From the moment I walked in, I was greeted by a friendly volunteer docent. The exhibit itself is…read morethree rooms of photos and artifacts from the Essanay Studio, active in Niles from 1912-1916 and most famous for Broncho Billy (old time spelling) and some of Chaplin's films, including The Tramp. The museum is free (donations appreciated) and you can ask a docent for a tour. I had a wonderful tour from Michael! If you have a tour, be sure to ask about seeing the preserved projection room upstairs in the theater. There's also a small exhibit in the back of the theater. The gift shop has an extensive collection of rare DVDs, CDs, postcards, and some fun merch. If you're in town on a Saturday night get a ticket online for their 7:30 silent film showing! Concessions, a live piano accompaniment, and a really great show. This place is amazing.

This is a fun little museum to check out while at Niles. It is a great tribute to this town that…read morehas much history in silent films. Charlie Chaplin made the movie The Tramp here and many others. Before Hollywood, there was Niles. I so enjoyed handling one of the old movie cameras and looking into it. The staff here are so nice. I always wanted to check it out especially since KFJC DJ Robert Emmett talks about it often. Someday I hope I can come here for one of their movie nights.

This is now known as BAY PHILHARMONIC and new performance venue is Chabot College in HAYWARD! We…read moreare honored and proud they have moved to Hayward and elevate the arts throughout the Bay area. The Broadway Tribute Proformance at their premier opening at Chabot was nothing less than 5 Stars with numerous standing ovations to a near sell out crowd of over 1200 attendees! Tickets cost about 1/2 of what you pay to see this quality of performance in major cities and the staff are warm & welcoming to all. They also provide student discounts. BRAVO to Bay Philharmonic to bringing 5 STAR performances to Hayward!!!! Go to their web site www.bayphil.org and check out future performances.

Fremont Symphony is fully professional orchestra, right here in our town!…read more It is an amazing jewel for the people of the Fremont area. Playing at Logan Performing Arts Center, they present a terrific mix of Pops and Classical music. I've attended their concerts and have never been disappointed!!

American High School Performing arts is a student theatre company at American High. The director of…read moreits annual school plays (in the fall) and school musicals (in the spring) are directed by the school's Drama teacher, Mr. River. Each year, he does a great job directing each school plays and musicals, and Mr. Wong does a great job coordinating the music that plays in the background of the plays. Despite not seeing any of the play or musicals in 9th grade or 10th grade, I did saw the best musicals in 11th and 12th grade. The lead character in some of those musicals was Julia Lyell. She is one of the best AHSPA performers I've ever seen. I would recommend others who attend American High School to see one of those musicals.

Professional and fun environment and kids are excited about the class. There is a nice seating area…read morefor parents as well

Hoopsphere's new Theater Gym is amazing! It's newly renovated with beautiful lighting and flooring,…read morereally impressive. The coaches are great with the kids, and my child has improved a lot. We look forward to coming every week. Highly recommend!

This is an annual festival taking place the Friday after Thanksgiving, with a tree lighting at…read more6:00pm, followed by a delightful parade at 6:30pm. For the 2024 event, most people brought their own chairs, others just stood behind those seated. I arrived an hour early, and set up my chair to ensure a good view, situating myself near Niles Town Plaza, midpoint of the parade route. Then I walked around to explore the antique shops on Niles that were still open after 5pm, as well as a couple merchandise vendor tents outside. Entertainment before the parade included live music by Anthony Arya Band, street performers like jugglers, as well as costumed characters including the Grinch and SpongeBob SquarePants walking down Niles Blvd and posing for photos with kids. I also saw 4 food trucks on site, serving sushi, sliders, chicken sandwiches, and mexican food. And there was a drink stand selling hot chocolate, coffee, and tea for a dollar donation. The tree lighting was not your traditional christmas tree, it was just a regular tree along the street (the one with the stage set up next to it, across from Nature's ice cream shop). But they did make it look pointy at the top, with the lights, lol. Decorated vehicles and performers in the parade represented numerous organizations in the community, including little league teams, East Bay Regional Parks, and Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. Golden Gate Basset Rescue had several dogs being walked with colorful string lights on the leashes. It was adorable. American High School color guard did a wonderful job with their performance, and marching bands from various schools and institutions created impressive sounds on percussion and wind instruments galore, including the bag pipes. There were plenty of cars in the parade too, adorned with beautiful designs, lighting, and props to put you in the holiday spirit. The crowds grew as it got later into the evening. But it never became chaotic or unmanageable. The event seemed to be organized well, yet still casual and flexible (like people could cross the street during the parade), even with a heavy police presence. It was such a laid back and joyful atmosphere, free to attend, and parking and traffic isn't too difficult if you arrive early and leave early before the parade ends. Otherwise, good luck.

I feel like the experience gets bigger and better every year! Been coming here for 3 consecutive…read moreyears now and have enjoyed it every time. I'm a big fan of local functions and activities and community involvement so this Christmas tradition is always a delight. My son loves seeing Santa and Mrs. Clause! He enjoys the entire parade full of cars and many lights with local performers. our friends and family always gather here every year now as part of our new tradition. We have a friend who lives on the street where they have the parade so her place is usually our usual spot. We've started bbq'ing and drinking before the parade as part of our festivities and then head over to Papillon's down the street for our dinner to celebrate Christmas season amongst friends. I appreciate Fremont a bit extra for having this tradition that I feel we are a little late in experiencing but now that we have, we refuse to ever miss it if we're in town. (We live in Southern California now.)

