Things to Do in Emeryville

Although it hasn't quite reached the level of Napa Valley's 400-plus wineries, the East Bay's wine scene has experienced a rebirth—and East Bay Winery Bike Tours intends to ride right alongside as it continues to grow. Led by owner Jon Zalon, the company takes to the streets on two wheels to explore the area's ever-expanding collection of urban wineries and the faces behind the bottles at each stop.

In 2012, Diablo magazine plopped East Bay Winery Bike Tours at No. 10 on its "50 Things You Gotta do This Summer" list. No matter the season, EBWBT's rides present safe, scenic routes that include everything from a trip to an Oakland estuary to a pleasant cruise down Alameda's palm-lined streets—all without having to rent a car or a horse to drive that car. Every tour also makes sure to set aside plenty of time to soak in the surroundings, including picnics packed with homemade food.

Operating for more than a decade, Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch both hosts Halloween outings and brings autumnal revelry to you. The expansive pumpkin patch and halloween store sell 15 types of pumpkins, as well as fall essentials such as gourds, masks, spider webs, and multicolored Indian corn. A harrowing haunted house tests visitors’ adrenal glands with dark corners, spooky sounds, and a befuddling maze. In addition to supplying frights, the staff also constructs pumpkin patches off site, redecorating homes and offices with pumpkins, straw bales, and house-trained scarecrows.

Humor, song, and drama all unfold at the ACT's historic theater—originally opened in 1910—which blends austere neoclassicism with the occasional baroque flourish. The theater was built during the reconstruction after the 1906 earthquake, only to be struck by 1989's Loma Prieta earthquake, surviving significant damage and undergoing an extensive renovation and seismic stabilization that have enabled it to continue staging fine drama and overcome its reoccurring earthquake nightmares.

Their flanks flecked with sweat, muscles rippling in their necks, and nostrils flaring, the thoroughbreds at Golden Gate Fields hurtle around a 1-mile oval. Crouched in the saddle, the jockeys feel the eyes of up to 14,750 audience members on their silk-clad backs as they strain to reach the finish line. In addition to its main mile-long track, the 140-acre racing complex has a 9/10-mile lakeside turf course, giving guests plenty of races to wager on. After the first starting pistol fires, watchers can fuel their cheering with polish sausage from the Horseman’s Circle, housemade pepperoni from Tastes of Italy, and steaks from Apron Barbeque.

Even fancier food awaits rumbling stomachs at the Turf Club—the crab cakes and steak prepared by Executive Chef Bryan Taylor aren’t the only draw. Club guests can enjoy an unparalleled live view of both tracks, the bay, and the Berkeley hills or watch the steeds on the private viewing screens that grace each table. In addition to the private screens, more than 80 flat screens, a jumbo screen, and regular monitors show horses hitting breakneck paces, and both live tellers and automatic wagering machines stand ready to take bets on which horse has the biggest shoe size. Leather furnishings, Tiffany-style lights, and gallery displays of equine-themed Hermès and Gucci scarves create a sophisticated atmosphere that reminds guests of the illustrious history of the track, which dates back to 1941.

Within the verdant expanse of Burlingame Golf Center’s practice facilities, instructor Dave Atchison, who attained his PGA Class A status in 1981, imparts score-shaving tips to pupils of all ages and abilities. After demonstrating his passion for golf each morning by shaving with a sharpened divot tool, Dave heads to the golf center to showcase club-swinging skills that have fueled his 33-year teaching career, which has included six seasons of coaching at UCLA and another seven at UC Santa Barbara. With a full-length driving range, practice areas for chipping and pitching, and a sandtrap for bunker shots and makeshift hourglass construction, Burlingame Golf Center helps Dave and his clients foster improvements in all facets of the game.

The Pan Theater an East Bay improv theater and acting school that hosts gut-busting shows from teams culled from its professional training center. Performers entreat audiences for the evening’s theme during shows on Friday and Saturday nights, inciting laugh riots with unscripted scenes that will never be seen again.

The theater's improv acting classes that cycle through intense scene work and the emotionally based exercises of Sanford Meisner, a revered acting instructor and forgettable squash player. Four times a year, a free sample improv class shepherds students through the basics of improv with introductory games including Sound Ball and Zip Zap Zop.