Entertainment in the hills: Joaquin Miller Park

Fun Activity Info

High in the hills, a park with plenty: Joaquin Miller Park
Tucked away in the Oakland hills is Joaquin Miller Park, a beautiful park with hidden surprises. Located only nine miles away from downtown Oakland, Joaquin Miller Park allows you to entertain yourself all day and into the evening.

You will find a variety of activities including hiking, biking and horseback riding. There is also a space center and observatory, picnic areas and an outdoor amphitheater.

Peer into the Sky
Enter the woods and wind through the road and you’ll find the Chabot space center and museum with domed telescopes that let you peer into the sky. There are experts there to help you understand the complexities of space and how this amazing piece of technology, the telescope works. This is definitely a kid friendly place, but nonethless it is a fun and interesting way to learn the wonders of our universe. At the IMAX Theater you can watch movies on all sorts of topics. Some example movies include Ancient Egypt and Cosmic Voyage, but be sure to check the latest shows.

The museum also includes replicas demonstrating distances between stars and the earth and detailed information about the insulation of an astronaut’s uniform. This is a great way to truly understand just how incredibly small you are compared to the galaxies, planets and stars. Head to the center late in the evening to avoid a lot of foot traffic congestion and see the city sparkle in the night.

Is Astronomy Pointless?
You will find a variety of experts and volunteers at the center who are passionate about space and star gazing. Ask any question that comes to mind as they are very obliging.

One important reason to peer into space is to watch out for deadly space “junk” which could obliterate our planet or cause population destruction. Not to scare you, but here is a website dedicated to listing potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) . At any given moment there may be a thousand of potentially hazardous asteroids that are being tracked and they may not even reach the earth until 2090!

Fabulous views from above As you are driving up the windy roads and through the hills, you can’t help but see the amazing view of Oakland and the Bay right before your eyes. The road also has turnoffs, so you can take a minute to absorb the captivating views.

Musical in woods
Finally, at Woodmister amphitheater, you can take blankets and watch musicals being performed under the stars.