Dublin: History, Art and Open Spaces

Dublin brings historic sites and public art together with parks and open landscapes. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, you can shape your trip around the themes that interest you: city history, public art, trails through the preserve or swimming facilities. Each place and activity offers a different focus—from historic buildings to a seasonal water park.

History and Places of Remembrance

Dublin Heritage Park & Museums is a 10-acre park with historic buildings, lawns, the Pioneer Cemetery and picnic areas. The cemetery also offers a way to explore history: you can select individual headstones, memorial benches, monuments or burial plots using a digital feature to view more information.

The Dublin Camp Parks Military History Center preserves the history of the military base and explains how it helped shape Dublin’s transformation from a rural transportation hub into a thriving city. St. Raymond’s Church offers another historical perspective. Built in 1858 in the Greek Revival style, it is considered one of the earliest wooden churches in Alameda County and the only church of its kind in Dublin.

Kolb House also offers insights into a different kind of history. Its collection includes original rooms furnished in the period style, Kolb family furniture from the Mission and Arts and Crafts traditions, family photographs and personal belongings. Together, these places show history on different scales: the city’s development, its architectural history and the objects associated with one family.

Art in Parks and Public Spaces

Emerald Glen Park, a 48.2-acre park at the intersection of Tassajara Road and Central Parkway, features the site-specific public artwork “Divided Sea” at its entrance. At Don Biddle Community Park, large sculptures commemorating veterans complement the park grounds. The park also has tennis and basketball courts, two playgrounds, a community garden and an orchard.

Other artworks explore Dublin’s history and a range of themes. “Crossroads” in Don Biddle Park is designed as a plaza crossed by two streets; the work recalls Dublin as a crossroads for stagecoach routes. “Dust in the Universe” in Kolb Park uses a floor of concrete tiles to depict themes in particle physics. Along the fence at Dougherty Hills Dog Park stretch the “Dogs of Dublin,” added in 2020: 80 colorful dog silhouettes across a length of almost 500 feet.

Trails, Open Space and Swimming

Outdoor activities vary in character depending on the trails and landscapes. The Iron Horse Regional Trail runs through Dublin and connects directly to the Dublin/Pleasanton and Pleasant Hill BART stations. Dublin Hills Regional Open Space Preserve covers about 654 acres in an undeveloped open-space corridor of ridgelines and steep-sided canyons. Its trails provide access for hikers, cyclists and horseback riders, as well as outstanding views. Golden eagles hunt in its grasslands; in California, they are considered a species of special concern and are fully protected.

At The Wave, the distinction between seasonal and year-round offerings also matters. During the summer water park season, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Waterslide Tower has six water slides. The indoor pool, by contrast, offers swimming lessons, lap swimming and water aerobics year-round. For planning your trip, this provides a clear guide: the tower is part of the summer season, while the indoor pool programs listed are available year-round.

Explore Dublin Based on Your Interests

If you’re especially interested in architectural and city history, Heritage Park & Museums, the Military History Center and St. Raymond’s Church offer different points of connection. Those who want to focus on art will find several works with very different themes, from city history and particle physics to dog silhouettes. For an outdoor focus, choose the Iron Horse Regional Trail, which runs through Dublin, or the landscape of Dublin Hills Regional Open Space Preserve.

Discover more destinations: Union City, Emeryville, Piedmont, Newark, Pleasanton, Sunol, Castro Valley, Berkeley.

For the main travel overview: Alameda.