Attractions

Hanging out is the preferred Berkeley pastime, and the best place to do it is Telegraph Avenue, the street that leads to the campus's southern entrance. Most of the action lies between Bancroft Way and Dwight Way, where coffeehouses, restaurants, shops, great book and record stores, and crafts booths (with vendors selling everything from T-shirts and jewelry to I Ching and tarot-card readings) swarm with life. Pretend you're a local: Plant yourself at a cafe, sip a latte, and ponder something intellectual, or survey the town's unique residents.

If used and antiquarian books are your thing, stop by Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. (tel. 510/849-2087; www.moesbooks.com). After exploring four floors of new, used, and out-of-print books, you're unlikely to leave empty-handed.

You can also catch a performance at the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. (tel. 510/647-2949; www.berkeleyrep.org). Tickets range from $27 (cheap seats for shows still in previews) to $71 (premium Sat night seats). Shows for the 2011-2012 season include Rita Morena: Life Without Makeup, How to Write A New Book For the Bible, and Molière's A Doctor In Spite of Himself.

UC Berkeley Campus

The University of California at Berkeley (www.berkeley.edu) is worth a stroll. It's a beautiful campus with plenty of woodsy paths, architecturally noteworthy buildings, and, of course, 33,000 students. Among the architectural highlights of the campus are a number of buildings by Bernard Maybeck, Bakewell and Brown, and John Galen Howard.

Contact the Visitor Information Center, 101 University Hall, 2200 University Ave., at Oxford Street (tel. 510/642-5215; www.berkeley.edu/visitors), to join a free 90-minute campus tour. Reservations are required; see the website for details. Tours are available year-round Monday through Saturday at 10am and Sunday at 1pm. Weekday tours depart from the Visitor's Center and weekend tours start from Sather Bell Tower in the middle of campus. Electric cart tours are available year-round for travelers with disabilities for $50, 2 weeks' advance reservations required; no tours are given the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. Or stop by the office and pick up a self-guided walking-tour brochure or a free Berkeley map. Note: The information center is closed on weekends, but you can find the latest information on their website.

The university's southern, main entrance is at the northern end of Telegraph Avenue, at Bancroft Way. Walk through the entrance into Sproul Plaza, and when school is in session, you'll encounter the gamut of Berkeley's inhabitants: colorful street people, rambling political zealots, and ambitious students. You might be lucky enough to stumble upon some impromptu musicians or a heated debate. There's always something going on here, so stretch out on the grass for a few minutes and take in the Berkeley vibe. You'll also find the student union, complete with a bookstore, cafes, and an information desk on the second floor where you can pick up the student newspaper (also found in dispensers throughout campus).

For viewing more traditional art forms, there are some noteworthy museums, too. The Lawrence Hall of Science, east of campus on Centennial Drive, just above the Botanical Gardens (tel. 510/642-5132; www.lawrencehallofscience.org), offers hands-on science exploration for kids of all ages. It's open daily from 10am to 5pm and is a wonderful place to watch the sunset. Included in the admission price is an outdoor science park called Forces That Shape the Bay, which lets visitors explore ongoing geologic forces. The site includes activity stations such as earthquake simulators, a geologic uplift bench, a water feature, telescopes, BayLab programs and demonstrations, an audio tour, and picnic sites. Admission is $12 for adults; $9 for seniors 62 and over, students, and children 7 to 18; $6 for children 3 to 6; and free for kids 2 and under. The UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, between College and Telegraph avenues (tel. 510/642-0808; www.bampfa.berkeley.edu), is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Admission is $8 for adults; $5 for seniors, non-UCB students, visitors with disabilities, and children 17 and under; and $4 for UCB students. This museum contains a substantial collection of Hans Hofmann paintings, a sculpture garden, and the marvelous Pacific Film Archive, where they screen art-house films, rarities, and documentaries.

Parks

Unbeknownst to many travelers, Berkeley has some of the most extensive and beautiful parks around. If you want to wear the kids out or enjoy hiking, swimming, sniffing roses, or just getting a breath of California air, jump in your car and make your way to Tilden Park. On the way, stop at the colorful terraced WPA-era Rose Garden in north Berkeley on Euclid Avenue between Bay View Place and Eunice Street. Then head high into the Berkeley hills to Tilden Park, where you'll find plenty of flora and fauna, hiking trails, an old steam train and merry-go-round, a farm and nature area for kids, and a chilly tree-encircled lake. The East Bay's public transit system, AC Transit (tel. 511; www.actransit.org), runs the air-conditioned no. 67 bus line around the edge of the park on weekdays and all the way to the Tilden Visitors Center on Saturdays and Sundays. Call tel. 888/327-2757 or see www.ebparks.org for further information.

Another worthy nature excursion is the University of California Botanical Garden (tel. 510/643-2755; www.botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu), which features a vast collection of native California herbage ranging from cacti to redwoods. It's on campus in Strawberry Canyon on Centennial Drive. Unfortunately no public bus can take you directly there, so driving is the way to go. Call for directions. Open daily from 9am to 5pm; closed the first Tuesday of every month; docent-led tours on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1:30pm. Admission is $7 adults, $5 seniors 65 and over and youth 13 to 17, $2 for youth 5 to 12, and free for children 2 and under and UC students.