Lake Merritt (Oakland, California)
USA /
California /
Piedmont /
Oakland, California
World
/ USA
/ California
/ Piedmont
World / United States / California
lake, wildlife sanctuary, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places
The Jewel of Oakland. Not actually a lake, but an estuary, as it is connected to the bay, has tides, and its water is brackish. The lake is the site of the first wild life preserve in the continent. The lake is circumscribed with its signature "Necklace of Lights," incandescent lightbulb strings hung between cast iron lampposts. Originally dating back to before the 1920s, they were taken down during WWII for the blackouts. The Necklace was re-created in the 1990's, and circles almost all of the lake.
Other treasures of the lake are Children's Fairyland, first amusement park for young
children in the country, the Sailboat House, Rotary Science Center, and Lake Merritt Garden Center and it's gardens. The Bonsai garden contains the first bonsai tre ever brought to the U.S. during the Lincoln presidency.
Another major fixture is a huge and ever growing flock of Canada geese that seem to inhabit the area year round, covering almost every square foot of ground around the lake in bird droppings and broken mussel shells.
National Register of Historic Places # 66000205
Other treasures of the lake are Children's Fairyland, first amusement park for young
children in the country, the Sailboat House, Rotary Science Center, and Lake Merritt Garden Center and it's gardens. The Bonsai garden contains the first bonsai tre ever brought to the U.S. during the Lincoln presidency.
Another major fixture is a huge and ever growing flock of Canada geese that seem to inhabit the area year round, covering almost every square foot of ground around the lake in bird droppings and broken mussel shells.
National Register of Historic Places # 66000205
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Merritt
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 37°48'16"N 122°15'22"W
- Alameda Point 6.7 km
- The Presidio of San Francisco 20 km
- Former Mare Island Naval Shipyard 35 km
- Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve 38 km
- Burleigh H. Murray Ranch 40 km
- Jack London State Historic Park 68 km
- Drake's Bay 69 km
- Almaden Quicksilver County Park 73 km
- Farallon Islands 76 km
- Fort Ross State Historic Park 121 km
- Lakeside Park 0.1 km
- Oakland 12th Street Project 0.6 km
- Lakeside 0.7 km
- Oakland Museum of California 0.9 km
- Laney College 1.1 km
- Uptown 1.1 km
- Oakland Chinatown 1.2 km
- Lake Merritt-Oakland Estuary Channel 1.3 km
- Jack London Square Neighborhood 1.8 km
- San Francisco Bay 10 km