Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in San Mateo (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: CuriOdyssey, Coyote Point Recreation Area, and Arthur and Mona Hofmann House. Also, be sure to include Sawyer Camp Trail in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in San Mateo (California).
Table of Contents
CuriOdyssey
Science and wildlife center for kids. CuriOdyssey is a science museum and zoo for children and families where visitors see wild animals up-close and play with kid-friendly science exhibits. CuriOdyssey is home to nearly 100 rescued animals, most native to California, that cannot survive in the wild. CuriOdyssey's custom-designed exhibits are a science playground where kids play with scientific phenomena, including physical forces, perceptions, and reflections, patterns in nature and backyard science.
Located at 1651 Coyote Point Drive in San Mateo, California, it is part of the Coyote Point Recreation Area, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay. The museum was founded in 1954 as the San Mateo County Junior Museum, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
CuriOdyssey connects kids to nature with daily public animal feedings and educational programs where visitors meet the museum's Animal Ambassadors. CuriOdyssey is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). CuriOdyssey also participates in the Museums for All program, offering free admission and reduced-cost membership to qualifying families.[1]
Address: 1651 Coyote Point Dr, San Mateo (Shoreview)
Coyote Point Recreation Area
Park in San Mateo, California. Coyote Point Recreation Area is a 670-acre park operated by San Mateo County, California in the United States. Located on San Francisco Bay, it is south of San Francisco International Airport on the border of Burlingame and San Mateo. Facilities within the park include a large playground, the CuriOdyssey junior museum, a sandy bathing beach, a marina and yacht club, hiking trails, and picnic areas. In addition, the San Mateo County Sheriff's office has a shooting range on-site for training of law enforcement. It is adjacent to the Peninsula Humane Society and the municipal Poplar Creek Golf Course.
The distinctive point, covered by a grove of eucalyptus trees, can be seen from airplanes approaching San Francisco International Airport and is a good location for aircraft spotting and birdwatching. The site has been used for the large Pacific City amusement park in the early 1920s, as the basic training facility for the Pacific branch of the United States Merchant Marine service during World War II, and as the campus for College of San Mateo during the decade that followed the war. The county completed its acquisition of the park lands in 1962.[2]
Arthur and Mona Hofmann House
Arthur and Mona Hofmann House, also known as the Hofmann House, was built in 1937 and is a historic home located at 1048 Cuesta Road in Hillsborough, California. The building was designed by Modernist architect Richard Neutra in International Style. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since August 5, 1991. The house is a private residence and not open to the public.[3]
Sawyer Camp Trail
Hiking, Outdoor activities, Park, Hiking trail
Address: Skyline Blvd & Crystal Springs Rd, San Mateo, CA 94401, San Mateo
Central Park
Central Park is the first public park in San Mateo, California, a 16.5-acre urban park bounded by El Camino Real, 5th Avenue, Laurel Avenue and 9th Avenue. It was established via a 1922 bond measure of US$80,000 to purchase the land originally owned by Charles B. Polhemus, and currently hosts a baseball field, tennis courts, sculptures, playground, Japanese tea garden, recreation center, miniature train, rose garden and the San Mateo Arboretum.[4]
Address: 50 E 5th Ave, 94401-4107 San Mateo (North Central San Mateo)
Downtown San Mateo
City hall, Shopping
San Mateo Arboretum
Park in San Mateo, California. The San Mateo Arboretum is an arboretum in San Mateo, California containing old stands of pine, oak, cedar, and redwood planted over 100 years ago on the William Kohl property by John McLaren. The Arboretum is located in San Mateo's Central Park, which also houses the San Mateo Arboretum Society near the Kohl Pump House area of the park.
The San Mateo Arboretum Society is a volunteer run, nonprofit, founded in 1975 by Marion Panaretos. They host horticultural-themed events and classes, as well as working on the rose garden, the plant nurseries and the native plant garden within the park. The gardens, particularly the rose garden is popular for weddings.
Within Central Park there is a Japanese tea garden designed by Nagao Sakurai, that was dedicated in 1966. This garden contains cherry trees, Japanese maples and bonsai and marks the sister-city relationship between San Mateo and Toyonaka, Japan.[5]
Bay Meadows
Bay Meadows is an 83-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented development in the City of San Mateo, California. The neighborhood is divided into station/mixed-use and residential districts, which are further divided into 18 development blocks. The station/mixed-use district is primarily adjacent to Delaware Street, the major north/south street through the neighborhood. Blocks in the residential district to the east of Delaware Street form communities within Bay Meadows II. As of 2019, 11 blocks have been developed. When it is complete, Bay Meadows II will have 1250 residential units, 1.25 million square feet of office space, 150,000 square feet of retail space, and 15 acres of parks[6]
San Mateo County Superior Court
The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo is the California superior court with jurisdiction over San Mateo County.[7]
Peninsula Library System
Public library. The Peninsula Library System is a consortium of public and community college libraries in San Mateo County, California, United States, which serves the part of the San Francisco Bay Area known as "The Peninsula". The system has dozens of branches in local communities and at various area community colleges, a bookmobile, and automated book kiosks called Library-a-Go-Go.
The Peninsula Library System's mission states that it "strengthens local libraries through cooperation, enabling them to provide better service to their diverse communities."[8]
Draper University
University in San Mateo, California. Draper University, also known as Draper University of Heroes is a private, for-profit school located in San Mateo, California. Draper University partnered with Arizona State University in 2013 to offer students 15 course credits for a sixteen-week semester program. Prior to the partnership with ASU, the school was unaccredited.[9]
Address: 44 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo (North Central San Mateo)