Things to do in San Francisco Bay Area

A small downtown museum and archive devoted to telling San Francisco's story, from the Gold Rush to yesterday.

Marine-biologist-led whale watching over the Monterey submarine canyon, where whales feed close to shore year-round.

A hands-on San Francisco museum devoted to the history and craft of bookbinding, with working antique machines.

Open-top hop-on hop-off bus tours looping past San Francisco's iconic sights.

Fisherman's Wharf bike rental shop known for sending riders across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.

San Francisco Bay sightseeing cruises past Alcatraz, the sea lions, and under the Golden Gate Bridge.

A working fishing harbor on the Sonoma Coast known for whale watching, beaches, and the setting of Hitchcock's 'The Birds.'

A Healdsburg tasting room devoted entirely to méthode champenoise sparkling wine, built from reclaimed shipping containers.

Gold Rush-era Sierra foothill towns Angels Camp and Murphys, known for caverns, wine tasting, and Mark Twain's jumping frogs.

A pastel-colored Santa Cruz County beach village built around a small wharf and Capitola Village's shops and restaurants.

An open-air shopping center at the gateway to Big Sur, mixing everyday retailers with Carmel-area boutiques and dining.

A Mission District bean-to-bar chocolate factory offering guided tours and single-origin tastings.

A small memorial garden on Isleton's Main Street honoring the Delta town's historic Chinese and Japanese community.

Berkeley's civic and cultural core around Shattuck Avenue, next to the UC Berkeley campus and BART.

A pioneering Dry Creek Valley winery known for Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel, tasting a short drive from Healdsburg.

A fresh seafood market and casual eatery on Highway 1 in Bodega Bay.

A family-run stable and estate winery in the Saratoga foothills offering trail rides and wine tasting.

San Francisco's iconic suspension bridge, open to pedestrians and cyclists with sweeping bay views.

A Calistoga hot springs spa and small resort known for mineral mud baths.

Narrated sightseeing and hop-on hop-off bus tours of San Francisco and day trips to wine country.

A Sonoma wine-country town built around a classic plaza of tasting rooms and boutiques.

Small-group San Francisco walking tours pairing neighborhood history with local food stops.

A walkable South Bay town at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains with a historic creek trail.

A small nonprofit museum on the Embarcadero celebrating San Francisco's cable cars and vintage streetcars.

A beachfront stable in Marina offering guided horseback rides along the dunes and shoreline of Monterey Bay.

A Victorian-era town on the Monterey Peninsula known for its rocky coastline and wintering monarch butterflies.

An Alameda museum packed with dozens of playable pinball machines spanning nearly a century.

A waterfront pier at Fisherman's Wharf with shops, restaurants, and a resident colony of sea lions.

A Fisherman's Wharf museum of oddities, illusions, and strange-but-true artifacts from around the world.

A Sonoma County city and wine-country gateway, home to the Green Music Center and Graton Resort.

A redwood-shaded stretch of Sonoma County river towns centered on Guerneville, popular for tubing and kayaking.

Passenger ferries linking San Francisco's Ferry Building to Oakland, Alameda, Sausalito, and other bay towns.

Narrated whale-watching boat trips through the Golden Gate to the waters off the Farallon Islands.

A hillside bayfront town across the Golden Gate from San Francisco, known for houseboats and waterfront views.

Free, volunteer-led walking tours of San Francisco's neighborhoods, history, and architecture since 1978.

Northern California wine country stretching from vineyard valleys to redwood groves and the Pacific coast.

The historic town at the heart of Sonoma Valley, California's birthplace of wine.

Free museum at Intel's Santa Clara headquarters tracing the history of the microchip and Silicon Valley.

California's Zinfandel capital, a Central Valley wine town with more than 85 wineries.

The East Bay's food-forward, art-filled city on the shores of Lake Merritt.

Sonoma County's largest city, a wine-country hub with Peanuts history and downtown dining.

East Bay wine and outdoor-recreation region spanning Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, and San Ramon.

Electric-assisted railbike rides along a historic 1904 rail line through the Sierra Nevada foothills near Ione, California.

Self-guided factory tour and candy store where visitors watch Jelly Belly jelly beans being made.

Sonoma County river town with a historic downtown, agricultural roots and easy access to Wine Country.

Guided electric bike tours through scenic California coastal towns on premium pedal-assist e-bikes.

Destination marketing organization for Gilroy, California, the self-proclaimed Garlic Capital of the World.

Santa Cruz's walkable downtown shopping and dining district along Pacific Avenue.

Museum in Santa Rosa devoted to Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, with original comic art and a recreated studio.

Whale watching cruises departing Moss Landing into Monterey Bay's nutrient-rich submarine canyon.

Official visitor information for San Mateo County, the Bay Area region marketed as the San Francisco Peninsula.

San Francisco Bay sightseeing cruises departing from Fisherman's Wharf, including views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

Hands-on science center with interactive exhibits and a planetarium in downtown Sacramento.

Pedal-powered rail bike excursions along historic tracks above the Russian River in Sonoma County.

Free cheese factory tours, tastings, and a cafe at Hilmar Cheese Company's California plant.

Hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tours covering San Francisco's major sights, including the Golden Gate Bridge.

Family-owned group of Fisherman's Wharf seafood restaurants at Pier 39, including Pier Market and Fog Harbor Fish House.

Free interactive museum in Fisherman's Wharf exploring the science of sight and the history of eye care.

Bike rentals and guided tours near San Francisco's Marina district, close to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Small-group walking food tours through San Francisco neighborhoods including Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

Monterey's historic waterfront row of former sardine canneries turned shops, restaurants and hotels.

