Things to Do in San Francisco Bay Area
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One of the most popular and attractive of Californian destinations, San Francisco has in fact been regularly voted the best city is America to visit. Its restaurants, museums and nightlife are in a class of their own. Some obvious highlights are the Golden Gate Bridge, the tour to Alcatraz island, riding the cable car across town, strolling round San Francisco’s own Chinatown district (the largest outside Asia) and spending an evening in North Beach – the Italian District. There is in fact so much to see and do that the city is almost worth a vacation in its own right.
So you’re off on your holidays to San Fran, but there’s one problem – you’re travelling with the teenager, or teenagers, in your life, and you want to keep them as occupied as possible.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf at the edge of the bay is the most tourist-oriented of San Francisco’s locations, and is popular place to eat, stroll and shop. The area bears little resemblance to its origins as a genuine fishing port, even its population of resident seals – a favorite subject for visiting cameras – seem to have bought into this change. However some traces remain, in particular, the San Francisco excellent Maritime National Historic Park. If you want to go mainstream, then Pier 39 in the Wharf area is one of the main centers (or culprits – depending on your point of view) for entertainment, restaurants, shops and attractions.
Union Square
For shopping, entertainment, shows, and street entertainers, you can’t beat a visit to Union Square. Situated near the theatre district, so it’s perfect for before or after a show, Union Square has plentiful department stores, meaning your teen can spend those hard earned dollars, with plenty of cheaper stores too. Street performers and a large amphitheater add to the vision, with restaurants and cafes for a pitstop.
Golden Gate Park
Most visitors make sure they pay a visit to the Golden Gate. The bridge itself is without doubt the most famous symbol of San Francisco, as well as being the most photographed bridge in the world. Although no longer the longest suspension bridge in the world, it carries a mystique and aura that has attracted visitors for the best part of a century. Fort Point Lookout (south end) is a popular place to view the bridge from and caters well for tourists. Vista Point (north end) offers equally impressive but strikingly different views. Walking across the bridge is one of the best ways to appreciate its sheer scale and provides some incredible views of San Francisco bay and its islands. For more information about the bridge, you can click here.
Just like Central Park in New York, Golden Gate Park will be a teen winner, due to the wide open spaces, and if you have a skate lover in your midst, then this is a winner too. This is one of the largest parks in the world, and we all know how teenagers love their space! Gardens, museums, Japanese tea gardens and the San Francisco Botanical gardens add to the mix.
Cable Car adventure
To get a back in time feel of San Francisco, with a little added thrill, a cable car is the way to go. Heading through the neighborhoods and sights of the city, around Union Square, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, amongst other areas, the cable car will thrill your teenager. For a little extra, many recommend heading up Nob Hill and hanging off the running boards.
Alcatraz
This is famous, so no matter who you’re travelling with, it’s a definite must visit. The former prison is no longer in use, with the last in-mate having left in 1963, but the audio tour will mean your teen will learn something along the way, and the rather dark history will surely grip their attention.
Baseball
Do you have a teen who loves their sport? Baseball is big news in San Fran, with two huge teams calling it their home. If you can get cheap tickets to a game, your teen will no doubt love the atmosphere and get right into the game. Choose between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, the choice is yours!
San Francisco Bay Area Bay Area
San Francisco is really just the tip of all that is fun and great in the Bay area. The diversity of the area is not just in the food, the people and our attitudes but also in the physical geography.
Whether you love the big city, the suburbs, quaint villages, the woods or something rural – you literally just have to drive in any direction for 30 minutes and you can choose exactly what you want as a visit, as a short vacation or as an extended stay.
North Bay
Across the Golden Gate North is the North Bay, starting with Marin County, wealthy and trend-setting. You can hop on a ferry at Pier 40 to visit the artisan cove – Sausalito – for the day (or, of course, drive across. Further north (by car) along the coast are Stinson Beach and Point Reyes – both beautiful and romantic whether you travel up Highway 1 or through the forest via St. Francis Drake Road off Highway 101. There are also other fun, romantic and charming towns in the South Marin area such as Tiburon, Mill Valley and San Anselmo.
