Sports Spots in the Bay Area

Check out the best sports spots the Bay Area has to offer.

By: Ben Breslerman

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From indoor rock climbing in Oakland, CA, to visiting one of baseball’s most iconic stadiums across the Bay Bridge in sunny San Francisco, check out the best sports spots the Bay Area has to offer.

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Photo by: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images / Julio M., Visit Oakland

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images / Julio M., Visit Oakland

Within the confines of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex, Oracle Arena, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the O.co Coliseum, home of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and the MLB’s Oakland Athletics, are located just 0.2 miles apart from each other by foot.

Oracle Arena
Home of the Bay Area’s only professional basketball team, Oracle Arena features 72 private luxury suites, combined with enough regular seats to hold just over 19,500 screaming fans. Often referred to by locals as “The O,” Oracle Arena — after its 1997 renovation — is the largest of the 3 NBA arenas in California (the others are Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento and the Staples Center in Los Angeles).

O.co Coliseum
Home to the Oakland Raiders on football Sundays (and an occasional Thursday or Monday) and the Oakland Athletics for their 81 home games a season, O.co Coliseum is the last remaining multipurpose stadium that hosts both Major League Baseball and National Football League franchises. It also is the second-smallest stadium, capacity-wise, in both sports.

Great Western Power Co.

Photo by: Jeff Rueppel

Jeff Rueppel

During several trips to the West Coast over the past few years, it’s become evident to me that 1 outdoor sport in particular is picking up steam among fitness enthusiasts all across California: climbing. Because of the state’s warm climate, it’s pretty easy to see why climbers have taken to the mountains to get their adrenaline pumping. However, you can’t learn how to climb and perfect your craft by just heading out to the peaks for the first time and giving it a go — you’re practically begging to get hurt. Luckily for adventurers all over the great state of California, Touchstone Climbing Inc. has opened 9 climbing facilities, including 3 in the Bay Area. Although these state-of-the-art gyms are mainly known for their massive climbing walls, they offer so much more than that. From CrossFit and yoga to free weights and cardio, Great Western Power Co. and its 8 sister facilities are the perfect places to get your sweat on and your adrenaline pumping all at the same time.

Hiking Lands End

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Photo by: Torresigner/ Getty Images

Torresigner/ Getty Images

Some trails are defined by their elevation; others are defined by their terrain. Some trails are defined by their distance, and some are defined by their spectacular, awe-inspiring views. The latter happens to be the case for Lands End, a park situated within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. If you hike north on the Coastal Trail, you can literally walk along the edge of North America, with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean — and the entire Bay Area, for that matter — surrounding you at every turn. Various pocket beaches, caves and Sutro Baths ruins, among other amazing finds, may pop up along your way, so make sure to stop and take in all the beauty Lands End has to offer. It’s an absolute must when traveling to San Francisco.

AT&T Park

Photo by: San Francisco Travel Association/ Scott Chernis

San Francisco Travel Association/ Scott Chernis

If you happen to be in the Bay Area during baseball season, a trip to AT&T Park is an absolute must for any sports fan, and not just because the park is a thing of beauty. The recent history of dominance by its home team, the San Francisco Giants — who won 3 of the past 5 World Series — should be reason enough. Chosen by Sports Business Journal as 2008’s sports facility of the year, AT&T Park offers many special features, including breathtaking views of downtown San Francisco, the Giants Wall of Fame and one of the best-known attractions in all of baseball, McCovey Cove. Named after legendary Giants first baseman Willie McCovey, it is a section of the SF Bay located directly behind the right-field wall where fans can hop in a kayak or boat and float in the water until a home run is slammed over the wall. Once the ball hits the water, it’s a mad dash to see who will go home with a very special piece of game memorabilia. My best advice: Get your paddles ready!

SF Bay Sportfishing

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Photo by: Lonely Planet Images/ Getty Images

Lonely Planet Images/ Getty Images

It’s fair to assume that being located along the Pacific Ocean gives you a bit of a leg up with regards to sport fishing in the US. And there’s no better place in California to reel in the catch of your life than along Fisherman’s Wharf, the center of San Francisco’s rich fishing culture. From striped bass to sturgeon and even an occasional shark, SF Bay Sportfishing offers visitors the unique opportunity to go out with a real sea captain — Sean Treacy, an experienced fisherman who has been in the Bay Area since 1998 — and catch that big fish you’ve been dreaming about since you were a kid.

Levi's Stadium

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Photo by: Kyle Terada-USA Today Sports/ REUTERS

Kyle Terada-USA Today Sports/ REUTERS

After they made it to 3 consecutive conference championship games and 1 Super Bowl, it’s hard to imagine why the San Francisco 49ers would want to leave their home stadium of Candlestick Park for Levi’s Stadium. That is, until you see Levi’s Stadium. It’s billed as one of the “greenest” stadiums in the country, thanks to its use of solar panels, including the 27,000-square-foot “Green Roof” atop the suite tower. The NFL’s newest stadium will host not only 49ers games this year, but also the Pac-12 Football Championship Game, as well as several other sporting events and high-profile concerts, making it one of the premier entertainment facilities in the US.