The Best City in Oakland (Lake Merritt/Grand Avenue)

Astro Park

Astro Park is located across from the Oakland Lakeview Public Library Branch, near Lake Merritt. There's also a playground for the young ones. more

The Camron-Stanford House was built in 1876 and was home to five influential families during its time as a residence before becoming the first museum in Oakland. Explore the links below to learn more about the people who called Camron-Stanford House... more

Children's Fairyland

Children’s Fairyland is America’s first storybook theme park, located on the shores of Lake Merritt in the heart of Oakland. Since 1950, Fairyland has been the low-tech, high-touch outdoor playground for young children to create, imagine,... more

Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreations

The Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation is a registered non-profit that bridges the gap between the City of Oakland’s offices of Parks and Recreation and Public Works, helping to fund the public’s need for safe, clean and well-maintai... more

Holy Names University

Holy Names University (HNU) was founded by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in 1868 on the shores of Lake Merritt. In 1957, the campus was moved from Lake Merritt to a wooded, sixty-acre site in the Oakland Hills. An academic community... more

1 Upcoming events

Just BE

Just BE is a Black women business network founded in 2016 that provides Black women entrepreneurs access to a collective marketplace and business ecosystem. more

Lake Merritt

Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon that lies just east of downtown Oakland. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. A popular 3.1 mile (5 km) walking and jogging path runs along its perimeter. It is historically significant as the Un... more

Lake Merritt Amphitheater

Off Lake Merritt Boulevard, near the lake's most southwest corner, sits the open air Lake Merritt Amphitheater. The paved walking path that runs around Lake Merritt protrudes at this spot to provide an adequate stage area. Most of the time it's jus... more

Lakeside Park

Lakeside Park is best known for Lake Merritt which is one of the most celebrated and accessible parks in Oakland with hundreds of visitors enjoying the park and its unique amenities daily. There are so many enjoyable activities and places to have an... more

Lakeside Park Garden Center

Lakeside Park Garden Center (Marsha J. Corprew Memorial) at Lake Merritt was founded in the 1950's serving as a cultural and educational center through the efforts of Oakland East Bay Garden Center and the City. The Lakeside Park Garden Center is cen... more

2 Upcoming events

Merritt College

Merritt College is a public, comprehensive two-year college. It is one of the four colleges of the Peralta Community College District. more

Oakland Lawn Bowling Club

The Oakland Lawn Bowling Club (OLBC) is a social and recreational club, organized to preserve and encourage the game of lawn bowling in Oakland and the greater East Bay. It is the aim of the OLBC to foster sportsmanship and good fellowship, and to of... more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center

Situated on the shores of beautiful Lake Merritt in Oakland and only minutes from downtown San Francisco, is the Oakland Scottish Rite Center. this impressive and unique structure was built in 1927 and boasts ornate design, soaring hand-carved ceilin... more

Rotary Nature Center

Established in 1870, Lake Merritt is the oldest wildlife refuge in the nation. The Rotary Nature Center & Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge is a place for the public to appreciate nature in the heart of Oakland. The interpretive museum at the Rotary... more

Save Nubia Project

The mission of the Save Nubia Project (SNP) is to help raise national and international awareness about the pending flooding of the central areas of the ancient Kushite and Nubian civilizations in the Sudan. There are a series of dams (from the 2nd... more

Snow Park

Three blocks from the 19th Street Bart station, Snow Park is a small green space across from Lake Merritt. more

Studio Grand

An eclectic non-profit arts space in Oakland's Grand Lake district. Founded 2013 by the late, much-beloved artist, dancer, musician & visionary Holly Schneider. more

The Cathedral of Christ the Light

As an edifice of transcendent beauty, built to stand for centuries, The Cathedral of Christ the Light Center fulfills a diversity of needs for Oakland and the surrounding East Bay communities. The Cathedral is the spiritual home of all the members of... more

The Gardens at Lake Merritt

A seven-acre collection of themed gardens in the heart of Oakland at Lakeside Park. Follow us on Facebook at The Gardens at Lake Merritt. more

The Great Wall of Oakland

The Great Wall of Oakland is a non-profit organization and a 100´x100´ projection installation in Oakland's Uptown District. The Great Wall provides high-quality art production for the general public, along with contributing to the economic and socia... more

The Pergola at Lake Merritt

The Pergola and Colonnade was designed by architect Walter Reed in 1913.  Located at the end of Lake Merritt's eastern arm, the structure was instituted by Mayor Frank K. Mott, along with other improvements.   His... more