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Above the Berkeley campus, Memorial Stadium plays host in the fall season to UC Berkeley football games. But if you want to watch a game for free, head above the canyon to Tightwad Hill, a hill where students and the public gather to watch games. It's also an ideal location for spectacular views of the Bay Area when there's not a game going on. Anyone is free to come as long as they pick up their own trash and don't wear the colors of Stanford University (red).
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as California or Cal, the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I primarily as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and for a limited number of sports as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). In 2014, Cal instituted a strict academic standard for an athlete's admission to the university. By the 2017 academic year 80 percent of incoming student athletes were required to comply with the University of California general student requirement of having a 3.0 or higher high school grade point average.
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Amphitheater that mostly hosts musical performances by well-known artists.
UC Berkeley, or "Cal"
90-minute student-led walking tours are offered seven days a week. (M-Sa at 10AM, Su at 1PM). Be prepared to climb the hilly campus terrain. For a break, take a seat in the Doe Library's reading room (but don't bring the kids or bother the students). If you're touring alone, the main attraction is a ride up the Campanile/Sather Tower ($5 adults, $4 seniors and children < 18, free for Cal students with ID), which offers sweeping views of the Bay Area.
The Lawrence
Offers many hands-on science exhibits, especially good for children. Since 1968, the Lawrence has been dedicated to creating innovative science learning experiences. The outdoor plaza (free) is popular for its whale and DNA sculptures to climb on, and features a panoramic view of the Bay Area: San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Oakland and the Bay Bridge. The science center includes a planetarium, a 3D theater, an Animal Discovery Zone, Outdoor Nature Lab, and an area for young explorers.
BAMPFA
As a visual arts venue, BAMPFA is dedicated equally to art and film. Its art collection and exhibitions reflect the diversity of the UC Berkeley campus and San Francisco Bay Area, with particular strengths in 20th- and 21st-century work. The museum, run by the University of California, is in a building that is itself an impressive work of modernist architecture, incorporating a 1939 Art Deco-style building. With one of the most extensive film archives in the world, the PFA offers many film series throughout the year, focusing on directors, eras, or artistic movements. It also screens some of the films during the annual San Francisco International Film Festival.
Part outdoor museum, park, and biological research facility for the University of California, the garden hosts over 12,000 different species of plant life.
Berkeley Rep
With its consistently high-quality productions of contemporary and historical plays, Berkeley Rep is one of the primary centers of theater on the West Coast. The theater is also very pleasant, in a modern way.