A fun way to celebrate the Halloween season with an historical ghost walk along Main Street in…read morePleasanton. This events ticket sales goes towards the museum. I was guided down Main Street with stops along the way of ghost sightings with a historical narrative of the town. I love hearing about the ghost viewings and learning about the history of the town I live.

We enjoyed checking out the current exhibit, From Earthquakes to Epidemics, showcasing and…read moreeducating visitors about the history of natural disasters and its impact on California and its people. Photos of candlestick park in SF just prior to the 1989 earthquake, displays about livestock epidemics as well as early epidemics in California missions, flooding in Sacramento in 1861-1862, the covid-19 pandemic, and even burnt and rusted items from the Camp Fire of 2018 shown behind glass casing. The main collection in the museum included a plethora of documents and objects representing the local area and surrounding cities, displays about transportation like bart, technology in the 1800's, and several antique musical instruments including a hearst organ, with tablets available for interactive learning. The digital exhibit of the Alameda County Fair especially captured my attention, presenting various aspects of its history, photos and descriptions of early fairs, food vendors, entertainment, exhibits, livestock and more... it gave me some ideas, as we were heading to fair after our visit to this museum :D We had zero interaction with staff while we roamed around at our own pace through several different rooms. The small gift shop had items unique to Pleasanton, like books, stationery, puzzles, and even a Pleasanton-opoly board game. Admission to the museum was free, and street parking was easy to find on a Saturday morning.

The Arts are back at Dougherty Station! Music, poetry,…read morevisual art, choir, drama, dance and more. It's a wonderful place for community at Dougherty Station Community Arts Center and I'm hoping to experience as much as possible.

This is a great place. It's a small theatre that allows the audience to have a 'front row' view of…read morethe stage. My daughter had her dance recital here and we're also watching a children's play today. This theatre is conveniently located within the same area as the Dougherty library and the Dougherty Station Community Centre. There's adequate parking and minimal walking distance from the parking lot to the theatre. This is a perfect place to watch any performance. It's not hige, but it can fit a little over 100 people.

Cool little arts spot. Not huge, but has a nice creative vibe--feels more local/community than…read morepolished gallery. You'll see people actually working on stuff, not just displaying it. Classes and events seem solid, though scheduling can be a bit limited. Also, the place isn't super modern--more functional than impressive. Overall: good if you're into art or want something low-key and creative. Not a destination spot, but worth checking out if you're nearby.

My employer held a team building activity here on learning how to paint with a group of ~30 people…read more Our employer purchased lunch from another location and bought it over to this venue, and we were able to eat it at this venue prior to painting. We ate for 1 hour and painted for 2 hours. All painting supplies were provided from venue. Vera was the instructor with 2 assistants. The assistants replaced our paint brush rinse cup, re-fill paint and provided tips. Prior to the event, the event coordinator asked Vera to choose a picture for us to paint. The picture was a couple of sunflowers in a vase. It was a good choice since the finished painting can placed in many common places and it was at beginner's level. There were a real sunflower available at each table, so we can use it as a reference. Vera provided guidelines and we had the option to be creative or paint something completely different. Vera is a very sweet lady, she hand wrote many different inspiration quotes on a mini card and handed out to each person. This was to give us some inspiration right before we begin painting, I really like the positive energy that it provided. However, I wished she provided more instructions on how blend different colors to achieve the colors she had, communicate the techniques on how to create certain strokes, and show visually how to paint each section (her back was covering since she stood directing in front of her painting). Perhaps, she might have decrease verbal communication so we can hear the background music, which was very soothing while we paint. She provided detail responses if we had questions though. Our group came here on a mid-day on a Wednesday and there was plenty of free street parking. The area where we painted had a strong mardi gras theme with decorations, lights, objects hanging from ceiling & walls, painting on walls, and more. Also, there is a stage already set up. This venue here could be use for a wide variety of functions such theatrical performances. Overall, this was an awesome event as mini getaway from the office.

As a mama of 3, finding kid-centered activities or bday parties can be challenging as they get…read moreolder. I can't quite remember how I stumbled upon finding this company but I absolutely loved the options, the structure and with it being a newer company as this is its first Yelp review (check out their awesome Google reviews)-- I was open to giving it a shot blindly and I was NOT disappointed. In fact, I had a lot of great feedback from the guests that this was one of the funnest birthday parties they've been to! There's a selection of activities. The celebrant opted for t-shirt making, vinyl stickers, and clay making. Upon entrance, the team already had table cloths, simple balloons, and birthday decors. They also had cups, utensils, and plates readily available. Check in was smooth - I encourage guests who choose to celebrate here to make sure to write on your invitation to come on time since we waited for majority of the party to come to begin. (They were gracious with family and friends being on Filipino time!) The team was phenomenal and hands on. They knew how to guide really rowdy kids into structure and they didn't skip a beat. They took time to individually teach and check in on each child. After shirts, we made our way upstairs for making stickers and the kids had such a blast. They came back down for their clay projects and finished the day with food. The party was 2 hours and I felt like it was the perfect amount of time. It flew by fast and the crew was quick with clean up as well. We definitely will be returning! They do have summer camps and if we lived closer, we would definitely be coming more often. Loved their staff-- incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and such a pleasure to work with. Please consider them for future parties! You won't regret it!

