The shortcuts, secrets, and insider moves that make Davis work better for you — whether you just moved here, enrolled here, work here, or have lived here 30 years and somehow never knew.
You can bike or walk from one end of Davis to the other — north to south, east to west — without ever touching a major road. The greenbelt system is over 50 miles of dedicated off-street paths that connect every school, park, and neighborhood. Stop fighting car traffic. Learn the greenbelt route from your house to wherever you go every day. It exists, and it's faster than you think.
You don't need to buy a bike to live the Davis bike life. Green Bicycle Depot on Olive Drive rents quality bikes for as little as $10 a day. If you're visiting, new to town, or your bike is in the shop, this is the move. They also sell solid used bikes if you decide to commit to the lifestyle — and in Davis, you will.
UC Davis charges $17/day for parking on weekdays — but on weekends and holidays, campus parking lots are completely free. If you want to visit the Arboretum, the Shrem Museum, the Honey Bee Haven, or any campus attraction, go on a Saturday or Sunday and pay nothing. During the week, park at the Davis Commons lot (1st & D Street) for free 2-hour parking and walk in through the Shovel Gateway. Never pay $17 to park at the Arboretum.
Everyone goes to the Saturday market. It's packed, parking is a nightmare, and the best produce is gone by 9:30 AM. The Wednesday evening market (mid-March through October, 4:30–7:30 PM at Central Park) has the same vendors, smaller crowds, live music, and a "picnic dinner on the grass" vibe that's way more relaxed. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine. This is the market the locals actually prefer.
The Davis Food Co-op bulk section is one of the most underused money-saving tools in Davis. Spices that cost $8 in a jar are $2 when you scoop exactly what you need. Same for grains, nuts, oils, flour, and dried goods. You don't have to be a member to shop there — membership is optional. Bring your own jars and bags for extra sustainability points.
When you're running between classes or meetings and the options are fast food or nothing, Acai Fresh on G Street is the hack. 100% organic acai bowls, ready in minutes, packed with actual nutrition. It's not a smoothie pretending to be a meal — the soft-serve consistency from their custom machine makes it a real thing. Same owners as YoloBerry, which means they've been feeding Davis right for 18 years.
Every freelancer and remote worker in Davis fights for a table at the downtown coffee shops. Meanwhile, Volt Coffee, Tea & Taps on Olive Drive has great coffee, craft beer, food trucks, plenty of seating, and a community atmosphere — without the downtown crowd. It's where the locals work when they don't want to be bothered. Open 8 AM to 9 PM.
This is the parenting life hack that every Davis family needs to know. Bubble Gum Art Studio lets you drop your kids off for a supervised art session — painting, sculpting, creating — for two to three hours. Your kids come home covered in paint and pride. You get to have an actual conversation with your partner, eat a meal without cutting someone else's food, or just sit in silence for 90 minutes. It's childcare disguised as enrichment, and it's a lifeline.
Every Davis kid knows this, but if you're new here: Slide Hill Park in South Davis has a long concrete slide built into a hillside. Bring a flattened cardboard box, sit on it, and you'll go about three times faster. Kids will do this for literally hours. There are no lines, no tickets, and no screens. It's the most analog, zero-cost entertainment in Davis, and your kids will remember it long after they've forgotten every iPad game they ever played.
The Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus has over eight million insect specimens and lets kids hold live bugs — including Madagascar hissing cockroaches. It's free, it's air-conditioned, and the look on a five-year-old's face when they hold a giant beetle for the first time is worth more than any theme park ticket. Open select days — check their schedule before you go.
Between UC Davis, the city, and the downtown association, there are free events in Davis nearly every week — concerts in the park, gallery openings at the Natsoulas Gallery and Pence Gallery, Art Walk nights, Farmers Market live music, Whole Earth Festival, Picnic Day, and community celebrations. The problem isn't a lack of free things to do. The problem is nobody puts them in one place. Bookmark the Davis Downtown events page and check it every Monday morning. You'll never pay for weekend entertainment again.
Sudwerk Brewing hosts a free pub quiz every Wednesday at 7 PM — all ages welcome. It's hosted by a local legend, the beer is excellent, and it's genuinely fun whether you're competitive or just there for something to do on a weeknight. If you're new to Davis and want to meet people without it being weird, a trivia night at a brewery is as low-pressure as it gets.
Davis summers are brutal — regularly above 100°F. But here's what the locals know: every evening between 6 and 8 PM, the Delta Breeze rolls in from the San Francisco Bay through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and drops the temperature 15–20 degrees. Open every window in your house at 6 PM, close them again in the morning, and you can cut your AC bill dramatically. This breeze is the reason people have survived Central Valley summers for generations.
If you're new to Davis, the tule fog will catch you off guard. Between late November and March, thick ground fog can reduce visibility to near zero on I-80 and Highway 113 — particularly between Davis and Sacramento. Two rules: never use high beams in tule fog (they reflect back at you and make it worse), and if you can see the taillights of a truck ahead of you, match their speed and follow at a safe distance. They drive through this every day. Locals know to add 20 minutes to the commute on fog mornings and nobody tries to be a hero.
When Davis feels too small or you need a change of scenery, drive 20 minutes west on Putah Creek Road to Winters. It's a charming little town with outstanding restaurants (Buckhorn, Preserve), a great bakery, tasting rooms, and access to Putah Creek Canyon for hiking and swimming holes in the summer. It's close enough for a weeknight dinner and far enough to feel like a getaway. Most new residents don't discover Winters for months. Now you know.
Not a bar person? Not into the downtown scene? Go to YoloBerry Yogurt at 10 PM on any night of the week. Seriously — it's one of the busiest spots in Davis late at night, and it's a frozen yogurt shop. Families, students, couples, groups of friends — everyone ends up here. Four marriage proposals have happened at YoloBerry that the owners know of. It's been a Davis institution for 18 years, and it's the kind of place that makes you realize this town is different in the best way.
If you just moved here and don't know anyone, go to Rocknasium. Indoor climbing is inherently social — you're spotting each other, problem-solving routes together, and hanging out between climbs. The regulars are friendly, the staff is welcoming, and there's a community feel that's hard to find at a regular gym. They've been in Davis since 1992 and the monthly potlucks are legendary. Show up, climb, talk to people. You'll have friends within two visits.
The Carolee Shields White Flower Garden in the UC Davis Arboretum was designed in the style of Japanese and Indian moon-viewing gardens. Every plant in the garden is white, specifically chosen to glow under moonlight. Visit on a clear night around a full moon and it's genuinely magical — the kind of experience that makes you forget you're in a college town in the Central Valley. It's free, open 24/7, and almost nobody goes at night. This is where you take someone when you want to make an impression.
New Hacks Every Month
We're adding new life hacks as we discover them — and as the Davis community shares theirs with us. Got a hack we missed?
Send Us Your Hack →Want More Davis Insider Knowledge?
The Life Hacks page is just the beginning. Explore our full guides and local secrets.
75+ Things to Do in Davis →MyDavis Life Hacks is written by people who live in Davis, work in Davis, and have collectively spent decades figuring out how this town works. We update this page monthly. Have a hack or a correction? Email us.