1934, upon completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aquaduct, which brought water from the Sierra Nevada to the Bay Area, the San Francisco Water Department erected the Pulgas Water Temple as a monument to the engineering marvel. The stone temple, with its fluted Corinithian columns, is located at the aquaduct’s terminus, west of Interstate 280 in Redwood City. A large, dramatic, tree-lined reflecting pool adds to the scene’s Instagramability, making it a hidden gem for weddings, proposals and general summer frolic.
Don’t miss: The inscription atop the large stone masonry ring: “I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people.” Truth.
Details: Open 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays at 80 Canada Road, Redwood City; www.sfwater.org
3 Hunt for glow-in-the-dark scorpions
If catching a glimpse of scorpions in the daylight doesn’t thrill you, how about tracking them on Mount Diablo at night with special lights that make them glow like misplaced Las Vegas neon? Walnut Creek’s Lindsay Wildlife Experience is leading two-hour scorpion hikes on the mountain, complete with special UV lights that make the scorpion’s exoskeleton glow vivid green, and guides to explain how these creatures live and how they fit into this habitat.
Don’t miss: If you like the scorpions, you’ll love the tarantulas. Save Mount Diablo, an organization dedicated to preserving the mountain’s open space, will lead a four-hour hike on the mountain Oct. 6 to see the gentle giants in their search for love.
Details: Designed for ages 6 and up, the scorpion hikes run through Sept. 29. Reserve tickets ($18) ahead via https://lindsaywildlife.org/events/. There is a $6 parking fee at the Mitchell Canyon Visitor’s Center, at the Clayton entrance to the park. Find more information on the tarantula hike at www.savemountdiablo.org.
4 Play ping pong in style
Whether you’re an amateur or play competitively, Spin SF is a ping-pong player’s dream. This SoMA destination features a restaurant with lounge seating, full bar and ping-pong courts, including two on the renovated outdoor patio with customizable LED lighting, a TV and temperature-controlled ceilings and doors. Sessions start at $19 per half hour. More of a spectator? Gather to watch epic ping pong matches on Friday nights.
Don’t miss: Eats and drinks, like smoked Duck Duck Goose Sliders ($21) and House Fries with za’atar and smoked harissa ketchup ($8) washed down with the Topspin, a gin-based cocktail with grapefruit, lemon and bitters.
Details: Open from noon daily at 690 Folsom St., San Francisco; https://wearespin.com
5 Traipse through a whimsical park
Anna Jean Cummings isn’t your typical Santa Cruz county park. This 95-acre park near Soquel High School offers a modern playground, pavilion-style picnicking areas, multiple athletic fields and some whimsical — make that spherical — public art. Four sky-blue balls, each eight to nine feet in diameter, appear to be rolling down the sloping hill. The concrete spheres were created in 2001 by artists Steven Gillman and Katherine Keefer and make great hide-and-seek inspiration for littles, as well as arty photo backdrops for the bigs.
Details: Open 8 a.m. to dusk at 461 Old San Jose Road, Soquel; www.scparks.com
6 Escape the candy lab
Immersive escape rooms are everywhere — why not in education? That was mom and scientist Ashie Bhandiwad’s thinking behind the new Candy Lab Escape Room in Danville. Bhandiwad, who holds a PhD in engineering, is the founder of StemChef, a program that teaches kids science concepts through cooking. At her small Blackhawk brick-and-mortar, kiddos and adults alike find themselves locked in a pastel-hued candy lab with one mission: Stepping in for an absent candy maker using clues and scientific tinkering to solve puzzles and create the ultimate dessert — and escape.
Don’t miss: The opportunity to work as a team with your kid while cooking and learning about science, almost screen-free. Themes (and desserts) change monthly.
Details: Ages 8 and older (kids 5 to 7 are welcome with an adult) at the lab at 3457 Blackhawk Plaza, between Stella’s and Santa’s Workshop, Danville. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance at www.stemchef.com.
