Free Admission This Friday To Newark's Regional Parks

NEWARK, CA — Forget Black Friday — celebrate Green Friday! The East Bay Regional Park District is once again offering free admission and waiving all fees, including for park entrance, parking, dogs, horses, boat launching, fishing, as well as entry to Ardenwood Historic Farm.

The park district has been offering this deal the day after Thanksgiving for nearly a decade.

"Time in nature improves physical and mental health and is a great way to relieve holiday stress," said Park District Board President Dee Rosario. "The day after Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to get outside and spend time with family and friends."

The fee waiver does not include state fees for fishing licenses and watercraft inspections for invasive mussels or privately operated concessions such as the Tilden Merry-Go-Round and Redwood Valley Railway steam train.

The Park District’s Green Friday is part of the “#OptOutside” movement that started in 2015 when REI closed its doors on Black Friday and encouraged its employees and the public to explore the outdoors instead of shopping. Millions of people and hundreds of organizations now participate in #OptOutside each year.

Visitor Center activities planned for Green Friday include:

• Feast Your Eyes On Nature Hike at Black Diamon Mines Regional Preserve, 9-11:30 a.m. (Registration Required)
• Post Thanksgiving Hike It Off at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, 9-Noon
• Ojo De Dios at Ardenwood Historic Farm, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
• Animal Feeding at Ardenwood Historic Farm, 3-3:30 p.m.

While the free day is good at all East Bay Regional Parks, if you want to stay close to home, try these tri-city parks:

• Alameda Creek Regional Trail
• Ardenwood Historic Farm
• Coyote Hills Regional Park
• Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks
• Mission Peak Regional Preserve
• Ohlone Regional Wilderness
• Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area
• Vargas Plateau Regional Park