All of these are within 30-45 minutes of SF. Mt. Tamalpais State Park is another recreational area encompassing biking, hiking, water sports and so forth. You can continue along (another hour or so) to the quaint quasi-resort-rustic village of Mendocino – or choose from dozens of coastal rustic-fishing-resort communities such as Tomales Bay, Inverness, Bodega Bay and Olema along the way – each with its unique charms!
You can even take a regional bus to various Marin County parks and overnight camping at Samuel Taylor State Park. Calistoga is famous for the spa treatments, mudbaths, massages and body wraps. To the East is the East Bay. UC Berkeley, one of the premier public education universities in the world, as well as Oakland, the home of the A’s (MLB) and Raiders (NFL).
Wine Tours & Destinations
Or from SF (the city) – going north and further east is the Wine Country. Again, you have everything from rustic villages to 5-star resorts, spas and country club vacationing – the choice is yours. You have restaurants from dives to internationally famous restaurants such as FRENCH LAUNDRY. For wine lovers, there are literally hundreds of wineries (some are only open by appointment) that you can visit. There are guided tours and even the “Wine Train,” both are essential if you intend to sample heavily along the way – or bring a designated driver!
Napa Valley
The phrase, “Wine Country” is just a nickname, and not an official designation. Some of the most notable cities with wineries, restaurants and resorts of Napa Valley include:
- Napa
- Yountville
- Calistoga
- St. Helena
Sonoma Valley
Note that while Sonoma Valley is part of the Wine Country, because they are a different county and extend all the way up the coast, for wine marketing purposes, they are considered separate from those in Napa Valley.
To be technical, the wines in Sonoma Valley are similar in that the soil and weather is much like Napa valley’s but as you go further west and north, the climate and soil changes even though they are still part of Sonoma County (hence, the semi-confusion). There is also a nice outlet shopping center in Napa along with many antique stores.
From SF – going east, you cross the Oakland Bay Bridge into Oakland and Emeryville. AKA – The “East Bay.” There is shopping in Emeryville with Ikea and a new high-end mall.
Berkeley
Going slightly further east is Berkeley. Stroll the world-famous University of California campus, and visit the University Art Museum and the University Botanical Gardens. Dine in the world-class restaurants of “gourmet ghetto,” a neighborhood north of the university. Also see the John Muir Historical Site in Martinez. Another mecca of fun and food. Berkeley has managed to preserve the look and feel of a town from many decades ago. There are few chain stores and most of the shopping is unique. There is also unique shopping on 4th street near the waterfront. Telegraph still features a street fair almost every weekend during the summer.
If you go during school sessions, parking is very difficult and they are quick to ticket you. You also cannot eat poorly at Berkeley – from the great casual dives such as BLONDIE’S PIZZA or TOP DOG HOT DOGS to internationally famous CHEZ PANISSE – it’s all great depending on your wallet and your needs. You also can’t wrong with the numerous sushi restaurants. The Claremont resort is in Berkeley.
Contra Costa County
If you continue past Berkeley and through the Caldecott Tunnel, you enter Contra Costa County. A mostly expensive collection of bedroom suburbia cities – if you have friends in the area, it’s fun but as a residential area, it’s not exactly must-see. If shopping is your main reason, you will want to check out downtown Walnut Creek. While it offers many of the same stores as SF Union Square (Tiffany’s, Nordstrom’s, et al), parking is easier and you don’t have to walk as far – but of course, only if you have the time or inclination to drive there.
South from SF is the airport along Highway 101. Most of the “Peninsula” cities are quasi-suburban cities. About 30 miles south of SF is Menlo Park where Stanford University is. About another 35 miles puts in North San Jose. San Jose is much like a mini Los Angeles, sitting at the basin of a mountain range so you it gets a little smoggier but warmer than the rest of the Peninsula.
