We came here because of a friend's wedding and reception…read more The grounds are located in the redwood forest of Oakland Hills near the Chabot Space Center. That means the surroundings are beautiful. Redwood trees everywhere! The building is dated, but still in good shape. There was plenty of room for the 100 or so guests that attended. Tables were set up for the reception luncheon and the entry had tables of Hors d'oeuvres. Outside the ceremony took place on such a beautiful sunny Oakland Hills day. The breeze was just slightly cool so no one needed a jacket and the trees provided enough shade to keep the sun out of your eyes. It's a romantic place for such an intimate gathering and event.

We recently attended a Quinceañera here. Bright and large…read morecommunity room with lots of supporting rooms. held about 150 - love location in the woods. if you are think about hosting an event, this is a winner

Disappointing. Walnut Creek Recreation broke the CA "Honest…read morePricing Law" (SB478). Walnut Creek Rec sends out a catalogue every year for the camps they offer. There is pricing in these catalogues- just like the catalogues you receive for clothes or Costco or whatever you get- they list a price, the store needs to honor it. We get the catalogue, we have a budget, the kids are excited to pick their camps within that budget. I register the kids for camps. Usually there's no issue. But this year the price on the website for one of the camps was more than what was advertised. Walnut Creek Rec thinks it's OK to increase the price and write in the camp description that "the price is different in the catalogue". I registered my kids because I thought the "Community" Center would honor their original pricing, but no. The option I was told was, "We can unenroll your child if you don't like the new price." Even after I told them this was "bait and switch", this was still their only option offered. This is an audacious and patronizing response and doesn't hold anyone accountable. The difference is $16 or $17 dollars, so it's not like they messed up 1 number when typing out the catalogue. An employee from Walnut Creek Recreation signed off on the printing of this catalogue with specific prices. The lady I spoke with and her staff member claimed this was a printing error. This was not a printing error- at no point did the printer mess up. This is their error and someone needs to hold them accountable. The lady who called me confused "accountability" with "acknowledgment". If you're reading this- look it up. You claimed you were being "accountable" when the words "the price changed" were included in the camp description on the website. "Acknowledgment" (with no corrective action) means you know you messed up, you admit it, and you do nothing about it- like this situation. You shouldn't be in a job that has a direct impact on other people because you do not value the community you work for. "Accountability" means you understand you messed up and you do what you can to make the situation better. The person who does this knows and values the impact they have on their community.. they also value their community. This review is for the staff and the lack of respect they have for the law and their community, and the lack of understanding how their actions can negatively impact their community.

A great place for the whole family to learn a new craft. Everyone was super helpful and the kiddos…read morehad a blast in the music class with John. We will definitely be back!

best park in walnut creek?…read more most prob, with such a perfect, outdoor ambiance for all types of activities, such as a walk with a friend, a picnic with the fam, read a book in the shade, or the nearby coffee shop(s) and the library time flew as a couple hours went by with our convo

Civic park is a fantastic outdoor community park that hosts a winter ice skating rink, a gazebo,…read moreand different community events throughout the year. The library takes up one segment and another section boasts community rooms that are used for bags sales and stamp expos. There's even a separate dog park area once you cross the bridge next to the parking lot that links up to the pedestrian bridge and walking trail. All in all it's a nice sized community space and a great little area downtown.

I love live theater and I love it even more when you can catch one at community theaters for less…read morethan the price of a movie ticket. Orinda would normally be far for me to go for a community theater especially when Castro Valley's Chanticleer is only about 20 minutes away. However, when I saw on Goldstar that they were putting on Agatha Christie's Poirot, this mystery nut had to check it out. This is a small outdoor amphitheater style seating with wood benches the first 3-4 rows and then rock benches for the remaining 5-6 rows. In anticipation of those with a rear lacking natural cushion or if you want some additional padding for the 2 hours, they do provide individual pads for you to sit on and blankets on cool nights. Acting for certain scenes seemed a little over the top vs. flowing naturally but it may be due to this only being the second show for this script. If you live in the area, it is a fun way to experience outdoor theater in the warmer months.

While living in Orinda, I took a few classes offered at the Orinda Community Center. First I…read moreenrolled in a tap dancing class and had a lot of fun. Although I had tapped for years the class was still fun and there were a lot of people enrolled. I also took a spanish class through the Orinda Community Center and it went well also. The Orinda Community center also organized league sports for children. I volunteered to coach a kids baseball team and everything was always very organized and fun. The Community Center is connected to the Library, which is also a great place. The park next to the community center is a lot of fun and has a lot of different equipment for kids of all ages.

