Forming part of San Francisco’s East Bay region, Antioch overlooks the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Its fertile lands have long supported a thriving agricultural industry and it’s now a sought-after residential area due to its abundant greenery and waterfront setting.
Things to do in Antioch
Occupying the 1910-built Riverview Union High School Building is the Antioch Historical Museum, which preserves and showcases the town’s past. In the Delta Room, you’ll find exhibits about the First Nations people who inhabited the region, while the School Room illustrates what local schools looked like throughout the decades. Also within the museum is an exhibit dedicated to the Antioch Fire Department.
For insight into Antioch’s history of farming, visit the Mangini Agricultural Museum at the county fairgrounds. Learn about the origins of our food and the fibres used to make our clothes, then get up close to vintage farming equipment and machinery. As a working farm, the Mangini Agricultural Museum also encompasses produce-filled gardens to explore.
On the southern bank of the San Joaquin River is the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, which supports several endangered plant species and one of the last known populations of Lange's metalmark butterfly. Join a ranger-led tour to learn about the importance of this sensitive sand dune habitat and the work that has gone into restoring it. On the other side of Antioch are the beaver ponds of the Corteva Wetlands Preserve.
Getting around Antioch
Antioch is around an hour’s drive from San Francisco and 1.5 hours from San Francisco International Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Long-distance trains connect to the Antioch-Pittsburg railway station while Bay Area Rapid Transit services stop at the Antioch eBART Station. Buses are available for getting around Antioch.