Public art gracing Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley. Sponsored by the San Francisco Arts…read moreCommission & created by David Normal. It all started with Stonehenge, morphed to artistic interpretations like Car Henge in Texas, Truck Henge, & many more Henge. But hey, cats rule. These regal cats emit a low electronic purr, & have a bench for contemplation. 3-D printed! Must See.

After lunch we stopped by Filoli to use up some time before our movie. At the ticket entrance they…read morehad hay bales next to an orange Kubota tractor set up for a quick photo. Walking the grounds at Filoli Historic House and Garden brought back memories of touring large estates back east. We spent the afternoon exploring the property. We learned the history of the two families who lived in the home. That background gave context to the scale of the place. We also took photos of the vintage blue car covered in dried vines and black pumpkins parked on the gravel near the front door. We enjoyed walking through the main mansion. The rooms show exactly how the families lived during that time period. Inside we walked into a retro kitchen with tile and a large stove covered in copper kettles. They added green lighting and cobwebs for their Autumn Nightfall event. The house felt chilly in those back rooms. It gave the space a somewhat eerie feeling. We passed a sign for an evening Champagne Lounge in one of the parlor rooms with tall ceilings that costs $60 for a tasting flight. I checked out the illuminated map board explaining the Nightfall event trails. The outdoor spaces are expansive. We liked the setting surrounded by gourds and fake crows. The rose garden is large and full of pink and red blooms. We finished our loop near the swimming pool. The water is bright blue and lined with terracotta pots full of yellow flowers. We enjoyed the tour. The evening Halloween events should be great fun for the kids.

Did the Nightfall event this year and loved it :) The production value exceeded my expectations…read more There are three major areas to walk through: the mansion itself; the meadow just behind; and if you hike a little bit, the woods area. The gardens are closed for the event. My favorite part is the mansion. I loved the decor and all the tiny details the included, like a rotting casserole dish with tiny mushrooms growing out of the mold. My second favorite part is the train tracks in the woods area. It was fun to look at all the tiny, creepy house models they put up. LOTS of details like all the differently-carved pumpkins and scarecrow faces. There was a small hay maze, musicians, and spots to just hang out and enjoy the vibe. There are food trucks, and you can also buy alcoholic drinks, which is great! I got the horchata latte and a spiced pear sangria; neither is fantastic, but it's nice have drinks while you're walking around. The ticket price of $55 for the 6pm entrance was fair, imo, for the production value you get; there's a lot of work put in to setting everything up. A TIP: try to book an early entrance, so you can maximize the time you get; plus it's less crowded when you go earlier, and you can enjoy the grounds when there's still some daylight. The lines get long if you show up later :( I'm not sure why but there was only one ticketing person checking people in, so the move was slow. I did have to change my time and date. This part was kind of terrible; you can't do it online and you have to call in. It's hard to reach live help because they're slammed, so you leave a message or email them. They DO get back to you, but it can be slow. I was lucky that on a re-try call in, I got through to someone. Oh yes, shout out to JACOB :) Once you connect with someone, they're very helpful and nice. But it IS annoying that you can't make the changes yourself and it's hard reaching someone. If you try to book tickets and it's all sold out, don't despair :) People frequently cancel and new openings pop up; just keep refreshing every hour and you should be able to catch tickets even when it's sold out. The night before I changed my time, all the dates and times were sold out. The next day, I guess the staff got through all the voicemail and emailed requests for changes/cancellations, and when I refreshed the page, HALF the time slots had availability! Another tip: dress in layers! It gets cold at night

This colorful sculpture is in the middle of the city center plaza right outside the 12th street…read moreBart station. I'd been here many times before and even sat around the fountain but never paid attention to the name of the sculpture nor it's creator until my last visit. Thanks to yelp, I learned something new once again. Now I know that this sculpture is knows as There!, created by sculptor Roselyn Mazzilli. Upon closer look, I saw the nameplate for the first time including the date of installation which is 1988. The entire plaza is a nice place to hang around with lots of restaurants providing outside seating around the sculpture and the fountain. Due to severe drought in California, the fountain is currently off but the sculpture is still a beauty to behold.

This is a lovely sculpture located at the Center Walk across from Frank Ogawa Plaza. It's labeled…read more"fountain" on the Oakland City Center map/directory. The piece was inspired by Gertrude Stein's quote "There is no there there", referring to her childhood home, despite her words being interpreted in different ways. The artist, Roslyn Mazzilli, spent decades creating sculptures that reflect aspects of nature and add vibrant color to the various settings in which her public artworks are displayed. "There!" is seemingly ageless and certainly an attractive centerpiece among the surrounding shops and eateries at the City Center, and a prime representation of Mazzilli's work.

People confuse this staircase with the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, and they are certainly similar as…read morethey both feature lovely colorful artwork created by the same artists. But they are not the same thing. The Hidden Garden Steps are located a little further away from Grandview Park (the bottom of the stairway along Kirkham Street) and presents a slightly different theme, the focus of its design more on flowers and plants rather than sealife. It's a unique and beautiful work of art, in good condition (as of January 2026), and located in a nice neighborhood in SF. It's also free to visit with free street parking nearby too. I couldn't find a reason to give it anything less than 5 stars.

