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Majestic coastal redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Majestic coastal redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

5 Free Things to Do This Weekend in the Bay Area

5 Free Things to Do This Weekend in the Bay Area

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Looking for things to do this weekend in the Bay Area? Look no further. Here are five (free!) ideas for the Easter weekend:

Visit Muir Woods for Free

Redwood trees in Muir Woods

All national parks will be free to enter on Saturday, April 20, to celebrate the start of National Park Week 2019. So what further excuse do you need to check out the towering ancient redwoods at Muir Woods, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge?

One caveat: While Muir Woods’s usual $15 entrance fee is waived on Saturday, you’ll still have to pay for your (now mandatory) parking reservation or shuttle reservation. These spots fill up fast, but it looks like there’s still availability for Saturday.

Saturday, April 20 (8 a.m.—7 p.m.)
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Free Days for S.F. Residents at the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor

Visitors looking at “The Three Shades” by French sculptor Auguste Rodin at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

If you’re a San Francisco resident — and can prove it with a driver’s license or a postmarked envelope — every Saturday now offers you free admission to the permanent collections of the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. You can now also reserve your tickets online.

Sponsored

FYI, art lovers: general admission to these two museums is also free on the first Tuesday of every month. And going up the de Young’s Hamon Observation Tower, with its amazing views over Golden Gate Park, is always free during opening hours.

Saturday, April 20 (9:30 a.m.—5:15 p.m. at both museums)
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Easter in the Park

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s Hunky Jesus Competition in Dolores Park, San Francisco (Jere via Wikipedia Commons )

It wouldn’t be Easter in San Francisco without the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s annual festivities in Dolores Park, now back for their 40th year.

The day kicks off early with a family-friendly egg hunt, games, Story Time and free kids’ dental screening exams, before segueing into live performances, an Easter Bonnet Contest and, of course, the legendary Hunky Jesus and Foxy Mary costume contest.

Sunday, April 21 (kids’ events 10:30 a.m.—noon, adult events noon—4 p.m.)
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‘The Hoppening’ Easter Egg Hunt at the Winchester Mystery House

The exterior of San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House (Gentgeen via Wikimedia Commons)

Of all the egg hunt events around the Bay Area this weekend, this might be the most unusual: A 5,000-egg trawl around the Victorian Garden of the notorious Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

Billing itself as “the world’s most bizarre Easter egg hunt”, families can race to discover the 13 “golden surprise eggs” that lie in wait — or maybe just hit the bounce house.

Saturday, April 20th (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
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Oakland Earth Day Volunteer Day

Get ready to collect some trash for Earth Day (Pexels)

In anticipation of Earth Day on Monday, April 22, there are many associated volunteer cleanups and celebrations going on around the Bay Area this weekend. On  Saturday, April 20, East Bay residents can volunteer at 100 or so sites around Oakland, including Lake Merritt.

Take a look to find an Oakland cleanup opportunity near you on the map, and dress appropriately to remove some trash.

Saturday, April 20 (cleanup times vary)
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