Antioch, CA Road Trips

Antioch is one of the oldest towns in California. It was founded in 1850 by two brothers, William and Joseph Smith, who named the town Smith's Landing. In 1851, the town's new minister persuaded the residents to change the name of the town to Antioch, for the Biblical city of Antioch, Syria. Antioch is the 270th largest city in America.

1 Antioch Historical Society Museum, 1500 W. 4th St (On the north side of the curve, where W. 4th becomes Auto Center Dr), ☏ +1 925 757-1326. W, Sa 1PM-4PM. An impressive collection of art and photos and memorabilia from all throughout Antioch's history. Each section focuses on a particular subject, such as the impressive collection of school items and memorabilia from Antioch and Deer Valley High Schools, and the movie projector and the posters associated with El Campanil. Located in what was originally the first high school constructed in Contra Costa County, this site is registered with the National Register of Historical Places. Free. (updated Jan 2019) 2 Antioch/Oakley Regional Shoreline, Bridgehead Rd At Wilbur Ave (Use Bridgehead Rd, parking is near the turn where Bridgehead goes under Hwy 160 and the Antioch Bridge). Daily 5AM-10PM. A 550-foot pier provides access to great fishing in the San Joaquin River. (updated Jan 2019) 3 Black Diamond Mines Regional Park, 5175 Somersville Rd (Extreme S end of Somersvile Rd, S of James Donlon Blvd), ☏ +1 510 544-2750, toll-free: +1-888-327-2757 (option 3 extension 4506). Seasonal hours - check website. The Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve includes the remains of several coal and sand mines and the sites of five long gone coal mining towns (Nortonville, Somersville, Stewartville, West Hartley and Judsonville). Safe sections of the mines can be toured on a guided tour. Importantly, do not attempt to enter any of the mines without a guide.

1 Antioch Public Fishing Pier, Near I St Pier (Just E of Riverview Lodge and I St Pier, N of Walden Plaza). A place where a lot of locals come and fish; there are no entrance fees and plenty of parking. (updated Jan 2019) 2 Antioch Marina, 5 Marina Plz (Northernmost end of L St), ☏ +1 925 779-6957. Daily 8AM-5PM. Great scenery and a very nice quiet place for walks. Has very decent rates at the marina and nice place to start out your day out on the San Joaquin River. See website for pricing. (updated Jan 2019) 3 Antioch Skatepark, 4701 Lone Tree Way (Behind the water park). Daily 7AM-8PM. A concrete, city-built skatepark for skateboards and rollerblades, free to all bikes are not allowed inside, bring water as there is little shade and it gets hot in the summer. Free. (updated Jan 2019) 4 Antioch Waterpark, 4701 Lone Tree Way (Light blue buildings in Prewett Park), ☏ +1 925 776-3070. Seasonal. A waterpark that is fun for people of all ages, has a variety of slides and pools. Check website. (updated Jan 2019) 5 Contra Loma Regional Park & Swim Lagoon, 1200 Frederickson Ln (W end of Frederickson at Contra Loma Blvd), ☏ +1 925 757-0404, toll-free: +1-888-327-2757. Seasonal - see website. A man made lagoon where swimming and fishing is allowed, a lot of great trails and scenery to see as well. Park at the intersection of Frederickson and Contra Loma, or turn N on Contra Loma and drive N to the parking near the lagoon. Seasonal - see website. (updated Jan 2019) 6 Delta Bowl, 3300 Delta Fair Blvd (Just W of Somersville, across the street from Macy's), ☏ +1 925 757-5424.

