Downtown Redwood City

Downtown Redwood City packs more into a few blocks than almost anywhere else on the Peninsula. The 1910 county courthouse anchors one end of Broadway with its glass dome. In front of it lies Courthouse Square, a paved plaza that hosts free concerts, outdoor movies and holiday crowds. Across the street a 1929 movie palace books live shows. A block away a 20-screen multiplex runs films from late morning to late evening. Dozens of restaurants, bars and cafes fill the gaps.

Our Redwood City town guide covers the city's history, parks and daily life. This page zooms in on the downtown core: what to see, how the square works, which events are on the calendar and how to get there from Palo Alto without fighting for parking.

How downtown is laid out

Downtown Redwood City sits between El Camino Real to the west and Highway 101 to the east. The Caltrain station is on its western edge. Broadway is the main street. It runs roughly parallel to the tracks, crossed by Main Street, Middlefield Road, Jefferson Avenue and Winslow Street. Arches spelling out the city's slogan, "Climate Best by Government Test," span Broadway near the edges of the district.

The center of gravity is Courthouse Square at 2200 Broadway. The History Museum fills the old courthouse on the north side. The Fox Theatre stands across Broadway. The Cinemark multiplex is a short walk away. Most restaurants cluster on Broadway, on Main Street and on Middlefield Road, all within a ten-minute walk of the station.

One change is worth knowing before you go. In 2024 the City Council voted to keep the 2000 block of Broadway and the cross street at Redwood Creek closed to cars for good, according to a 2025 report in The Almanac. The closure began during the pandemic as outdoor dining space. It means a stretch of Broadway now works as a pedestrian mall, with tables in the street.

Courthouse Square

Courthouse Square is the city's front porch. It is a broad paved plaza in front of the courthouse's columned facade, with fountains along the sides and room for a stage and a big screen. On an ordinary weekday it is a place to eat a sandwich and watch children run through the water jets. On summer evenings and holiday weekends it can hold thousands of people.

The square exists because the city chose to uncover the old courthouse. For decades a 1930s annex hid the 1910 building's front. The annex was removed and the plaza built in its place, so the dome and columns face Broadway again. At night the dome is lit in changing colors, which makes the square a good place to end an evening even when nothing is scheduled.

• Seating: Benches and low walls line the edges. For events, bring a low chair or a blanket.
• Water: The fountains are popular with children in warm weather, so pack a towel if yours are likely to get wet.
• Food: Takeout from nearby restaurants is the norm on event nights. Our Redwood City food guide lists places within a short walk.

San Mateo County History Museum

The San Mateo County Historical Association runs the History Museum inside the 1910 courthouse at 2200 Broadway. The building is worth seeing for itself. Look up at the stained-glass dome and down at the mosaic tile floor before you start on the galleries. The galleries trace the Peninsula from the Ohlone through the rancho era, logging, the great estates, the railroads and the growth of Silicon Valley suburbs.

The association's website lists the museum as open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Mondays. It charges a modest admission with discounts for seniors and students and free entry for small children. Check historysmc.org for current prices before you go.

New exhibits in November 2026

The association has announced a "History in Motion" grand opening celebration for Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the museum campus, rain or shine. Its published schedule starts with music on Courthouse Square at 10 a.m. and a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. New exhibits open from 11 a.m., with craft activities for children, music and short pop-up talks. The same association is raising money for a planned Taube Family Carriage House.

The museum ticket also helps you plan the rest of a history day. The association also runs the Sánchez Adobe in Pacifica and the 1854 Woodside Store in the hills, covered on our Woodside village page.

Movies and the Fox Theatre

Downtown has two very different places to sit in the dark.

The Fox Theatre opened on January 2, 1929 as the New Sequoia Theater and now books live shows rather than films. Its website lists a seating capacity of 1,100 across two levels, plus Club Fox next door for smaller shows. Tickets are sold online or by phone because the box office window is suspended. Some events on its calendar are sold by outside promoters instead. Our Fox Theatre guide explains how that works and covers the building's history.

Cinemark Century Redwood Downtown 20 and XD is the multiplex a short walk from the square. It opened in 2006 with shops and restaurants at street level and is listed by Cinemark with an XD large-format screen and luxury loungers. Our movie theaters guide compares it with the Stanford Theatre and the Aquarius.

Events on the square

The city's events team and local groups use Courthouse Square through much of the year. These are the regular ones, with dates only where the organizer has published them.

In 2026 the city also turned the square into a World Cup watch party on June 25 and hosted a free BraveMaker Film Festival screening on July 9. The Music on the Square page we could reach still showed an older season, so confirm the summer 2027 lineup on the city's events pages before you plan around a concert.

Hometown Holidays

Hometown Holidays is the big one. In 2025 it filled a Saturday in mid-December from 10 a.m. to about 6 p.m. with vendors around the square, Santa photos at the History Museum, school bands and dance groups on stage, a parade in the late afternoon and the tree lighting at 6 p.m. The Caltrain Holiday Train also stopped. The 2026 date had not been posted on the page we checked in late October. Our holiday season guide covers Palo Alto's own December events.

Planning an evening

Downtown Redwood City is busier after dark than downtown Palo Alto. A typical evening runs like this:

1. Take a late-afternoon train north and walk to Courthouse Square in five minutes or so.
2. See the museum if you arrive before 4 p.m., or walk Broadway and Main Street to look at the older storefronts.
3. Eat early. Popular places fill quickly before a big show at the Fox.
4. Catch a show, a film or a free event on the square.
5. Check the last southbound train before you settle in for a drink. Late trains run less often.

Our bars, wine and beer guide lists the breweries and beer halls nearby. If you would rather stay over, Redwood City usually has more rooms than Palo Alto at lower rates. You can compare hotels near downtown Redwood City or read our budget stays guide.

Historic buildings to look for

Downtown was rebuilt many times, but several older commercial buildings survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Almanac lists the Diller-Chamberlin Store at 726 Main Street, the Bank of San Mateo County building at 2000 Broadway, the Fitzpatrick Building at 2020 Broadway and the San Mateo County Building and Loan Association building at 2022 to 2024 Broadway. Together they show Classical Revival, Renaissance and Italianate styles.

A few blocks away, the John Offerman House on Main Street is described by The Almanac as the oldest surviving building downtown. Its 2025 report found a coffee shop with a garden inside. Mezes Park, known locally as Tank Park for the Army tank installed as a memorial in 1947, has courts and a playground for families who need a break from walking.

Getting there from Palo Alto

• Caltrain: The easiest way. Redwood City station is a short walk from the square and most local trains stop there. It is one zone north of Palo Alto. Our Redwood City station guide and Caltrain guide cover fares and tips.
• Bus: SamTrans buses run up El Camino Real from the Palo Alto Transit Center.
• Car: About 15 to 20 minutes on El Camino Real or Highway 101 outside rush hour. Use the public garages, since Broadway's 2000 block is closed to cars.
• Bike: Middlefield Road through Menlo Park and Atherton is calmer than El Camino Real.

Before a Fox concert you can look for Peninsula concert tickets, but buy Fox shows through the theater's own site or the promoter it names.

Frequently asked questions