Exploring Concord's Attractions
Top Things to Do in Concord
Start on Todos Santos Plaza, the four-acre green square that anchors the historic core, because nearly everything radiates from that point—farmers’ markets on Tuesdays, food trucks on Thursday nights, and live music all summer during the Music & Market Series that runs June 5 – Sept 25.
From there it’s a two-minute stroll to the Concord Visitor Center, where you can grab a free Taco Trail or Beer Trail passport and line up your afternoon calories. Ten minutes north sits the Toyota Pavilion at Concord, a Live Nation amphitheater that pulls everyone from classic-rock revivals to Pierce the Veil’s 2025 world tour.
If you prefer your decibels indoors, Vinnie’s Bar & Grill on Mt Diablo Street runs open-mic Mondays and ticketed tribute nights all year, proving you don’t need to cross any bridges for head-banging therapy.
Must-Visit Attractions in the Bay Area
Concord’s edges bleed into regional icons: Mount Diablo’s summit road begins fifteen minutes south, making a 2,400-foot sunrise drive or bike climb totally doable before brunch (park hours 8 a.m.-sunset, Summit VC open daily 10-4.
On the north side, the Contra Costa Canal Trail parallels irrigation works for 13.6 miles of easy cycling or stroller pushing.
Engaging Festivals and Events
Concord wears its calendar proudly. Spring pops with the Spring Brews Festival in Todos Santos Plaza, a sudsy warm-up for Fall’s Oktoberfest. August drops the legacy-soaked Concord Jazz Festival, now folded into the Thursday concert lineup via Steve Snyder’s Big Band nights.
December caps things with the city-sponsored Tree Lighting & Mayor’s Sing-Along—families pack cocoa, the high-school choir belts carols, and yes, the mayor really does lead a verse of “Jingle Bells”.
Outdoor Activities and Parks
Hiking Trails Around Concord
You can fill a weekend loop just on dirt. Lime Ridge Open Space spreads 1,200 acres and 25 miles of trails along the limestone spine between Concord and Walnut Creek.
Quick leg-stretch? Hit the Ohlone Trail for chaparral views that feel SoCal dry yet clock only two miles if you turn at the saddle.
Longer sweat? Tack on the ridge and end with tacos at one of forty-plus taquerias on the city-supported Taco Trail because calories out deserve calories in.
Visit Todos Santos Plaza
Locals treat the plaza like a giant living room. Tuesday mornings pull retirees for year-round produce—9 a.m. start, first hour reserved for seniors—and Thursday sunsets bring younger crowds for zydeco bands and picnic blankets.
The square’s 1905 bandstand stays busy: swing dancers on jazz nights, mariachis during the Taco Trail kickoff, even outdoor yoga pop-ups. Sit with an iced horchata, watch toddlers dodge pigeons, and you’ll understand why city planners call Todos Santos the “front porch” of Concord.
Enjoying the Parks in Concord
Beyond the plaza, neighborhood parks dot every quadrant. Newhall Community Park strings playgrounds along Galindo Creek and hides a surprisingly technical BMX pump track. Markham Nature Park showcases a 45-tree international rose garden—peak bloom late April.
And if you just want open lawn, Willow Pass Community Park wraps softball diamonds and pickleball courts around a shady picnic grove that locals reserve for quinceañeras.
None of these charge an entry fee.
Shopping and Dining in Concord
Exploring Sunvalley Shopping Center
Any East Bay teenager who grew up in the ’80s recalls Sunvalley as the place to meet friends, and little has changed. The complex remains Contra Costa County’s largest mall, about 160 shops and restaurants under one roof, anchored by go-big flagships—Macy’s, JCPenney, and a Dick’s Sporting Goods big enough to stash a kayak fleet.
Remodels keep the skylights bright, and a 2024 facelift added an indoor e-cart track that hums like a Tesla showroom for tweens.
Unique Shops in Downtown Concord
Skip the chains and wander Mt Diablo Street for indie finds that Concord has to offer. Rasputin Music stocks wall-high vinyl and a bargain-bin that still sells five-dollar CDs to stubborn commuters. Down the block, aRt Cottage flips monthly exhibits inside a converted Craftsman bungalow; Yelp reviewers call it “the coolest little art gallery just off the square”.
Pop into Italian-import boutique Parma Delicatessen for prosciutto sandwiches that Bay Area Mercury News readers ranked among the region’s 16 best, and you’ll realize downtown shopping here means conversations with owners, not customer-service bots.