This rave is long overdue. So thankful to have stumbled upon this party venue after a quick google…read moresearch. We hosted our son's 10th birthday party here and we couldn't be happier. The studio manager, Joe was very responsive, easy to work with, flexible and accommodating. The venue offers several creative, hands on activities that entertained all our guests, ages 7 to 18. There is a spacious party area to enjoy food and cake. You can bring your own food and decor or go through the venue for quick and easy planning. The staff helping during the party were all great and helpful to all of our guests. Would definitely recommend Create It for a new and fun party venue.

We were a group of 8 adults and 2 toddlers and wanted 2 lanes. We were given a 45 min wait time on…read morearrival. When we tried to follow-up after 45 minutes, a big male front desk guy (he had a nose ring and was wearing a cap, 200+ lbs, looked like one of the managers) told us to wait for 45 minutes (more!) to give us two lanes next to each other. When we told him we are ok with the lanes being far apart (not necessarily next to each other), he got angry and replied "Do you understand what I'm saying to you?". He wasn't ready to answer the question of how long it would take if the lanes apart. He was not ready to hear us out and was extremely rude, unprofessional and disrespectful. After reading similar reviews over the last few years, I'm surprised to see this place still has 4.2 rating here. It does not deserve a 1 star. Overall, a terrible experience and will not be going back here.

I was surprised how big the arcade was, some broken ones, but overall great for kids…read more The little pizza I had was good, but cannot say anything for the other door. I love how thy have a good selection of wines from the locales. Great for birthday parties and groups.

I googled Sip and Swirl and found that Shilpi - the owner was a mutual friend. She was amazing with…read moreher job! She was full of happy energy and kept all of us engaged and happy. I would highly recommend her for ladies evening hangouts, kids bday party, or even family get togethers. fun fact- she takes good pictures and makes fun reels!

We sent our 9 year old daughter for a summer camp at Sip and Swirl and couldn't be more thrilled…read more Not only did Shilpi bring out her best art but also was an engaging teacher. My daughter looked forward to going to the art camp everyday and came back equally thrilled to show her art to us. The class had focused on different kids of art: painting, sketching , coloring with pencils, and textured painting. Five stars !!! I highly recommend.

Chef Bruce's personality and his fun jokes are the highlights of the event. His instructions are…read moresuper easy to follow. He's attentive and very observant of our cleanliness, our likes/dislikes. He's personal and his thorough teaching helped us make a delicious meal! Laura is chef Bruce's best assistant. She's a female lead yet at the event took a step back into behind the scenes. Without her preparations, we would not have anything to cook with. She's friendly and caring. She took pictures for us throughout the event and send it to us promptly. The experience was wholesome. We had great laughs, delicious pesto gnocchi, delightful tiramisu and genuine conversations. It was a wonderful experience. Thanks a nicest bunch, Laura & Chef Bruce! Van Nguyen (Calyxo's Supply Chain cooking event)

I recently attended a cooking class with my work team, and it was so much fun. Pans on Fire is a…read morekitchenware store, with a room on the side for cooking classes. The store itself is really cute, with useful gadgets and cute towels and knick-knacks. I was part of a group of 12 for the Express Spanish class. There are many different cuisines to choose from, and different durations (e.g., express-1.5 hours, standard-2.5 hours, ultimate-3.5 hours). What made this class run so smoothly is all the prep work that was done ahead of time. Each member had their own apron with their name on it. The cutting boards, ingredients, and tools were laid out around the kitchen. Bruce, the owner/instructor, first gave us demos on knife technique, garlic crushing, and juicing with a fluicher (flat-juicer). Many of these tools are available at their store. Then we worked on different parts of the menu in teams of three. Some of us cut tomatoes, while other crushed garlic. As far as actual cooking on the stove, only 2 members were hands on. After cooking, we sat down at their dining table and ate our meal together. Menu: Gazpacho, Garlic shrimp, Pan con Tomate, Manchego y Chorizo Tostada. Everything tasted good, but my favorite was the garlic shrimp. Hygiene was very important throughout. Longer hair had to be tied, and once we washed our hands, we were no longer allowed to touch our phones. However, Bruce did a great job of taking plenty of pictures for us. Overall, a very fun way to socialize while making something together. I highly recommend this for a team building experience.

I was not entirely sure what to expect when we tried the Garden Museum pop up for the first time. I…read morethink we attended one of their earliest events, so the whole concept was new to us, but we were excited to give it a try. It ended up being such a pleasant surprise that we have been back a few times since. Our boys are seven and three, and each visit has given them plenty to do. The activities and crafts are thoughtful, creative, and easy for both ages to enjoy. It has also been a great excuse for us to stay off our phones and spend real one on one time with them. The atmosphere at the events is calm and well organized, and even when there are a lot of families, it never feels crowded. Everyone around us always seems to be having a genuinely good time. The staff has been friendly and engaged during every visit, and they help the kids come away with small keepsakes they are proud of. The price feels very reasonable for the quality of the experience, and they seem to offer a good range of themes and special activities. We have enjoyed these pop ups enough that we are now considering hosting them at our home for a birthday. It has been a great experience for our family, and something we would easily recommend to others.