Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Fresno (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Tower Theatre, and Fresno City Hall. Also, be sure to include Playland in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Fresno (California).
Table of Contents
Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Animal park with cafe and gift shop. The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is a zoo in Roeding Park in Fresno, California covering 39 acres and housing over 190 species. Its attractions include Stingray Bay, Dino Dig, Valley Farm, Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and Ross Laird's Winged Wonders Bird Show. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.[1]
Address: 894 W Belmont Ave, 93728-2807 Fresno (West Fresno)
Tower Theatre
Theater in Fresno, California. The Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts is a historic Streamline Moderne mixed-use theater in Fresno, California. Built in 1939, it opened to the public on December 15, 1939, under the management of Fox West Coast Theater Corporation. The building was designed by S. Charles Lee, with its tower inspired by the "Star Pylon" at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The theater underwent a renovation and reopened as a performing arts center in 1990, after being closed as a repertory cinema in 1989 due to financial troubles.[2]
Address: Fresno, 815 E Olive Ave, Fresno, CA 93728-3332
Fresno City Hall
Building in Fresno, California. Fresno City Hall is a Post-modern Futurist structure in Fresno, California. The building serves as the seat of city government, and the location of the mayor's office and the Fresno City Council chambers.
The building was designed by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson.[3]
Address: 2600 Fresno St, 93721-3620 Fresno (Central Fresno)
Playland
Amusement park in Fresno, California. Playland is an amusement park in Roeding Park in Fresno, California. It was built in 1955, and it shares the space on the southwest corner of the park with Storyland, its sister park, and Fresno Chaffee Zoo. For most of its history, Playland and Storyland competed with the Zoo for guests, but after years of poor turnout, and the rise of prominence of the Chaffee Zoo, in 2015, Playland and Storyland underwent a massive overhaul and repair project, and the owner of Playland and Storyland, the Fresno Rotary Clubs, decided to collaborate with the nonprofit 501 organization that runs the Chaffee Zoo to offer discounts to encourage guests to visit all three parks.[4]
Address: 890 W Belmont Ave, 93728-2807 Fresno (West Fresno)
Fresno Memorial Auditorium
The Fresno Memorial Auditorium, at 2425 Fresno St. in Fresno, California, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Besides the one contributing building, the listing included two contributing objects and a contributing site on 2.9 acres.
It has also been known as Veterans Memorial Auditorium. It was built during 1935–36 to accommodate a wide range of activities and performances. To take just one arbitrary example, Tallulah Bankhead performed in The Little Foxes here on January 9, 1941.
It was designed in Moderne and Art Deco style by "Allied Architects of Fresno"; it was built by contractor Trewhitt & Shields Company.[5]
Forestiere Underground Gardens
Historical landmark in Fresno, California. The Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California are a series of subterranean structures built by Baldassare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, over a period of 40 years from 1906 to his death in 1946. The gardens are operated by members of the Forestiere family through the Forestiere Historical Center, and can be considered a spectacular and unconventional example of vernacular architecture.[6]
Address: 5021 W Shaw Ave, 93722-5026 Fresno (West Fresno)
Save Mart Center
Arena in Fresno, California. Save Mart Center at Fresno State is a multi-purpose arena, on the campus of California State University, Fresno, located in Fresno, California. An open house was held for the community on November 5, 2003, with the official ribbon cutting following on November 27, 2003. It is home to the Fresno State Bulldogs men's and women's basketball teams, women's volleyball team and wrestling team.
It is the former home of the Fresno Falcons ice hockey team for their first five seasons in the ECHL (2003–08); prior to the opening of the building, they played at Selland Arena.
It is also a concert destination, with its first performance featuring opera tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Financing for the project was provided through revenue, from corporate sponsorships, private gifts, leasing of luxury suites, sale of club seating and personal seat licenses, as well as revenue from advertising and signage agreements.[7]
Address: 2650 E Shaw Ave, 93710-8284 Fresno (Hoover)
William Saroyan House Museum
Museum. The William Saroyan House Museum founded on August 31, 2018 in Fresno, California is a single subject museum on the writer William Saroyan. The museum is located at 2729 W Griffith Way, the last occupied Fresno residence of the writer.[8]
Warnors Theatre
Theater in Fresno, California. Warnors Theatre is an historic theater located in downtown Fresno, California. The 2,000-seat venue opened in 1928 as the Pantages Theater, after the name of its then owner, Alexander Pantages, and later, the Warner Theater in 1929 after it was purchased by Warner Brothers. The name was changed again in the 1960s to "Warnors" to avoid trademark issues.