Our son started at Learn and Play Montessori when he was 2 years old in Classroom 8 and stayed…read morethere until he was 5, eventually moving to Classroom 2. We had a great experience with LAPMS throughout those years. The teachers supported him through important milestones, including potty training, and we could see how much he learned and grew over time. He learned math, participated in science projects, and was always excited to share what he was learning at school. Most importantly, he genuinely loved going to LAPMS every day. We're very thankful to the teachers and staff for giving him such a positive experience during these important early years. We have a lot of good memories from his time there and would definitely recommend Learn and Play Montessori to other families.

We loved our experience with Learn and Play Niles! Our daughter was there for 2 years and really…read morebecame a part of the LAPMS family. The teachers in rooms 6 and 7 were great with ensuring she felt comfortable in the classrooms. Additionally, I could tell just from even a few days being there, she was starting to pick up social skills, discipline, and a great sense of routine with their day to day montessori lesson plans and their "jobs". The front desk staff and both directors (previous and current) were also wonderful and took the time to get to know us as a family. They always greet us with kindness and patience for all those questions we had! Thank you LAPMS!!

Such a cool and unique annual weekend-long affair, especially if you love classic films or silent…read morepictures, or are just a die-hard fan of the beloved Tramp. The event includes a walking tour of Niles, special guests and presentations about Chaplin movies (production, costume, and history), showings of Chaplin short films made in Niles and other bay area locations (with plenty of seating in the Edison Theater, and popcorn and candy available at the concessions stand), and extended museum store hours with plenty of books, posters, and memorabilia for sale. As someone who appreciates live music, I especially love when they do live accompaniment with the films. I also really enjoy learning about new things everytime, like Charlie Chaplin film site locations in my hometown of San Jose. This was my second time attending the event, and the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum even had the option to purchase weekend passes which included priority seating to all screenings and a special Charlie Chaplin train ride via Niles Canyon Railway, which we took advantage of this year (it was fun). But my highlight is the Lookalike Contest, cuz it's so entertaining getting to see Charlie Chaplin fans dress up and act like this goofy yet mesmerizing character. Even better seeing my bf participate, he wins everytime! But only because everyone's a winner :) Afterward, the Charlie Chaplin characters strut along the streets and shops of Niles enroute to free ice cream as their prize (along with other Charlie Chaplin-related goodies of their choosing). Great event that I look forward to every year!

At first I just came here to hang out with a girl. This has then become one of our favorite…read moretraditions. The event is a hoot: showings of the classic movies and new homages, exhibits and of course the world famous look-a-like contest. This year there were some dead ringers and creative interpretations of Charlie Chaplin. It's great to see this event get bigger and better every year.

I could've swore I did this review awhile ago, so my apologies for the late review!…read more Issac Wong put on a great show for my 5 year old along with family and friends! He did a half hour of magic and invited guests up to participate. Another half hour of balloon animals and even provided extra for the kids who popped theirs while sword fighting! My 5 year still thinks they are a magician because Isaac made them believe that they did a magic trick with their very own hands! I would recommend Isaac for kids parties and other events. Also, I was very pleased that he traveled to our local park for the birthday party and arrived on time, set up and was ready to go!!! Thank you so much for making my child's special day even more memorable

Not be on time. So disappointed. We waited for more than 20mins…read more Be punctual is the most basic requirement! The worst part was no explanations. Here is the date, May 27th. Hopefully you still remembered what happened on that night! If you want more details, I am glad to share all messages records here for everyone reviewing. Btw, we will also take legal action later, as there may be no reply from you again. And just in case, take screenshots of your first response here.

Staff is very knowledgeable, museum is kid friendly and interactive. Train layout is spectacular…read morewell detailed.

This is a tiny museum in the Niles Town Plaza, with extremely limited days/hours of operation…read more(select Sundays 10-4pm), so we had to take advantage on Sunday afternoon while I was in the area for Charlie Chaplin Days and the steam engine train ride nearby. This place offers the opportunity to learn about the history of the Niles Depot and several displays to explore related to the trains and railway, including the top section of a Southern Pacific semaphore signal, pot-belly stove, departure signs from 1909, old photos of passenger trains in Niles, model trains, dvd's, Niles dispatcher, old phones and typewriters, and a train that visitors can control (for a fee). There was also a model railroad which was cute, and it had a drive-in theatre which I've never seen before in similar exhibits, so that was cool. The museum pretty much consists of just two rooms, so it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to check it out, though if you have a kid who's going to play with the train, it may take longer. Also, free admission.

If you're looking for a nice walk, this is a good place to go. Love the variety of beautiful…read moreflowers, plants, and historical buildings. Pet friendly too! The bathrooms are also clean!

We came here to take some photos for my parents' 50th Anniversary on a hot Saturday afternoon. The…read moreparking was mostly vacant. We only had enough time to go to the rose garden. It's pretty small, but you can find some interesting shots. There's the windmill, the pergola, a bench. There was some side location with a nice lawn and fountain, (California Nursery Park Museum & Office), but there was a guy smoking weed there, so it became unpleasant to take photos in the succulent area. The rose garden is on the right as you drive in to the nursery. From the parking lot, you'll have to walk back towards Niles Blvd. It's not Filoli, but hey, no one is stopping you from volunteering to make something better in your community. We need more doers and less complainers.