1.The Summer Street Fair Is A Total Blast
See live bands and rub elbows with friendly city folk on a Thursday night. There’s face painting, games, and pony rides for the kids, and beer gardens and drink specials at all the bars for the grownups.
2. You Won’t Believe This Outrageous Urban Legend Involving The Hayward Plunge
The story goes that in the 1960s, a swim coach led his students to this creek and told them to wait until he came back. They waited and waited. Then the swim coach came back and murdered them all, leaving their bodies in the creek. Supposedly the boys’ ghosts haunt the park at night.
3. Emil Villa’s Barbecue Is The Best Kept Secret In The Bay Area
California is not as famous for barbecue as, say, Kansas City, but the Hayward has its own special version at Emil Villa’s. You can get a taste of what the East Bay must have felt like in the 60s with its old school decor. Plus, your taste buds will thank you.
4. Get Six Feet Deep Fried Fun At Digger's Diner
Source: Instagram user tfpbeatz
Digger’s Diner got its name because one of the co-founders was a gravedigger, which is made clear with menu items such as The Coffin Burger, The Crypt, and The Preacher’s Special. They also have treats like funnel cake fries, so you know that you’re in for a good time.
If dark humor on the menu doesn’t make you feel at home, the hospitality will.
5. Pot-Pie Paradise Is Not An Oxymoron
Pot Pie Paradise’s location in a strip mall doesn’t take away from the deliciousness of their take-and-bake pot pies. This place has vegetarian and vegan options, too. But take note, it’s only open a couple hours a day.
6. Locals Love To Loathe the Hayward Loop
There’s a part of the Hayward Loop known to locals as “The Merge Of Doom.” When you try to merge onto the Hayward Loop at Jackson and Foothill, make sure to watch your your back. If you’re a pedestrian, find somewhere else to cross!
7. Cal State Hayward Forever!
Even though the name was changed Cal State East Bay, it will always be Cal State Hayward to locals.
8. If You’re Square, Vintage Alley Will Help You Get Cool, Dig?
Need to get those cigarette pants and maintain your rock-n-roll look and lifestyle? Vintage Alley is the go-to place. They carry classic, retro, rockabilly, pin up, old school, and classic clothing. Plus they have a vintage car show every year.
9. Learn To Drink Like A Local At The Stein Lounge
This friendly hole in the wall has a great jukebox, pool table, and friendly bartender. Plus there are a bunch of beer steins hanging from the ceiling. This is the place to go to wear those great duds you got at Vintage Alley while you knock back a couple of cold ones.
10. Soak Up The Sun On The Tiki Patio At The Turf Club
This straight-friendly gay bar with a very welcoming atmosphere has karaoke, a kitschy awesome tiki patio, and a big wooden dance floor. It’s been around forever, so you know it’s gotta be good.
11. Hayward Is A Welcoming, Affirming Community For All Folks
The oldest continually running gay prom in the United States has been happening every year in Hayward since 1995.
The dance is for youth ages 20 and under, and was started to provide a space for LGBT teens and their friends to experience a high school prom in a safe environment. There’s a great documentary about it called “Now We Can Dance.”
12. When You Get In The Mood For Some Blues, Hayward’s Got The Cure
The Hayward Russell City Blues Festival offers two days of blues music. During its heyday in the 1940s and '50s, The Russell City area of Hayward was one of the West Coast's blues capitals, hosting such legends as Big Joe Turner and Big Mama Thornton. So, now you know.
13. Start Your Musical Career At The Bistro’s Open Mic Night
The Bistro is where those who want to showcase their talents in front of a crowd go to get down. It’s also home to over 12 microbrews on tap and an annual IPA festival. Sample new beers and new sounds. If you don’t hit it big, at least you tasted some great brews.
14. Hayward Has It’s Very Own Fault Zone, And It’s Terrifying
Yeah, yeah, everyone knows, California is waiting for the Big One, but Hayward is safer, since it isn’t directly on the San Andreas Fault, right?
Not quite. Hayward has its own fault line and it was the epicenter of a 7.0 earthquake back in the 1800s.