The theater was designed by B. Marcus Priteca, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[9]
Address: 1400 Fulton St, 93721 Fresno (Central Fresno)
Fresno County Courthouse
Building in Fresno, California. The Fresno County Courthouse is an 8-storey, 60.96 m low-rise building at 1100 Van Ness Avenue in downtown Fresno, California. Construction was completed on the building was in 1966 on the site of–and replacing–the previous neo-classical style courthouse that was completed in 1875. Architectural historian David Gebhardt said of the loss of the old courthouse to the current one, "insipid." The courthouse is also connected to the Fresno County Jail underground through a system of tunnels providing easy and safe transportation of inmates.
A $113 million seismic retrofit was scheduled to be completed in 2015.[10]
Address: 1130 O St # 5, Fresno (Central Fresno)
Old Fresno Water Tower
The Old Fresno Water Tower is a historic water tower in Fresno, California. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by George Washington Maher, the tower was completed in late 1894. It ceased operation in 1963 and has served as a visitors' center since 2001.[11]
Address: 2444 Fresno St, 93721-1831 Fresno (Central Fresno)
Holy Trinity Church
Church in Fresno, California. Holy Trinity Church is an Armenian Apostolic church in Fresno, California. Completed in 1914, it is one of the earliest Armenian churches in America and the first to incorporate traditional Armenian architecture.[12]
Peoples Church
Non-denominational church in Fresno, California. Peoples Church is a megachurch in Fresno, California, USA with an average weekly attendance of 3,950 people in 2017. The church is led by Pastor Dale Oquist. The church campus includes Fresno Christian High School, a private school attended by students in grades K-12.[13]
Address: 7172 N Cedar Ave, 93720 Fresno (Woodward Park)
Saint John the Baptist Cathedral
Catholic church in Fresno, California. Saint John the Baptist Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, located at 2814 Mariposa Street, in Fresno, California. The parish was established in 1882. In 1878, Catholic settlers in the area recognized the need for a church and began to raise funds. The Central Pacific Railroad donated two lots and Bishop Francisco Mora y Borrell of the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles purchased two adjacent lots. Construction on the sanctuary began early in 1880 and the structure was completed in November. Bishop Mora dedicated the church to St. John the Baptist on May 21, 1882. It was a brick structure with a 90 ft steeple and served the five Catholic families in the area.
By 1902, the congregation outgrew its home and began plans for a larger building. After Easter services on March 30, workers began to demolish the old building with the intent of constructing a new church on the same site. However, the pastor insisted on a new site at Mariposa and R Streets. Although parishioners complained that the proposed site was beyond the edge of town, the pastor prevailed. The cornerstone was laid August 3, 1902 and Archbishop George Montgomery dedicated the new sanctuary June 7, 1903.
The church was designed in a Gothic-Romanesque style by Thomas Bermingham and constructed of red brick. The facade features a triple entry framed by two square towers with spires. Above the entry is a small rose window.
When the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno was split from the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego in 1922, St. John's was selected as the cathedral for the new Diocese. When Monterey and Fresno were further split in 1967, St. John's became the seat of the new Bishop of Fresno.[14]
Address: 2814 Mariposa St, 93721 Fresno (Central Fresno)
Woodward Park
Park in Fresno, California. Woodward Park is a public park located in Fresno, California, abutting the San Joaquin River. It is the largest of the three major public parks in the Fresno area. Ralph Woodward donated the majority of the land for the park in 1968.
The CIF and CCCAA Cross Country State Championships are hosted here every November. It is also the home course for the Fresno State Bulldogs men's and women's cross country teams.
Woodward Park also plays host to the Woodward Shakespeare Festival - for Shakespeare in the Park. The performances take place on the WSF Stage near the Friant/Fort Washington Entrance, and showcase a number of familiar titles. The company has held over 311 performances in the park and is currently in their 11th season.[15]
Address: 7775 N Friant Rd, 93720 Fresno (Woodward Park)