So grateful to be sharing this review!…read more We booked the "Secret Society" room for my daughters birthday. Location is easy to access, although you may miss it if you're driving fast. Remember to remove belongings from your car to keep it from being a target. There is plenty storage on site if needed. Staff was friendly and helpful. Facility was clean. The escape room experience was engaging, challenging, and full of surprises. The children had a ball and escaped (40% escape rate).

Everything was amazing. It was a challenge and it was a lot of fun! Julius was a great host and…read moreyou made it very entertaining!

This museum is so underrated!…read more There are plenty of exhibits to explore, along with interactive areas that make learning fun for kids. It's a great place to spend a day with the family, whether you're looking to learn something new, relax, or simply enjoy a beautiful day in Oakland. I especially appreciate that this museum participates in the Museums for All program, which helps make cultural and educational experiences more accessible to families. We had a wonderful visit and I'll definitely be coming back more often. If you're looking for a family-friendly activity that's both fun and educational, this museum is worth checking out.

I have been coming here for years. Specifically for their special exhibitions. They are always so…read moreinteresting and well planned out on display. The museum has three floors and their outdoor garden overlooking lake merrit. They have a little bit of everything, if you're curious about real history and wanting to learn more this is the place. Their annual membership is so worth. As they have several special events. Next to the museum they have plenty of parking. I take Bart as the stop is one block away. Chinatown is walkable for great restaurants. The Oakland library is close by too! There's a restaurant inside the museum while the food sounds great it's okay. I would recommend walking /driving to Chinatown or downtown Oakland for amazing food.

Beautiful gardens hidden away in a busy city…read more Sad to see a group of teen throwing trash into the lake. They don't even respect their own area.

I went for one of their Intro to Bonsai classes (doesn't teach how to do bonsai, just fundamentals…read moreof what bonsai is, how to appreciate, etc), and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a one hour intro led by a volunteer, who was knowledgeable and also answered a lot of our questions. Afterwards, they took us around the garden and gave us an overview of some of the trees in the garden. Membership is also available and fairly affordable - also seems to come with a lot of good perks! Regardless if you go for the class or not, it's a very nice and tranquil way to spend an hour or two.

So fun and unique. Came here with someone I was meeting for the first time and we had a blast…read more Games were a good mix of mental and physical. Lots of figuring things out and collaborating. We sucked but took it in stride and still had a really good. Currently there are 6 gaming rooms, though more rooms are in the works. The games offered in each room change depending on how many people are in your group. And there are different levels, so once you beat the game, you can return to the same room to advance to the next level. If you fail, you leave the room for it to reset and then can return to try again as many times as you want. I'd never done escape rooms or anything like this, and was really impressed at the sophistication and technology. You get 1 hour and 45 minutes to play, and time flies fast. Came on a Friday night at 8pm and there were only about 2 other groups. Free parking in lot. The man showing us around (Tim?) was really nice. Overall a great experience to try. I'll be back with other friends for sure.

We had so much fun. Three kids, my husband and I. Would not recommend doing it with more people…read morethan that in one group. Staff were helpful and friendly. Rooms were clean and challenging. My kids can't wait to come back.

I've been going to Merritt Ceramics since 2019. I have worked in multiple shared-space ceramic…read morestudios over the years, and Merritt is hands-down the cleanest and most well-organized one I have found. ​The staff is incredibly kind, caring, and knowledgeable. I've taken everything at the studio from multi-week wheel throwing courses and one-on-one tutoring to special workshops with world-renowned artists, and I have been impressed with all of them. I am now a 'Daisy' member, which allows me to drop in and work anytime the studio is open. I have learned that I really enjoy sculpting animals. I love working here surrounded by other people who are just as deep into clay as I am. The space is well-equipped with supplies and tools, and the kiln turnaround time is fast. Come join us!

Great creative community, well established studio, very inclusive. Instructors are solid!read more

I had the honor of escorting one very excited astrophotographer and his girlfriend (my Goddaughter)…read moreto experience a talk by Dr. Filipenko on the 150th anniversary of the James Lick Act of Congress. The talk started at 7:45 pm in the evening, and went well into 9 pm after the speaker allowed for a short Q&A session. I learned more about James Lick and how generational wealth was built than I'd ever imagined possible on a Sunday. Unfortunately for us, humidity was at an all time high, so we only had the opportunity to look at these massive telescopes, instead of gazing at the far away stars they were built to study. I did get to walk through The Chabot science center and see how fun it would be to come back with you get kids. Can you believe, you can even decorate a postcard that they will send to space. I would now like to design a piece of mail destined for space. Also, you can come out on Friday and Saturday nights and get the opportunity to look into the heavens with these giant creatures. I guess, this just means I have a rain check to visit Oakland in the near future.