An exotic animal park near Salinas, California offering up-close encounters with big cats, elephants and other rescued animals.

Historic 1797 Spanish mission church founded by Junipero Serra, now a minor basilica with a museum and gardens.

Open-air luxury shopping center in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea with boutiques, galleries and restaurants.

Fisherman's Wharf boat charter running year-round whale watching and deep sea fishing trips out of Monterey Bay.

Indoor golf simulator lounge in Carmel-by-the-Sea with TrackMan bays, a full bar and live music.

Walk-through mirror maze and laser challenge arcade on Monterey's Cannery Row.

Outdoor hydrotherapy spa in Carmel with saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges and hot pools.

Whale-watching boat tours departing Moss Landing into Monterey Bay's deep-water canyon.

Italian seafood restaurant with bay views on Monterey's Old Fisherman's Wharf.

Drive a classic or vintage car on a guided or self-guided tour of the Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur.

State history museum near the Capitol featuring the California Hall of Fame and exhibits on the state's diverse past.

Scenic excursion train along the Sacramento River with themed rides, dining trains and railbikes near West Sacramento.

Nonprofit aviation and military history museum at Nut Tree Airport with rotating historic aircraft and wartime artifacts.

The official tourism organization promoting Roseville, Rocklin, and Lincoln, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Silicon Valley city near San Jose, home to Levi's Stadium, California's Great America and The Tech Interactive.

South Silicon Valley city known for wine tasting, farm-to-table dining, and Henry Coe State Park access.

California coastal county known for its beaches, redwood forests, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Mushroom store and cafe selling fresh, dried and cultivated fungi, grow kits, and mushroom snacks.

Romantic creekside fine-dining restaurant in Capitola serving seafood, prime rib and steak since 1947.

Redwood forest zipline courses near Occidental with sky bridges and a 1,500-foot zip line.

Napa Valley hot springs town known for wine tasting, mud baths and mineral spas.

Hands-on children's museum with indoor STEAM galleries and outdoor play areas for kids ten and under.

A small Sonoma Valley wine country village of tasting rooms, restaurants and local shops.

A Sonoma County day spa offering massages, facials and body treatments.

A luxury Santa Rosa day spa with massage, facial and body treatment menus.

Official tourism guide to Napa Valley wine country, its wineries, restaurants and small towns.

A self-guided trail connecting visitors to Sonoma County's farms, ranches and U-pick orchards.

California's official state tourism site, covering the coast, national parks, cities and wine country.

Official visitor guide to Marin County's coastline, redwoods, and small towns north of San Francisco.

Official visitor resource for the coastal art town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Visitor guide for Half Moon Bay and the San Mateo County coastside, from downtown shops to coastal trails.

Wine-region guide to Anderson Valley's boutique tasting rooms, vineyards and lodging along Highway 128 in Mendocino County.

Specialty grocery and deli in Carmel-by-the-Sea with fresh produce, meats, wine and a deli counter.

Seafood and steak restaurant on Monterey's historic Cannery Row.

Longtime seafood restaurant on Old Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey known for its clam chowder.

A small natural history museum in Pacific Grove with bird collections, local geology, and native plant gardens.

A sprawling, architecturally bizarre Victorian mansion built by firearm heiress Sarah Winchester, open for guided tours.

Hands-on science, art and human-perception museum on San Francisco's waterfront with hundreds of interactive exhibits.

A major modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Francisco with free admission on the first Thursday of every month.

Reservation-only 2.5 hour tours of a west Sonoma County compound that houses cheetahs, leopards, servals, lynx and other wild cats.

Vallejo's official visitor bureau, with trip planning help for Six Flags, Mare Island and the San Francisco ferry.

A 1917 Georgian Revival mansion and 16-acre English Renaissance garden estate open for house tours, garden walks and hiking trails.

Wine trail association guiding visitors to wineries and lodgings across Sonoma County's Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys.

Visitor information hub for the historic mission town of San Juan Bautista in San Benito County.

A network of small county museums in Northern California's Lake County, anchored by the Historic Courthouse Museum.

A two-story antique and collectibles mall on Cannery Row set inside a restored 1927 sardine cannery building.

The walk-in visitor center for Lake County, California, home to Clear Lake, wine country and outdoor recreation.

The largest open-air shopping center on the Monterey Peninsula, with retail, dining and a movie theater.

A locally owned Santa Rosa cannabis dispensary with immersive lighting installations and a wide product selection.

Long-running seafood and pasta restaurant near Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove.

Official tourism office for Mendocino County's coast, redwoods and wine country.

Fisherman's Wharf shop selling spy gadgets and surveillance gear, with an on-site airsoft range.

Old-growth coast redwood forest just north of San Francisco, reachable only with an advance parking or shuttle reservation.

Berkeley's official visitor center for maps, itineraries and recommendations a block from the Downtown Berkeley BART station.

City owned performing arts complex in Rohnert Park hosting theatre, dance and music.

Small full hookup RV park near Santa Cruz's Pleasure Point surf break.

East Bay city with open-air shopping, gardens, and the Lesher Center for the Arts.

An upscale open-air shopping and dining district in San Jose with more than 50 shops and 30 restaurants.

A 115-acre botanic garden of Mediterranean-climate plants from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Chile.

A longtime Santa Cruz surf school offering lessons, rentals and camps near Cowell Beach.

A downtown Healdsburg yoga and barre studio offering drop-in classes for visitors passing through wine country.