San Jose & Silicon Valley
“Silicon Valley” is also another nickname. It essentially starts at Stanford University (though there are some minor enclaves north of Stanford that are considered Silicon Valley such as Redwood Shores) and extends south to about Cupertino and east to Fremont. As an unofficial designation, there are no real borders and no real center to it. Thousands of high tech companies are scattered throughout the region – some you can spot on the freeways, others – you have to know where to look. San Jose is busy trying to build a downtown but frankly, there’s no reason to stay or be there unless you’re at a convention or doing business there.
The San Jose Sharks arena is in downtown. Like the main LA basin, it is really just a sea of houses and office buildings. If you want Mexican and Asian food, there are dozens of outstanding clusters of them. There is a huge outlet mall in Milpitas called The Great Mall and a great cluster of high-end shopping in a mall called Valley Fair and across the street in a new pedestrian mall – Santana Row. For bargain hunters, there is a massive flea market on the weekends. The San Jose-Santa Clara area is also known as “The South Bay.”
South Bay
But if you continue south from SF along highway 1, there is a whole ‘nother world that is not part of what we consider the South Bay. Confusing? Yes but if you’re there – you can plainly see it’s nothing like San Jose. If you go south on highway 1, you encounter Pacifica, a fog-bound fishing coastal community. It is literally 10 minutes south of SF but another world altogether.
Moss Beach – Half Moon Bay
As you continue along, you’ll encounter another artisan community – Moss Beach and then Half Moon Bay where there are romantic hideaway and resorts – the newest FOUR SEASONS resort is there. If you prefer fog and you want to snuggle by a roaring fire, Moss Beach – Half Moon Bay is just perfect for you. As you continue along Highway 1, you will then reach Santa Cruz. A thriving beach community that tries to best carry on the traditions of independent and diverse thinking. It too is like Berkeley (with a UC university – The UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs for those curious : -) full of students, indy-thinkers left over from the 60’s, hippies and rich people who love diversity – so you get it all – from cheap to expensive – it’s all there in Santa Cruz.
So, while they’re technically part of the Bay Area geographically, they don’t really consider themselves as part of the Bay Area.
Pacific Coast Highway
Further south (by Highway 1) is Monterey and Carmel. Highway 1 is most likely the most beautiful highway in the US – it winds down the Pacific Coast literally built on the mountainside and rocks directly above the Pacific Ocean. Ironically, it’s better during the winter. During the summer, it’s usually fogged over and it’s a nerve-racking drive of twists and turns (1-lane), you get to see nothing but gray on gray. When it’s sunny, it’s beautiful in a fun car with a driver and passenger who are not easily rattled. You can reach Monterey/Carmel also by the main 101 Freeway and going west on Highway 152 and then getting back on Highway 1 – a much faster drive.
Monterey
Monterey is another great unique town. While they have not been overly successful in resurrecting their Cannery Row, it is one of the most romantic places for a couple to spend a weekend getaway. If you’re bringing the kids, the aquarium is great and while there’s shopping along Cannery Row and in the other tourist areas, it’s not quite up to par – part of the problem is that Carmel-by-the-Sea is only 5 miles away. There are also some lovely and romantic hotels right on the waterfront.
Pebble Beach & Carmel-by-the-Sea
As noted, Pebble Beach and Carmel-by-the-Sea are about 5 minutes away. Many people have tried to manufacturer the quaint that is Carmel-by-the-Sea but they cannot. Part of it is the incredible view and the shoreline; part of it is the rich and eclectic crowd that it draws as residents and visitors. It is the closest thing to a Mediterranean village in the US and a must-visit. There are some excellent French restaurants in Carmel.
San Simeon
Continuing along Highway 1 south are some world-class resorts and much further south is San Simeon. Needless to say, if you’re a golfer, you’re in heaven. You pretty much have to stay at the Pebble Resort to get a tee time – other than the cost, that’s a small price to pay.
So, as you can see – just a little to do here in the SF Bay Area – and everything I’ve described is about no more than a 2-hour drive in any direction (not during commute hours, of course).
You can also hop on a bus and go to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe (gambling, water and winter sports) – both are about 3.5 hours away (separately).
