Visit the Dunsmuir Historic Estate year round for a tour of the gardens or in mid July for The Annual Scottish Highland Games. April through October the whole family can visit the Morcom Rose Garden (700 Jean St, Oakland) for free to see more than 6,000 rose bushes in bloom.

Historic walking tours can be found online for Berkeley and Oakland. For hiking and camping visit Bay Area Hiker, where you can see hike locations on a map and get details about the terrain. The Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay is an excellent resource for mountain biking. The local Audubon chapter offers free bird and habitat field trips with master birders — or bring the family to the annual Christmas Bird Count and tally the number of birds in your neighborhood.