August is right around the corner, which means students start heading back to UC Berkeley. Whether this is your first semester or your fifth, this big school \u2014 just a drive away from many big cities \u2014 has plenty waiting for you before classes kick off Aug. 26.<\/p>\n
Here are 11 free things to put on your August calendar. Bonus: Your Clipper BayPass gets you unlimited rides on 24 Bay Area transit agencies including BART, Muni and the ferry, so getting around is a breeze.<\/p>\n
Cal Sailing Club open house (Aug. 2 and Aug. 30)<\/p>\n
Ready for your \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d moment? The Cal Sailing Club offers free introductory sails out of the Berkeley Marina, with no experience or gear required. Spend an afternoon on the water overlooking UC Berkeley, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge \u2014 and if you prefer a smoother ride for your first time, keelboats are steady. Feeling adventurous? Try a tippy, speedy dinghy. Rides run from 1-3 p.m. and are first come, first served.<\/p>\n
Conservatory of Flowers free day (Aug. 4)<\/p>\n
Step into a Victorian greenhouse of white wood and glass, which opened in Golden Gate Park in 1879, making it its oldest building. Inside, you\u2019ll find 1,700 species across five galleries, each a different climate: lowland tropics, an orchid room and lily pads the size of dinner plates. Tickets are normally $15 for adults, but free for everyone on the first Tuesday of the month.<\/p>\n
Free First Thursday at BAMPFA (Aug. 6)<\/p>\n
Interested in the arts? Your Cal 1 Card gets you into Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive free any day, but First Thursday is free for everyone, perfect for bringing a visiting friend or a date. This month is your last chance to see some exhibitions before they close this month. Some showings you can\u2019t miss are \u201cMeriem Bennani: Life on the CAPS,\u201d a video trilogy set on a fictional island where migrants land after teleporting in a dystopian future, and \u201cThe Politics of the Poster,\u201d an exhibition showcasing how posters have fueled collection action, both running through Aug. 23. Grab a coffee at the Kopi Bar and Bakery afterward, or drop by the Art Lab to spark some creativity.<\/p>\n
San Francisco Botanical Garden (Aug. 11 or any morning)<\/p>\n
Just a few minutes from the Conservatory of Flowers, you\u2019ll find 55 acres and 8,000 plant species \u2014 including a Moon Viewing Garden and an Ancient Plant Garden with non-extinct living plants considered to be \u201cliving fossils.\u201d The garden is free for everyone on the second Tuesday, and you can visit free daily from 7:30-9 a.m. \u2014 perfect for a peaceful walk or some Instagram photos. Bonus: If you want to revisit after August, Flower Piano returns Sept. 10-20, when a dozen grand pianos are scattered throughout the garden for anyone to enjoy and listen to music.<\/p>\n
Chinatown Night Market (Aug. 14)<\/p>\n
Five blocks of Grant Avenue close down for what USA Today named the country\u2019s best night market for the second year in a row. With more than 40 vendors, you\u2019ll find matcha and boba, baked goods, sushi, skewers and entertainment ranging from lion dancing to karaoke to DJ sets. The market is free and runs from 5-9 p.m. There is always a huge crowd, so go hungry and go early!<\/p>\n
Sundown Cinema: \u2018The Parent Trap\u2019 (Aug. 21)<\/p>\n
Catch a free outdoor screening of the 1998 Lindsay Lohan classic on the grass at Marina Green, which is the third stop in Sundown Cinema\u2019s five-film season. The movie starts around 8 p.m., but arrive early to claim your spot and enjoy a picnic \u2014 and don\u2019t forget a blanket and warm layers!<\/p>\n
Caltopia (Aug. 23-24)<\/p>\n
Visit the Recreational Sports Facility and enjoy two days of free swag, food and brand booths celebrating the UC Berkeley lifestyle. This is the perfect way to stock your dorm room for the month with tote bags, snacks, a spin of the prize wheel and free merch from different organizations. Go both days as the booths rotate!<\/p>\n
Friday Nights at Oakland Museum of California (every Friday)<\/p>\n
The Oakland Museum of California throws a weekly block party with live music, activities, Off the Grid food trucks and a spacious lawn overlooking Lake Merritt \u2014 a prime spot to enjoy food and refreshers. The outdoor festivities are free from 5-9 p.m. every Friday through October.<\/p>\n
Hamon Observation Tower at de Young Museum (anytime)<\/p>\n
Did you know there\u2019s no ticket required to access the ninth floor? Take the elevator up and watch the copper walls open into 360-degree views, offering a huge aerial map of the whole park below and San Francisco! It\u2019s one of the best free vistas in the city, perfect for a photo op or a quiet moment.<\/p>\n
Tilden Little Farm (anytime)<\/p>\n
Up in the Berkeley Hills, there\u2019s a small working farm where cows, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens and ducks roam free. It\u2019s your perfect opportunity to see wildlife up close! Public feeding was discontinued this spring, so leave the celery and lettuce at home.<\/p>\n
Kayaks at the UC Aquatic Center<\/p>\n
Kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals at the Berkeley Marina are free for enrolled students (and $40 for everyone else). Just sign your RecWell waiver through CalCentral, reserve online and check the schedule, as rental days rotate by season.<\/p>\n
With none of these adventures costing a dime and your Cal 1 Card in hand, the Bay Area is yours to explore, so get out there and have fun!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August is right around the corner, which means students start heading back to UC Berkeley. Whether this is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[167401,167407,49110,3767,184,764,63845,10109,72363,167399,159497,167412,167408,78586,140729,104584,167402,2985,29511,167413,167406,9356,167404,167411,6561,86213,167403,167400,3768,143,145,2536,144,106113,2563,109208,167416,101,163490,167409,167410,167405,167414,167415,149,65991],"class_list":["post-418612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-ancient-plant-garden","tag-art-lab","tag-bampfa","tag-bart","tag-bay-area","tag-berkeley","tag-berkeley-marina","tag-cal","tag-cal-1-card","tag-cal-sailing-club","tag-calcentral","tag-caltopia","tag-chinatown-night-market","tag-clipper-baypass","tag-conservatory-of-flowers","tag-de-young","tag-flower-piano","tag-golden-gate-park","tag-grant-avenue","tag-hamon-observation-tower","tag-kopi-bar","tag-lake-merritt","tag-life-on-the-caps","tag-lindsay-lohan","tag-mamma-mia","tag-marina-green","tag-meriem-bennani","tag-moon-viewing-garden","tag-muni","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-museum-of-california","tag-oakland-news","tag-off-the-grid","tag-omca","tag-recwell","tag-recwell-opportunity-fund","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-botanical-garden","tag-sundown-cinema","tag-the-parent-trap","tag-the-politics-of-the-poster","tag-tilden-park-little-farm","tag-uc-aquatic-center","tag-uc-berkeley","tag-usa-today"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}