I hadn't been to Chabot in a very long time. I took Empress and we had a pretty good time. Seems…read morelike there were more interactive exhibits back in the day but we still had fun. The exhibits are very educational and enlightening. I'd like to go back in the evening and experience the telescope views. There's plenty for the kids to experience! #GoSee

There are Emporium guests who are curious about foosball. They are the ones who come for a…read morefriendly challenge or to ask how the heck I make my shot. However, on Thursday nights, some people participate in local, regional, and international tournaments. They are way better than me and can give a better show. Very basic rules of foosball: Foosball is a fast-paced tabletop game where players use rotating rods to maneuver figures and kick a ball into the opponent's goal. The primary objective is to score a set number of points--typically 5, 9, or 10 goals per game--before the other team does. [1, 2] Core Game Structure: * Setup: A coin toss determines who gets the first serve or choice of table side. * Scoring: The first player or team to reach the agreed-upon score wins the game. Matches are typically decided by a best-of-three or best-of-five game series. * Serving: The ball is placed on the field at the center. The server asks if the opponent is ready, and the ball must be touched by at least two different figures before it can be advanced or shot into a goal. * After a Goal: The team that just conceded the goal gets to serve the next ball. [6] Essential Rules of Play * No Spinning: A spin is an illegal move where the rod completes a full 360-degree rotation without touching the ball. Any goal scored directly off a spin does not count. * No Jarring: Jarring occurs when you slam the rods against the table walls to jar the ball loose or distract your opponent. Aggressive table shaking or banging is forbidden. * Dead Balls: If a ball comes to a complete stop in the middle of the table where neither team can reach it, it is a dead ball. The ball is then given to the player or team who originally served the kickoff. * Time Limits: To keep the game moving, strict time limits are enforced for ball possession. Players typically have 10 seconds to advance the ball from the midfield (5-man rod) and 15 seconds when the ball is on other rods. [5] AI responses may include mistakes. [1] https://www.ventureshuffleboard.com/ultimate-guide-to-foosball-basics-rules/ [2] https://blattbilliards.com/blogs/news/how-do-you-play-foosball-tips-tricks-and-rules [3] https://recservices.k-state.edu/programs/intramurals/rulebooks_handbooks/Foosball%20RB.pdf [4] https://crec.unl.edu/student-affairs/campus-recreation/sites/unl.edu.student-affairs.campus-recreation/files/media/file/Foosball.pdf [5] https://www.foosball.com/features/rules/ [6] https://www.foosballsoccer.com/official-foosball-rules.html [7] https://www.imperialusa.com/post/complete-guide-on-the-official-foosball-rules [8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru627ZhRXKA

I stopped by here with some friends the other night! Emporium is always a fun time, but I wanted to…read moreleave a review this time because of this specific experience-- my friend was playing the basketball arcade game and her ring went flying off her finger. The security guy working on Friday night of Aug 14, 2026 literally went above and beyond to help us look for my friend's ring. He even climbed onto the game and also crawled underneath as well. Super sweet guy! Before we left, we also saw him come back with extra tokens to give to the people who got their game interrupted by him. Luckily we eventually found her ring, but I definitely wanted to leave a review to highlight his efforts. Additionally, I appreciate the free cold water that they provide & also the clean restrooms and no cover fee. It also wasn't overpriced for the arcade games & they also had some free board games lying around as well.

Overview: a great date activity or just for fun, a wide variety of holes and challenges, food…read moreavailable, and other fun like pool and arcade games ---- The first time I visited here was to play pool a couple years ago, which is paid through the reloadable game card that you can purchase there. It can get busy at the tables and you might have to wait for one to be free. I also don't remember how much it was per game (sorry!) This time when visiting back home in Alameda we decided to play mini golf! The pricing is as follows (as of August 2026): - $16 - Adults (age 18-64) - $13 - Youth (age 0-17) (Age 0-4 is free when playing with a paid adult) - $13 - Seniors (age 65+) You pay at the front and then there's a ball machine near the entrance where you pull the handle of the color ball you want and it comes down the cool metal wire runway. The lady at the front wasn't super helpful and we kinda wandered around looking for where to get the balls, but once we asked she pointed out where we could get them. There are a standard 19 holes on this course and each one is a cool little tidbit about the Bay Area! It was cool seeing local landmarks and the different challenges for each hole. I was terrible was had a fantastic time playing. My boyfriend on the very last hole, got a hole-in-one which triggers an alarm and you get a free round a mini golf voucher that expires 3 months afterwards! Our very first date was playing mini golf so if we are ever visiting again I'd love to make it a tradition! ---- Overall: a great place for mini golf, super cute local landmarks at each hole, challenging, creative, and very fun!

Had a great birthday party here for my son!…read more At first they seemed very strict when I spoke with them on the phone, but it ended up being very chill and laid back and all the kids (and adults!) had a great time. They probably get people trying to take advantage of them bringing larger groups than expected or whatever. It was golf then lunch then arcade and they were a little flexible with the end time for cake so that we could get maximum arcade! The Chicken fingers and fries were great. They could up their game with the pizza a bit, but haha, the kids seemed happy, and everything in the world doesn't need to be gourmet. Good beers on tap for the parents. Felt a little gross drinking them out of a plastic soda cup, but I digress... Price was good for the value we got! It wasn't cheap, but still pretty reasonable when you factor in the unlimited arcade. One of the staff was super excited to about one of my kid's gift--the Remote Control Skibidi Toilet! Thanks y'all for a fun and low stress party.