Arts & Entertainment
Merced is a city located in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. recreational activities include:
- Multicultural Arts Center
- Playhouse Mercede
- Merced Theater
- Merced Symphony Orchestra
- Merced City College
- Merced Shakespeare Fest
Applegate Park & Zoo
Since 1962, Applegate Park Zoo has been home to many rescued and rehabilitated wild animals in need of a safe place to live. Currently, the zoo houses over 75 native California mammals, birds, and reptiles. No longer able to survive independently in their normal habitat, these ambassadors from the wild receive needed care and protection from the zoo.
Picnic at Laura’s Fountain
Laura’s Fountain is a beautiful and historically significant fountain at the edge of Applegate Park in Merced, Ca. Charles H. Huffman built this fountain in 1888 to honor his wife, Laura. Because of Laura Fountain, Merced was known as Fountain City to many traveling train passengers.
Vista Ranch & Cellars
Vista Ranch & Cellars is a local destination which hosts private and public events, ranging from our Pumpkin Festival to breakfast with Santa and concerts.They are an agritourism destination with amazing gardens and our wine tasting room is open daily.
MERCED SHAKESPEARE FEST
The summer Shakespeare festival is fun for the whole family and our summer production is still free of charge. It happens during daylight hours in the beautiful green Applegate Park in Merced, California.We offer a quality, fast-paced performance with a minimal set in an abridged version, usually 90 minutes long. Local performers are cast in open auditions two to three months before each show.
Castle Air Museum
A visit to the Castle Air Museum gives visitors a peek into the past and lends insight into the evolution of aircraft and the past milestones of aviation. It offers visitors of all ages a glimpse of what the future of aerospace might hold. The collection encompasses nearly seventy restored vintage military aircraft ranging from pre-WWII to the present on approximately twenty acres of beautifully-maintained grounds.
MERCED THEATER
The Merced Theatre is located at 301 W. Main Street, at the corner of Main Street and Martin Luther King Way, in Merced, California. The theatre is significant both for its role as the social and cultural center of Merced from the Depression through the post World War II era and for its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.