After visiting the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, I was just on my way out of Golden Gate Heights, when I…read morenoticed a sign that said, "Hidden Garden Steps." The sun was almost down, but I decided to check it out. With 148 steps designed by the same artists as the 16th Avenue steps, this really almost felt like a continuation of the same staircase. The Hidden Garden steps have more of a garden theme, with lots of flowers, bugs, mushrooms, birds, etc. The plants around the steps are similar to those found around the 16th Avenue steps. Succulents are interspersed with California native plants chosen to attract butterflies, including the locally endangered green hairstreak butterfly. My favorite design on the staircase is the snail near the bottom. The shell swirls up several stairs, with patches of mushrooms sprouting from the head. The snail is surrounded by mosaics of California native plants such as hibiscus flowers and buckeye sprouts. The Hidden Garden steps are about 10 years newer than the 16th Avenue steps. In my opinion, the artists improved their skills over time, and, while one flight smaller, these steps are actually more impressive than their sister stairs. The design feels more imaginative and detailed. While the 16th Avenue steps were a bit slippery, the Hidden Garden steps were even more slippery. Because the sun was setting, I really had to watch my step. This must be why the steps are "closed" after dark. Overall, this is such a beautiful community art project, and I'm so glad I happened to stumble across it. My only regret is not having visited earlier so that I could compare the sunset views with the views from a block away.

many murals adorn the walls of the Berkeley Swim Center. there's a free range of flowing artistic…read morefreedom of the many mural featured. -fish swimmingly nonchantedly to the nymph blowing an horn with a ? nearby. -a musician strumming while an oldster is fishing -a cosmic overview of the swimming pool -a rampant gush of winds causing high waves-not here though creator: Project Yes East Bay Conservation Corps Artist: Mariela de La Flor

The Musical Stairs, located at Pier 39, is straight out of that old movie 'Big' in the late 80s…read more So every time you step on a stair, you're playing a piano note. When It's crowded near hear, sometimes it can be kinda hard to hear it. Kids love these stairs, and why not!! And when I say kids, I mean kids of all ages!! So, if you're at Pier 39, keep a lookout for these. They are located about the middle of the pier on the right side when entering the pier. It's definitely worth checking out!!

Just real fun. Reminds you of the movie "Big". The history…read moreof this creation Is heartfelt. FUN

Hayward (is).....on the side of a building that sells motorcycle gear, supplies & parts. It's next…read moreto a self-service car wash. The mural shows 3 young teens around a bubble making machine. Nearby are circles with images of Hayward: -Hayward water tower -Ron Thompson-a local guitarist -apricots & beans-reminders of fruits crops of cherries, berries, pears, plums et al. that once grew here -Ohlone hut of Native Americans that had land here. -an house indicating many landmarked buildings. *many aspects not shown-i.e. Mexican natives who were here when Spain left land to Mexico. Mexico ceded land to America after the Mexican-American War (1846-48). **Mexicans & Native Americans were granted "rights" in treaties. U.S. Congress ignored it... !mural erased history of early inhabitants of Hayward..

Have a Heart mural is at the 7th St. side. Hear a Heart is a cannabis dispensary…read more the theme of the mural highlights events/symbols seen in Oakland: sideshows, A's baseball, Oaklandish symbol, Hello Kitty, spray painting, vaping, bart, bitcoin, green apple, blue skies, red skies, etc. creator: Charms Von

These types of murals in general prevent a lot of graffiti. Some building these owners turn over…read moretheir exterior walls to artists at a specific cost. I recently spoke to one of these artists. There is some pay involved and there is an understanding that the art work generally doesn't last forever. Its a unique relationship between artist and tenant or building owner. I think the bad part of it is the ulterior motive - its not as if people have these murals for pure love of art - rather its to avoid something bad. I suppose building owners are 'in like' with these sorts of projects. I guess I see it as putting a missing person's face on the side of a milk carton.

this "sculptural collaboration" located next to the base of the stairs across from the elevator is…read morein Castro Valley Marketplace. this "larger-than-life sized 'Cameraman' using Ed's 45-year-old camera collection and Marc's engineering genius"... the signage elaborates what materials are used along with the unique, artisanal touches to tweak the creation to make it "life like", naturally, there are signs to avoid touching or any physical interaction with "Cameraman". sounds and a "Cameradog" were added by associates.... the sculpture is embedded in plain sight in the decor of the marketplace. creators: Ed Holmes & Marc Ribaud w/Joe Paullno & Maria Chenut from Collection of East Bay Natural Grocers, Inc.

This is such a unique sculpture, by Ed Holmes and Marc Ribaud, featuring not just Cameraman but…read morealso Cameradog! Located in front of the grocery store inside Castro Valley Marketplace, it was cool being able to see this lovely artwork up close and marvel at the range of cameras used to create this interesting piece, some dating back to the 1920's, from colorful toy cameras shaped as feet to brownie hawkeyes along the body of this human-like figure, even a red box camera in place of a heart and old camcorders forming its neck. Cameradog, created by Maria Chenut, is made up of camera cases and even has a little dog bowl. Imaginatively and skillfully put together, this is truly an impressive art display.

My daughter and decided to go for a beautiful walk. We both love any bodies of water! This was the…read moreperfect place. Everyone walking their dogs . We got sad bc we didn't have our pup. Always a next time. As we walked we saw so many fun and beautiful sights. Check out my pic for more details. We can't wait to go back.

PROS: *Lots of parking…read more*Lots to see *Dog-friendly *Great views *Right by the water *Quiet *Great trails *Local art *Great place for families or to go solo. KEEP IN MIND: *Parking can be difficult when it's the weekend or a beautiful day at (depending on the time of day) *Trails can feel a bit secluded at times I love coming here with my pup when I'm in the area. Love seeing the local art while walking. The intention/wish tree is unique. (See video) Plenty to do- walk along the different trails, along the water, or on the rocks along the shore side. FYI: that can get a lil slippery so watch your step!