Plus appréciés Attractions à Palo Alto

Bryant Street Gallery offers for sale a variety of paintings, sculptures and photography by local Bay Area artists in addition to other American artists. They occasionally hold artists' receptions when new exhibits are installed so visitors can meet the artist. Even if you aren't in the market to purchase a work of art, visitors are welcome to just browse. The gallery also offers framing services.

The Elizabeth Gamble Garden is a 2.5-acre (one hectare) property that includes a historic Victorian home, carriage house, tea house, a gazebo, and formal and demonstration gardens. The garden is home to fruit trees, a herb garden, several varieties of irises, perennials, roses, wisterias and a Mediterranean garden. If you come at just the right time of year, you may even see the garden at the peak of its cherry blossom season! Home gardening classes taught by master gardeners are offered throughout the year, and tours are available for groups of eight or more who call in advance; the property is also a popular site for weddings and wedding receptions. Admission is free to the public every day during daylight hours, though the office is only open during weekdays.

A fabulous mix of undulating savanna grassland and evergreen forests, Enid Pearson-Arastradero Preserve teems with wildlife and natural bounty. Hugging the Arastradero Lake, the grassy knolls and hills make way for forested areas and nature trails. Much favored among bikers and hikers, most of the trails in the park are open through the year. Mountain lions, bobcats and deer are found aplenty here, so are many species of birds that flock around its pristine water bodies.

The Baylands Nature Preserve is known for its birdwatching and is considered one of the best birdwatching areas on the West Coast, offering both tidal and fresh water habitats. This park boasts of a total of 1940 acres (785 hectares) of swampland, which is the largest tract of undisturbed swampland remaining in the Bay Area, and 15 miles (24 kilometers) of trails. Besides birdwatching, visitors can also enjoy canoeing, kayaking or windsurfing in the ponds and lakes. Educational signs have been put up in place to educate visitors about natural habitats. Kids will love Baylands too as it is home to the Palo Alto Duck Pond and the trails too vary in difficulty levels. This park is open daily from 8a till sunset.

Located right next to the picturesque Professorville neighborhood, the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo has been a reliable source of family fun since 1934, when it was established as the first children's museum west of the Mississippi. The zoo houses around 200 species of animals, including snakes, reptiles, tortoises, sharks, raccoons, bats, a red-tailed hawk and two bobcats. A total of 14 hands-on museum exhibits are designed to educate children about physics, earth science and math. It is also a popular destination for field trips and birthday parties.

Founded in 1990 from the private collection of Frank Livermore, the Museum of American Heritage is housed in the historic Williams House, a 1907 Craftsman-style home right across from scenic Heritage Park. The museum's exhibits display technology and inventions from the 19th and 20th Centuries in an era-appropriate setting. Special exhibits rotate through the gallery several times a year highlighting certain historical artifacts, from toasters to toys. The museum also offers children's summer camps and several special events throughout the year. Another plus: admission is free, though donations are welcome and appreciated. For your tiny tots the Lego Exhibit is worth a watch, there is also a pretty garden at the back of the museum. A visit to Museum of American Heritage will make you ponder over how life used to be 100 years ago.