Lake Merritt Park

Definitely the heart of Oakland, this beautiful water spot really transports city dwellers. This is the place where the joggers come in mornings, where lunch daters go to for romantic walks, and where families take their kids on the weekends. In fact, the “lake” is actually a lagoon created by tides.

Children’s Fairyland on the eastern shore of the lake holds the claim to fame of being the very first theme park that was intending for young children and their families. In fact, it is widely believed that the idea for Disneyland came to old Uncle Walt when he took a little visit to Lake Merritt way back in 1950. You can certainly see the similarities in the way that Children’s Fairyland uses the characters from children’s tale in its design—though Walt would take this much further than Fairyland does.

A great place to go for a date on the lake is the Lake Seafood Chalet right on the western shore of the lake, right next to one of the oldest structures in this area of Oakland, the Camron-Stanford house. The chalet is really a big restaurant with good (not great) food and really nice views. At night, you get lots of twinkling lights reflected in the lake surface. It is also most popular at happy hour.

Next door is a historical spot that gives you a sense what Oakland was like 150 years ago. The Camron-Stanford is a large Victorian that was once the residence of at least one mayor. A nice spot for a visit, but definitely not a destination in itself.

If you really want to feel like you have stepped back in time however, you might want to give the Terrace Room at the Lake Merritt Hotel a try. This chic hotel restaurant is decorated like something out of a 1930’s Dashiell Hammett novel, with big gazebo like windows looking out onto a lake in large white table cloth and hardwood floor kind of room. Just beautiful really. A great place to celebrate an anniversary, for example.

Put simply, this is a great place to unwind on the weekends regardless of who you are or what your situation is.

This is the oasis in an otherwise urban dump called Oakland. This lake has breathtaking views. There is a walking path surrounding the lake. On a warm sunny day, the park is usually filled with kids and joggers, and people relaxing and having fun. On occasion, you may also find wedding parties taking photos. This is definitely the scenic jewel in Oakland. Children's Fairyland is there as well. This is a wonderful amusement park for kids. It brings fairytales to life. There is also a train that goes around the park. great place for kids young and old. Offstreet parking is rare, but for just $3, you can park in a safe location. There are also plenty of restaurants nearby as well. My favorite are Noah's bagels and Rolling Dunes, serving up NY style bagels and contamporary american cuisine with a island flare, respectively.