Independent-school admissions season in the East Bay often means more than one trip out — an open house in the fall, a shadow visit or campus tour over the winter, maybe a second look in the spring. Chez Toi Cottage and Chic & Cozy Oakland Getaway both make a comfortable, low-key base for a family working through that process, close to several campuses. Below are the 2026–27 admissions events we could confirm directly from each school.
Pulled directly from each school's own admissions pages in September 2026. Independent schools generally register visitors in advance through their own portals — treat the dates below as a planning starting point and confirm registration details on the school's own site before booking travel.
Lower & Middle School Open House: Sunday, October 25, 2026, 1:00 pm
Upper School Open House: Sunday, November 1, 2026, 1:00 pm
Parent tours run Monday–Wednesday mornings, October through January (register on Ravenna for exact dates/times).
Source: Head-Royce's public admissions events calendar; general tour season confirmed directly at headroyce.org/admissions/visit-our-campus.
Open House: Sunday, November 8, 2026, 11:30 am–2:00 pm
Admissions Mornings: Thursday, October 15, 2026 & Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 9:15–11:30 am
Nuts and Bolts (for parents): Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6:00–7:30 pm & Saturday, December 12, 2026, 9:00–10:30 am
Source: bishopodowd.org/campus-visit.
Lower School Open House: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 10:00–11:30 am
Middle School Open House: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Both divisions, second Open House: Saturday, January 9, 2027, 9:30 am–12:30 pm
Last Look Open House: Monday, March 15 & Tuesday, March 16, 2027
Redwood Day runs a fall/winter visiting season, but its 2026–27 open house and tour dates weren't published where we could reach them as of September 2026 (the school's visit and admissions pages weren't publicly accessible during this research).
Check: rdschool.org directly for current dates and to register for a visit.
As an Oakland Unified public school, Skyline doesn't run an admissions open-house season the way the independent schools above do — families apply through OUSD's annual enrollment window instead. The 2027–28 enrollment window wasn't posted yet as of September 2026 (the 2026–27 window opened December 3, 2025).
Check: ousd.org/enroll for the current enrollment window and to arrange a campus visit directly with the school.
Several of these schools sit within a short drive of each other in the Oakland hills — see our nearby-schools guide for how each one sits relative to both properties if you're stacking more than one visit into a trip.
Open houses and shadow days can make for a full day — both cottages give you somewhere calm to compare notes as a family before the next stop.
Admissions season often means a fall open house and a follow-up visit months later. Both properties work well for a quick overnight or a longer stay either way.
Both properties include on-site parking, so you're not hunting for street parking on the way to a morning tour.
Oakland's hillside streets wind more than a straight-line map suggests. GPS directions are reliable, but weekday drop-off/pickup windows can add a few minutes either way — especially if you're touring more than one campus in a morning.
See both stays, check live pricing, or ask us a question first.
Re-Vitalize Getaway is an independently owned and operated vacation rental. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Head-Royce School, Bishop O'Dowd High School, St. Paul's Episcopal School, Redwood Day School, Skyline High School, or any other school named on this page — they're listed only because they're genuinely nearby and their admissions season brings families to the neighborhood. Every date above was sourced from the school's own published admissions pages as of September 2026 and is subject to change; confirm directly with the school, including registration requirements, before finalizing travel plans.