15. The Zucchini Fest Is Top Notch As Far As Vegetable Festivals Go
The zucchini has its own festival in Hayward. You can eat it fried, steamed, in a casserole, raw, smothered in cheese sauce, or plain. If you grow your own, enter it in a zucchini contest where they’re not judged based on size, but by how similar they look to Richard Nixon.
16. Hayward Takes Wine Out Of The Bars And Into The Street At Passeio Do Vinho
One weekend a year Hayward takes wine to the streets during The Passeio Do Vinho Wine Walk. The event pops its cork on Aug 16 every year. Stroll and sample different wines, listen to live music, and celebrate the city’s rich Portuguese heritage.
17. Garin & Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks Is Like, Really Pretty
Get in touch with nature on these trails in the hills above the city. With spectacular views of Hayward and the Bay, you’ll have trouble coming back down.
18. The Blue Waters Of The Don Castro Swim Lagoon Are Clearly Amazing
This urban oasis is a summer favorite for those in Hayward who want to get out, have a picnic, and go for a swim.
19. Val's Burgers Is Like Being A Living Breathing Norman Rockwell Painting
True to its 1950s roots, Val’s makes burgers, shakes, and fries that are a hit in Hayward. Be sure to bring cash though, just like in the 50s they don’t take credit cards.
20. Buffalo Bills Sparked The Microbrew Revolution In California
In 1983, California finally made it legal to both brew beer and sell it by the pint in the same location. Buffalo Bills was one of the first brewpubs to open in California, and played a part in sparking the microbrew renaissance we enjoy today. They have great craft brew as well as fruity seasonal specialties.
21. The Hayward Japanese Tea Garden Is The Perfect Place To Pause For Some Quiet Reflection
Another one of Hayward’s hidden gems, The Japanese Tea Garden has fancy wooden bridges, well manicured bushes, and a Koi fish pond that has a mini fountain. You can sit under the center pagoda, reflect on the beautiful surroundings, and simply appreciate life.
22. Hayward’s Home Of Not One But Two Haunted Mansions!
If you ask people in Hayward, they will tell you the paranormal is real, especially at the old McConaghy House. People report hearing voices and seeing apparitions amongst other things. The Meek Mansion also has some strange happenings going on, but those ghosts are more on the humble side.
23. Discover The Joy Of Street Food At The Off The Grid Food Truck Extravaganza
With the idea of bringing communities together through food, Off The Grid creates public spaces on a weekly basis that incorporate local businesses with a side of music, community, craft, and soul.
24. Get To Know Your City At The Saturday Farmers’ Market
Getting out to buy some fresh veggies and seeing your community at the farmers market in downtown Hayward is a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Grab a bag of kettle corn and have a great time.
25. If Paul Bunyan Had A Grandson, It Would Be Big Mike The Muffler Man
This Towering fiberglass statue eerily resembles Paul Bunyan, but since he is from the 1960s, he has had a more modern career. First he stood guard at a car wash, holding a scrub brush, then he stood outside a tire shop until the place closed down. He has since come out of retirement to be the mascot for a plastics fabrication business.
26. Hayward Has A Bucket Load Of Resources For Young Artists
Is that library book return painted like an animal? Why, yes it is. Hayward’s Mural Art Program works with youth and artists to create murals throughout the city. You can see the success of this program shine through in the amount of murals and public art found around town.
27. You May Become Addicted To Going To The Eden Landing Ecological Reserve
Hayward has a beautiful shoreline, but not in the way that makes a great beach. This is more of a place to take a stroll through the wetlands, see some birds, and look at the mountains. Along the shores of the bay, hidden among the salt ponds is the Oliver Salt Works, an old salt factory.
28. Locals Are Either Casper’s Fans Or Kasper’s Fans
In Hayward, there are two choices for hot dogs, and you had better choose one. Casper’s, the original Hayward hot dog stand, and Kasper’s, which rolled around a bit later. You might have to try both of them out to decide which side of the fence you are on.
29. No, The Reptile Room Is Not A Big Dance Club, Even Though It Looks Like One
This store, which resembles a mirrored box on the outside isn’t some crazy nightclub catering to those with a reptilian attraction. No, it’s just a store that sells all things reptile.
What do you love about living in Hayward? Tell us in the comments below!
