Location: Berkeley
Top Things to do in Berkeley
7 Specialty Museums in Berkeley That You Shouldn't Miss
The counter-culture, flower power center of the 60s, bohemian Berkeley has evolved into a culinary and cultural travel scene. Shift into low gear and people-watch along quirky Telegraph Avenue while checking out the bookstores and cafes. After strolling through the UC Berkeley campus, the Berkeley Rose Garden and the Downtown Arts District, head into the hills for an outdoor adventure in Tilden Park or cruise down to the waterfront park, where the San Francisco skyline sparkles across the bay.
Restaurants in Berkeley
1. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
2. Takara Sake USA
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16 reviews
Sake Brewery. Offering Sake Tasting Room & Sake Museum at our brewery. Takara Sake USA Inc. was established in 1983 in Berkeley, CA. We have taken pure snow melt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and superior rice from the fertile Sacramento Valley. To this we apply traditional sake-making craftsmanship and modern technology to produce a sake truly represent our terroir. Home for Sho Chiku Bai brand and many more.
Reviewed By edwardm577 - Alameda, United States
As we arrived to the building, you get the immediate scent of Sake being made. We are then invited to see a film on the process of how Sake is made. The museum shows the equipment used from the early 19th century. The tasting room attendant Mariko was very helpful explaining the various products they represent. We left having a tremendous appreciation for this incredible beverage that goes backs many centuries. This is a very diversified beverage.
3. Aftel Archive of Curious Scents
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 18 reviews
A small museum devoted to natural aromatics and artifacts. Smell more than 300 essences -- & take 3 samples home. Touch & smell raw botanical materials that become perfume essences, pour over turn-of-the-century perfume books, compare 100-year-old essences to their modern counterparts. Every item in the Archive is authentic & original, some dating back hundreds of years. Open Saturdays.
Reviewed By 290audreyb - San Francisco, United States
This intimate museum has a lot to offer! The experience: I bought a ticket in advance with a group of friends. After walking down a tree-shaded lane to the entrance, we were personally greeted by the museum's owner and founder, Mandy Aftel. She gave us a short orientation and then we were free to explore the displays at our own pace. The small space limits the number of visitors, which means we got to interact - smell - everything at our own pace. The bright, cozy space and 1 hour time slot of the visit expertly curates a vast topic into a manageable, delightful experience. My favorites: - Smelling a single perfume broken down into its 9 ingredients and "chords" of top, middle and base notes - Comparing modern versions of a scent extract with antique versions - Seeing and touching things like frankincense and myrrh, the stuff of fables. My recommendation: Great for perfume/beauty enthusiasts, history fans of all stripes, cabinet of curiosity lovers, natural science devotees, and those who simply like to smell all kinds things (you know who you are). I do hope Ms. Aftel gives gallery talks some day. I'd love to learn more about some of the subjects to which the museum introduced me!
4. Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 18 reviews
5. University Herbarium
6. The Bade Museum
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 2 reviews