7 Explore the Gregangelo
Featured on Netflix’s “Amazing Interiors,” the Gregangelo Museum appears to be an ordinary house in the West Portal neighborhood of San Francisco. Step inside, however, and you enter an arty, eclectic kaleidoscope of spectacles. Artist and San Francisco native Gregangelo Herrera is the brains behind the 27 themed rooms, or “realms,” that hark back to a specific era and come alive to tease the senses. “An art orgy of the mind,” according to one fan.
Don’t miss: Your phone. Seriously, don’t miss it, because they take it away from you before the tour starts so that you can connect with others — and you will.
Details: Tours start at $55. By appointment only Monday-Saturday. Find more information and book tickets at www.velocityartssf.com
8 Get your Beethoven fix
A 19th-century Viennese fortepiano, first-edition sonatas — and even a lock of the great master’s hair? Who knew the largest collection of Ludwig von Beethoven materials outside Europe was in downtown San Jose? The locket of hair exhibit is currently on hiatus, but you’ll find everything else in the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies on the fifth floor of the irresistible Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on the San Jose State campus. (Psst, be sure to check out the library’s nearly three dozen whimsical art installations while you’re there.)
Don’t miss: Time your visit just right and you may catch a mini-concert by Dr. Richard Sogg, who performs on clavichord, harpsichord and fortepiano on Tuesday afternoons during the school year.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, until 5 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays at the King Library, 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose; www.sjsu.edu/beethoven.
9 Walk among the bonsai
The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is one of the largest bonsai museums on the West Coast. The 20-year-old garden is curated by Kathy Shaner, the only female certified bonsai master and the first Japanese-certified master in the U.S. Ask a docent to show you the 1,600-year-old Daimyo oak tree, a gift to the U.S. during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the oldest tree in the collection. Not quite as ancient is a black pine tree that was featured in the Japanese Exhibit at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.
Don’t miss: After touring the salute to the Japanese art of bonsai, imagine yourself in Venice with a gondola ride on Lake Merritt, complete with gondolier serenade.
Details: The Bonsai Garden is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission and parking are free; https://gardensatlakemerritt.org/bonsai-garden. Find details on Lake Merritt’s Gondola Servizio ($60-$85) at http://gondolaservizio.com.
10 Follow a winding stone labyrinth
In 2004, inspired by the historic labyrinths of ancient cultures and religions, artist Eduardo Aguilera created this circular stone labyrinth along the wild and windy shoreline at Lands End. Ever since, it has been visited and photographed by hikers, passersby and anyone seeking solace. With sweeping views of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge, walking the labyrinth is said to bring peace, calm and harmony. Be careful, though. This rocky outcropping can get slippery.
Details: On the Lands End Trail. Start at the Lands End Lookout, 680 Point Lobos Ave., San Francisco; www.nps.gov/landsend
11 Explore the mysterious yellow gates
Strange yellow portals beckon on this 9-mile network of boardwalks and levees at Alviso Marina County Park in San Jose. Each fantastical doorway frames tantalizing glimpses of sunlit water and reeds, beckoning bird-watchers and hikers to explore the marshy realm of salt ponds, levees and the wetlands from viewing platforms and boardwalk vantage points.
Don’t miss: Hello, Salt Marsh Safari! Join Santa Clara County Parks staff aboard pontoon boats for free, interpretive boat rides through the wetlands of the Alviso Slough.
Details: Open from 8 a.m. to sunset daily. The park’s free parking lot is at the end of Hope Street in San Jose. Get details on the park, its amenities and the safari rides at www.sccgov.org.
12 Take a butterfly stroll
The 34-acre UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley is a wonderful destination on any day of the year, but the guided butterfly walks held each month are pure magic. You’ll wind your way through the various plant collections in search of butterflies with Sally Levinson, the “caterpillar lady,” and Sarab Seth, the “butterfly guy,” for a guided walk through the Botanical Garden in search of butterflies. You never know exactly what you’ll find, as the different plants and blooming times attract a variety of creatures. Bring binoculars, if you have them.
Don’t miss: The garden offers all sorts of special events, from an Intoxicating Plant Tour to photography workshops and bird walks.
Details: Butterfly walks run through October on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 3 p.m. The tour is free with garden admission ($7-$15). Parking is $1 per hour. The garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed first Tuesday of each month) at 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/.