1 Aladino's Pizza, 1324 Sunset Dr (Hillcrest Sunset Plaza, near corner of Hillcrest Dr and Sunset Dr), ☏ +1 925 757-6363. M-Th 3PM-9PM, F-Su 11AM-9PM. A longtime local favorite for large pies and wings. Online ordering. Gluten-free options available. $20-35. (updated Jan 2019) 2 Hazel's Drive In, 1820 W 10th St (Near the corner of W 10th and Auto Center Dr), ☏ +1 925 757-4772. M-F 10:30AM-7:30PM, Sa 11AM-7:30PM, Su 10AM-3PM. A local favorite, has some very large burgers there, order a "Willy" Burger and if you can finish it, you get your name and picture on the wall. Under $15. (updated Dec 2018) 3 Little Manuel's, 1509 A St (Between E 15th St and E 16th St), ☏ +1 925 778-4740. Su-Th 11:30AM-9PM, F-Sa 11:30AM-10PM. Great Mexican and Italian food, plus a bar. Enjoy the wall art while you munch on the free chips, salsa and bean dip. $20-30. (updated Dec 2018) 4 Oliver Fish House, 1828 A St (South end of Antioch Square, near corner of W 18th St and A St), ☏ +1 925-754-2800. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. A snug little gem of excellent fried fish and chicken and a menu to suit all needs within that range, from a simple meal to a feast. $15-30. (updated Dec 2018) 5 Rick's On Second, 619 W 2nd St (Near corner of W 2nd St and G St, across from El Campanil), ☏ +1 925-757-5500, fax: +1 925 757-3876. M-Th 11AM-2PM, F-Sa 11AM-2PM, 5PM-8PM. One of the best places to get sandwiches in the area, a lot of the locals go here for lunch and dinner. Very nice little place, nice decor and pictures, very cozy feel. $15-30.

1 Mac's Old House, 3100 E 18th St, ☏ +1 925 757-9908. Great place for minestrone and steaks and has a very decent bar with a good happy hour.

1 Americas Best Value Inn Antioch, 1500 W 10th St, ☏ +1 925-754-7300, toll-free: +1-800-422-2340. 2 Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Antioch, 1605 Auto Center Dr, ☏ +1 925-522-0010.

Highway 4 runs through Antioch and splits near the Antioch Bridge, becoming Highway 160 north towards Sacramento while staying Highway 4 south for the route through Brentwood, eventually leading to Stockton. Tolls for the bridge are collected for northbound traffic, and there are 5 exits going East and 3 exits going west on Highway 4. This is the primary route between the Antioch and the rest of the Bay Area, which leads to heavy congestion during commuting hours in the morning and early evening. With Antioch's considerable sprawl, car rentals are the most convenient form of transportation for visitors. Local companies tend to offer better prices, but national chains might be more convenient as far as return policies and hours BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) connects Antioch with the majority of Contra Costa County, Oakland (including Oakland International Airport) and the rest of the East Bay from Richmond to Fremont and San Francisco and the Peninsula as well as the far northeastern reach of Silicon Valley, usually at a cost between $2 and $4 each way. Note that there is an extra $5 added to any fare beginning or ending at SFO. 1 Antioch BART station, at 1600 Slatten Ranch Rd, is inexplicably far from almost anything you might want to get to. You'll probably want to connect to a bus line (see below), have someone pick you up, or call a taxi/Uber/Lyft. Also keep in mind 2 Pittsburg Center BART station in Pittsburg, which is more convenient for some bus lines to Antioch. Amtrak serves Antioch with its Gold Runner train between Oakland and Bakersfield, via Fresno.

Tri-Delta Transit buses serve the area; pretty much all bus lines will take you to the BART in Pittsburg. County Connection bus #930 goes to Walnut Creek. Many of the routes are quite slow and circuitous. The main streets are Hillcrest, Lone Tree, Somersville, A Street and James Donlon. These streets can pretty much take you anywhere you need to go in Antioch. Tri-Delta Transit operates as local public transportation between Antioch, Bay Point and Pittsubrg on multiple routes. They also operate a single route from Pittsurg to Martinez (200x). Taxi service is available, but on a much reduced scale as compared to major cities, but you won't be able to hail a cab; it is necessary to call and arrange for a taxi to pick you up. Rates are fixed by city ordinance and do not vary among companies. Uber and Lyft operate in Antioch.

Exercise caution in downtown during nighttime, its dimly lit and the homeless are numerous in that area. As with any city just use smart judgement and you should be safe.