17 museums and galleries to explore in Berkeley

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I’ve long been a proponent of playing tourist in your own city and exploring it as a first-timer would. 

Berkeley, which has no shortage of fun and affordable activities, is especially great for this. I’ve put together this list to help you plan your next hometown excursion. Hours may have changed, so I’d strongly recommend checking the website before you go.

Have something you think belongs on this list? Email [email protected]. 

Arts spaces

A show at the Berkeley Art Center in 2021. Credit: Minoosh Zomorodinia

🎨 The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (or BAMPFA) offers free admission to its gallery on first Thursdays. General admission is typically $18, but UC Berkeley students and SNAP participants can always enter for free. Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

🧑‍🎨 The Kala Art Institute’s gallery and community classroom at 2990 San Pablo Ave. presents six curated art exhibitions per year. Tuesday-Friday, 12 p.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays, 12 p.m.-4 p.m. FREE

🎨 The nonprofit Berkeley Art Center, located in Live Oak Park, showcases the work of Bay Area contemporary artists. Open Thursday through Sunday, 12 p.m.-5 p.m. FREE

🌎 Two floors of the David Brower Center are devoted to environmental art. Previous artists featured in its art gallery, which rotates exhibitions three times a year, include Sebastiao Salgado, Maya Lin, Richard Misrach, Edward Burtynsky and Amy Franceschini. Open weekdays. Check the website for hours. FREE

✡️ The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art in downtown Berkeley was one of the first Jewish museums in the U.S. when it was founded in 1962. The museum is open during UC Berkeley’s fall and spring semesters. Check the site for museum hours. FREE

🎨 The Arts and Crafts Cooperative, Inc. (or ACCI) was established in 1959 by a small collective of artists and craftspeople who wanted to showcase their own artwork. The charming North Berkeley art gallery, located in a former French laundry, showcases work by over 100 local artists and claims to be the first co-op of its kind west of the Mississippi. We’re fond of their artsy and affordable greeting cards, which can also double as wall decor. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

🎨 West Berkeley’s Shoh Gallery, founded in 2016, features works by Bay Area fine artists. Check the website for hours. 

🎨 Also in West Berkeley is 120710, a nonprofit experimental art gallery opened by Jonathan Bachrach, a former UC Berkeley computer science professor. Read our story. To visit, email [email protected] to schedule an appointment. Check the website for hours. FREE

🎨 UC Berkeley’s Worth Ryder Art Gallery, located on the first floor of the school’s Anthropology and Art Building, features work by faculty and students. Open most weekdays. Check the website for hours. 

Science and history

You can get a close-up view of lichen at the Lawrence Hall of Science’s outdoor learning lab. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside/CatchLight

🔭 The Lawrence Hall of Science’s hands-on exhibits are great for kids. An additional $4 fee grants you access to their hypnotizing planetarium, where you can lean back and enjoy a live, interactive show. Read our story about their outdoor nature lab, which opened in 2022. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $20

🖼️ The Berkeley Historical Society & Museum’s History Center is located in the Veterans Memorial Building. Thursday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. FREE

Quirky treasures

The Little Free Art Gallery in front of 1342 Hopkins St. was created as a neighborhood pandemic project. The art is free for taking — just don’t kidnap the “visitors.” Credit: Iris Kwok

👗 Tour the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in South Berkeley and learn about the history of textile arts and costumes. Monday-Saturday, 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. RSVP required. $3

👃 The Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in North Berkeley is the only museum dedicated to perfumes in the U.S. You’ll get to choose four samples to take home with you. Read our story. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $25

☕ Have a cup of joe at the original Peet’s Coffee location at 2124 Vine Street, which opened in 1966 and helped start a specialty coffee revolution. Stroll through the mini museum in the back hall (located in what used to be the roasting room). Read our interview with Bill Coffin, the cafe’s first employee. Open weekdays, 5:30 a.m.-8 p.m, and weekends, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. 

🍶 Learn about the sake production process and taste five types of sake at Takara Sake’s West Berkeley museum and tasting room. Takara says its museum is the “only one of its kind within the USA.” Ages 21+. Thursday-Friday, 1-5 p.m., and Sundays, 12-6 p.m. RSVP required. $20

🖼️ Stop by Andrea Scharff’s Art & Lit Gallery at 1321 Bay View Place, donate a book and admire the fun-sized, curated art shows that rotate every few weeks. Read our story. “Open” 24/7, but be mindful that it’s in a residential neighborhood.

🖼️  The Little Free Art Gallery in front of 1342 Hopkins St. was created as a neighborhood pandemic project. Rules are simple: you’re welcome to take a tiny artwork home with you as long as you leave another in its place. Don’t kidnap the toy “visitors.” All art mediums are welcome as long as they can fit inside the small display box. “Open” 24/7, but be mindful that it’s in a residential neighborhood.