This is a nice little small park in the Oakland Hills. Every couple Fridays and Saturdays during…read moreSpring, Summer and Fall they will have movie nights. They also sell concessions such as hot dogs, popcorn (50 cents), hot cocoa (75 cents), small bag of chips (1 dollar), and noodle soups on those days. Always dress warm b/c at night it gets pretty chilly. Fold able chairs are suggested. Movies that will be showing in the next few weeks are: Saturday July 14th - "The Sandlot" (PG 101 min) This is also "A Day at Your Park" which is the day that we also have our summer carnival. Friday July 27th - Bedtime Stories - Adam Sandler (PG 99 min) Friday August 3 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off (PG 13 103 min) Friday August 31st - Ice Age (PG 81 min) Friday September 14th - Mr. Popper's Penguins (PG 94 min) Friday September 28th - Jumanji (PG 104 min) Friday October 5th - Gremlins (PG 106 min) Friday October 19th - Casper (PG 100 min) Facility hours are: SPRING HOURS (March - May) M; 9a-9p Tu-Th; 9a-9p F; 9a-6p (Rentals 6p-12a) Sa; 9a-3p (Rentals 3p-12a) Su; Open for Rentals ONLY SUMMER HOURS (March - May) M; 9a-9p Tu-Th; 8a-9p F; 8a-6p (Rentals 6p-12a) Sa; 9a-3p (Rentals 3p-12a) Su; Open for Rentals ONLY

Great experience with the rental facility process. I called yesterday & my date was available was…read moreable to place a 24hr hold on the date had to show up today to make deposit and sign paperwork. I totally forgot the guy's name but he was very knowledgeable, respectful, professional & friendly. Also, he opened the space so I could snap pictures. There's a lot of space, and it was clean! Great lighting through the windows, looked around the park and it was clean to be a public park. Very welcoming.

Given a nice spring sunny day, on a whim we decided to visit Larkey Park in North Walnut Creek. It…read morehad been a long time, and we had forgotten how nice this park is! A nice walking path goes through the good-sized park, offering wonderful views of the lush lawn and large mature trees. A host of families with their young children were enjoying the playground areas, and locals with their canine companions were out too. A few picnic tables are available, or - as one young woman did - just spread out your towel and have lunch on the lawn. After walking for a while we found a bench near the edge of the park and just vegged out soaking up the sun. A swim center and nice pool is here, although it looks like it's only used in the summer for recreational and limited lap swimming - an under-used facility in my mind. Why not year-round lap swimming? Next door is the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, and although it was closed (open Weds-Sun), a young docent had a red tailed hawk with her and was giving a nice educational spiel. There is no dedicated parking - the one negative. Street parking nearby or in the neighborhoods is the only alternative.

After picking up some lunch, we needed a picnic table to sit at. The nearest one appeared to be at…read moreLarkey Park. To be honest, we didn't spend much time here. Just enough to eat and run. However, we did notice a couple of things. The park is pretty decent sized for an urban park. Lots of grass, trees, picnic tables on one side of the street. There is also a public pool (closed while we were there) and an unisex restroom that was reasonably clean. There were individuals, couples and groups of people enjoying the park. In one area were some musicians with guitars and possibly other instruments. We don't know they were there for practice or a class but when we arrived, one person was playing a song that sounded quite good on acoustic guitar. We also saw others who were picnicking with a dog in tow. Everyone was pretty mellow. The dogs didn't bark, and no one was playing excessively loud music. What could make the experience better for us? We didn't fully explore the park so we don't know exactly how large it is but we're always fans of parks with dog play areas. They don't have to be large, but they do need to be clean with running water and some shade. Plus, there should be separate areas for large and small dogs. Beyond that, locals should feel lucky to have such a nice park to relax in.

This is a beautiful library, very modern and state of the arts. It looks like a Barnes & Noble…read moreinside, not like a stuffy old library. It is bright and airy, very spacious with many rooms such as a homework center, a technology lab, a teen center, and an Arts and Science Discovery Center. That's why it's called a Library and Learning Center. It even has its own bookstore run by the volunteers Friends of the Library and they have a large selection of gently used books. Having been in many of the libraries in the Bay Area and as a parent, I think this is one of the best libraries around.

As a parent who has been to most of the Contra Costa libraries, I think this is the best one for…read morekids. This library has a beautiful outdoor covered area - great regardless of weather. The children's area is also large, allowing kids to explore and get wiggles out. My kids especially love the daily activities, like finding the blue dragon to win a sticker. To top it off, the staff is extremely kind and willing to help.

I've visited this establishment for various talks. One was with Del Seymour review of his book…read moreregarding Code Tenderloin and it's called The Mayor of the Tenderloin. This is a picture of the owner of Manny who is such a positive person n the community.

This is the most amazing spot for local activists, curiosity seekers, concerned citizens to get…read moreinvolved and stay involved. A chance to hear both sides of a story in civil setting. I have stumbled in to so many great conversations with a wide variety of folks, made many new friends, and helped old friends get informed.