Local Dining Options and Drinks
Concord’s restaurant math reads like a taco-truck textbook: 40-plus independent taquerias form the city-promoted Taco Trail. Serious carnitas hunters chase the September-October Taco Trail Challenge, where passport stamps earn swag and shot-at-a-Hilton stay.
Beer fans, meanwhile, leverage the Contra Costa County Beer Trail—35+ breweries and taprooms stitched together by a mobile passport that swaps check-ins for merch. If you’d rather sit, the Hop Grenade inside the Veranda pours 20 rotating taps next to a radio studio that once hosted “the world’s first beer podcast”.
For old-school comfort, locals still fill gingham-lined booths at the Chateau for family-style red-sauce plates that haven’t left the menu since 1933’s grand opening.
Arts and Culture in Concord
Visit the Art Cottage
Artist FROgard Butler’s lilac bungalow is easy to miss but step through the garden gate and discover rotating shows that favor Bay-Area voices over blue-chip imports.
The gallery leans quirky: recent group shows paired plein-air landscapes with up-cycled fashion mannequins. There’s no entry fee; donations go to maintaining the micro-orchard out back.
Live Music Venues in Concord
The Toyota Pavilion books marquee tours—Styx in mid-June, Pierce the Veil two weeks later—but the city's soul lives in bars and open lawns. Vinnie’s rotates metal, comedy, and salsa; the Boardwalk a few miles east throws punk matinees.
During Music & Market season, Thursday headlines jump genres: zydeco one week, Beatles tributes next, turning the plaza into a free front-row seat.
Engaging with Local Artists
Concord, California's creative footprint stretches beyond galleries: murals bloom on utility boxes, and MUSE Jazz Collective ticketed sets at Todos Santos let local horn players jam without crossing the Caldecott Tunnel.
The city also funds “Utility Art” mini-grants, so don’t be surprised if your crosswalk button sports a mini-mosaic of Mount Diablo.
Family-Friendly Activities
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
East Bay summers can hit triple digits, making Hurricane Harbor’s 30-acre wave pools and 100-foot Break Point Plunge slide the most-googled phrase among Contra Costa parents come July.
Prestige Memberships promise free friend tickets and VIP entrances through the entire 2025 season, and you can upgrade to combo passes for Discovery Kingdom when roller-coaster cravings kick in.
Fun at Local Events
Kids spin glow-batons during Autumn’s Oktoberfest, pose with costumed engineers at the Steampunk street fair every September, and sip free cocoa at the December Tree Lighting. Even the grown-up Brew Fest taps root-beer kegs for drivers under the age of 21—because the city of Concord believes family-friendly should include the whole family.
Activities for Kids in Concord
Morning: splash pad on the east side of Todos Santos; midday: shaded sandboxes at Newhall Park; afternoon: popcorn at Veranda LUX’s recliner movie theater.
If you need an educational kicker, the Concord Library hosts Lego Club on Wednesdays, and aRt Cottage’s “Budding Artists” sessions let six-year-olds fling washable paint onto mini canvases.
Stay Updated with the Concord Newsletter
Benefits of Subscribing
Visit Concord’s monthly email shares early bird codes for Concord Pavilion shows, announces pop-up Beer Trail merch, and pushes first-come RSVPs to skate nights at Hurricane Harbor—all free in exchange for your inbox.
The email’s footer lists the next Tree Lighting, season-opening date for Music & Market, and any “Plan B workshops” that help displaced workers tap free county job-training. Translation: less scrolling Instagram, more planning actual weekends.
Related Partners and Local Businesses
Subscribers see rotating partner spots—think 10 percent off Lime Ridge ebike rentals or a comped appetizer on Moody Street during Taco Trail week—thanks to alliances with the Chamber of Commerce and Bike Concord.
Things to Do in Concord, CA FAQs
When is the best time to visit Concord?
Late spring and early fall dodge triple-digit heat yet still land inside the Music & Market or Oktoberfest windows, so you get both outdoor fun and festival energy without melting.
Is Concord, CA walkable?
Downtown blocks, Todos Santos Plaza, and the BART station all lie within half a mile; add bikes or scooters and you can cover Sunvalley Mall and Newhall Park without firing up a car.
Do I need reservations for Six Flags Hurricane Harbor?
Day tickets can sell out on holiday weekends. Season pass holders skip the capacity cap, so locals often obtain the monthly plan to guarantee entry.
Where can I find live music on a non-festival night?
Check Vinnie’s Bar’s calendar first—open-mic Mondays and ticketed weekend shows post online monthly—and scan the Toyota Pavilion page for big tours rolling through.
